It’s always fun to introduce people you love to one another. Each month, we feature a member of our Root + River studio so you can better get to know them. Studio Partners are individual professionals and companies we have developed fabulous working relationships with and to who we relish referring our clients and friends. They support the Root + River beliefs and standards and are believers in intrinsic branding.

THE HUMAN: Tanya Gagnon

HER ROOT BELIEF: Designing for a full sensory experience makes for a richer, more meaningful brand and creates powerful, memorable connections. Design is foundational, not an afterthought; it should evoke a visceral response and enhance life experiences. 

WHAT SHE OFFERS: Tanya and her team offer essential brand design and marketing for service-based businesses and hospitality companies who wish to demonstrate their brand experience before their customers walk into their space, or pick up the phone. These services include:

• Logo and visual identity design
• Website design + digital marketing
• Marketing collateral 
• Social media marketing
• Strategic marketing coaching

HOW LONG WE’VE WORKED TOGETHER: One Year

HER THOUGHTS ON INTRINSIC BRANDING: “I couldn’t be more aligned with the concept of Intrinsic Branding,” says Tanya. “It is about making an emotional connection with your audience by being true to your mission, values, and core beliefs. I do my best work when clients understand this and know that their visual communication should frame their uniqueness. I really struggle when clients focus on the ‘what’ and fail to understand it’s their ‘why’ that really helps position them uniquely.”

WHY WE LOVE HER: She is very direct, prompt and has an excellent team that produces high quality work. She respects the artful side of brand and creates an excellent client experience.

YUMMY DETAILS: Discussing differentiation with Tanya’s clients begins with a conversation defining the concept and establishing that client and – in this case – confidante, are actually on the same page. This is the moment when Tanya gently leads them back to the Why, employing patience and encouragement to go deeper. For example, a service provider may think their great differentiator is great customer service, but after further exploration and a well-crafted survey, they may realize it is their reputation for showing up when they say they will be there that separates them from the pack. “They respected my time” becomes the winning insight.

Tanya recognizes that it is easier to lead clients down the path to discovery than it is to do it for yourself. However, during a recent brand refresh, she had to acknowledge that she was the face of her brand. “People hire Miss Details because of my insight, as well as my philosophy.” A creative at her core, Tanya offers design options that appeal to the senses; enhancing one’s life experience and designing for humans, adding that deeper emotional, psychological, and science-based understanding – all the “squishy” differentiators. 

As a small business owner and artist, she recognized that the balance between these two roles was actually her differentiator – blending the business mindset with creativity, emotion with logic, and intuition with intellect. Not content to stop here, she takes the design one step further, adding a story-telling component. Often, Miss Details will “add pieces to a design” sparking a subconscious reaction on the part of the observer. Or, the design will include something only the owners perceive, not only adding to the richness of the result but also providing an opportunity for networking or connection as it is an easy and interesting topic of conversation. 

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