Katie Proctor
Branding Designer
Northamptonshire, UK
www.wildflowerdesignco.co.uk
instagram @wildflowerdesign.co
pinterest
Q What do you do?
“Hey, I’m Katie! I am a young girl-boss, creative entrepreneur and an all round bubbly person. ”
I am the founder of Wildflower Design Co. - A creative design studio with a promise to create badass branding for feminine businesses in the beauty, fashion and lifestyle industry. Why beauty, fashion and lifestyle? You may ask. The short answer is, it's my passion. The slightly longer answer is that I grew up collecting packaging from my favourite skincare and makeup brands and my dream is to work with some of the leading experts in the industry from Glossier to Charlotte Tilbury. As somebody who has spent the majority of their upbringing surrounded by the beauty, fashion and lifestyle industry, not only have I developed a small shopping addiction (guilty as charged), but I have also been able to gain a vast amount of knowledge as a consumer, allowing me to develop strategy driven branding that is guaranteed to result in success for your business.
Okay, so I know your niche, how are you different from other designers? Every designer's goal is to create pretty logos right? Wrong. While the final visual aesthetic is extremely important and something I take very seriously, I ensure that every design that leaves my doors solves your problems. Strategy is a very broad term but to put it simply: not making as many sales as you would like? Not attracting those dream customers? Struggling to make your mark in the industry? Well, I can get you there, with the power of strategic branding. I spend a large proportion of every project doing extensive research into your competitors, your target audience, your brand inspiration and so much more, all to guarantee that your branding isn't just there to look pretty (but of course I'm an expert in that too).
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
My journey has been the most exhilarating but challenging experience. Flashback to 18 year old Katie who had just finished her first year of university studying design. I felt let down by the lack of creativity that my course was displaying so I took matters into my own hands. I began experimenting with design in my spare time, creating passion projects and completing design challenges. Soon enough, my Instagram began to grow and my first ever client had approached me. While this was an exciting opportunity, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. So, I began to focus my time on bettering my skill and knowledge. Before I knew it, I was running a small, freelance design business. Over the past 2 years, I have dedicated an insane amount of time to growing my business by working seemingly endless late nights. I feel so lucky to be where I am today but it wouldn’t have happened had I not worked incredibly hard!
Q How do you stand out in your field?
I help my clients reach their number one goal / dream in their business. Whether it be to build a social media platform and community for their brand or become the first vegan skincare brand to be advertised in Vogue. I use strategy to uncover how to best create branding that truly will help my clients to achieve their dreams.
Q What are you working on right now?
I'm currently working with a couple of clients that are super exciting. The first is a footwear company (designing lots of shoeboxes and swingtags!). The second is a US-based candle company with a 'sunset glow vibe'. Lastly, I'm working with a London Gin company!
Q What’s your style?
As a designer, it has always been hard to ‘pinpoint’ my style. That was until one day when I realized that having a diverse style isn’t actually a bad thing. A lot of my work features minimal design with a focus on typography, but every now and again, I will experiment with something a bit more colourful and playful. Think modern design with a badass twist – that’s me. It would be difficult to select one project that truly represents me, but I would say that ‘Cloud Nine’ is one of my favourites. I also have a soft spot for ‘Ukiyo Home Lifestyle’, but they are both totally different vibes!
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
The ultimate goal for me as a designer is to become one of the leading studios that works within the beauty industry. Skincare, makeup, haircare – the works. There is just something about creating designs for this industry that ignites a fire inside me.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
Running a design studio is no easy job. But I would say my biggest challenge right now is consistently booking those dream clients as often, the budgets of businesses in my enquiries aren't always realistic for their expectations and scope of work.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
Definitely client offboarding. Wrapping up the project by exporting files and creating the brand guidelines document. Purely because it is the most time-consuming part of the process and I would rather focus on developing the design (because that’s the fun bit right?)
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Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
A few months ago, I was dealing with some false accusations from another designer for copying.
It totally threw me off and I ended up in a real bad pit of anxiety. But I wish I could go back and tell myself to not care about what other people think and that there will always be people out there that will dislike you, no matter how hard you try to be a friendly face. As long as you know that you are genuine and you love the work you’re creating, then nobody can tell you otherwise.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
The secret to gaining 10k clients! I’ve been doing a lot of research into this at the minute, and I’ve already learnt a lot of useful tips. But I would love to gain some real expert insight on how to stop attracting those clients with tiny budgets, and actually find the ones that appreciate my worth!
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
Branding projects that fall within the beauty, fashion or lifestyle industry. (Think skincare brands, jewelry brands or even a healthy ice cream brand).
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
I’ve always said that my dream client would be a skincare brand such as Glossier of Summer Fridays – a business that really makes a mark and a difference in their industry. A lot of my current clients aren’t very well known so I’m looking to climb the ladder. Ideally, they would be super friendly and a positive person that is excitable and easy to get along with.
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
I have an enquiry form on my website, but I am also open to receiving emails. They must include a description of who they are and their goals, their budget and the work they are looking to have done. Oh and I love to ask them what TV / Film character best represents their brand!
Q Who is a creative you admire?
Carli Anna 100%. I discovered her on tik tok and I love the fact that she keeps things real. I recently listened to her talk on attracting 10k clients and it was like a lightbulb went off in my head. She seems to have a solution to every problem and I really look up to her.
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Searching for inspiration with no project or end goal in mind. A.K.A mindless scrolling on Pinterest
This member profile was originally published in May 2021