Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Martin.
Hi Rachel, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started my design career working in advertising in NYC, designing campaigns for some of the world’s most recognized brands. It was fast-paced and super-charged, but I became overwhelmed by the fact that we, as designers, were designing wasteful stuff and packaging and encouraging folks to “buy, buy, buy” and be over consumers. It felt a bit off, and I wanted to have more purpose in the work that I was doing. As a designer and communicator, I promptly shifted my practice to focus on purpose-driven design and sustainability. That moment shifted where I worked, how I worked, and who I worked with. I left the large ad agency life to work for a family-run business with values and principles aligned more with mine. I channeled that sense of purpose into my freelance design studio, which I launched in 2000, first under my name as Rachel Martin Design, then rebranded to Mindful & Good®, Sustainable Design That Ignites Positive Change™. We served as experts and leaders in sustainable design that drives the quadruple bottom line – people, planet, profit, and culture. After several years of rigorous assessment of Mindful & Good’s social and environmental performance, transparency, and overall impact, we achieved B Corp™ Certification in 2023. We are thrilled to join the ranks of other socially and environmentally conscious organizations around the globe that meet the highest standards of sustainability and social responsibility, such as Patagonia, Allbirds, and Ben & Jerry’s, to name a few. I’ve taken what I’ve learned and crafted an experience for our clients committed to mindfulness, sustainability, and excellence in design. I’m not just about winning awards (although those are nice); I’m about problem-solving, elevating your brand to resonate deeply with your audience and values, and positioning you to be the absolute best. I’m about creating a better world together through design.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Haha! Gosh no. The road is not linear; it’s quite winding and bumpy, and there are some gaps and cliffs, but overall, it’s rewarding, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Early in my career, struggles would be having a few bad clients or clients that wouldn’t pay, but we’ve honed our practice and onboarding process to alleviate those issues. Another struggle is that we’re not your typical multi-disciplinary design agency for anyone and any business. We are specialists who are focused on sustainable design. So we’re not an order-taker design studio or one that will crank out a logo and be done. We work long-term with like-minded clients who value what we do. We only work with socially conscious brands that we believe in. With over two decades of experience, we’re experts and leaders in sustainable design and packaging with a proven track record of success with our clients. We hand-select our clients, taking on work that makes us feel good because the people and brands behind them are doing good.
Thanks for sharing that. Please tell us more about your business next.
Mindful & Good is a B Corp Certified design studio that creates impactful brands that ignite positive change. We work with natural, organic, and purpose-driven businesses in food & beverage, health & wellness, and sustainability. From start-up ventures to Fortune 500 companies, we design impactful brands that draw attention, open minds, and drive purpose and prosperity. Our focus is on high-quality, sustainable design, spanning branding, packaging, print, and digital, allowing us to innovate and solve problems with a positive impact.
What sets us apart from others?
We’re one of the 0.1% of creative agencies founded by a woman. We are also a Certified B Corp. We provide our clients the assurance of partnering with an agency driven by empathy and dedicated to the highest social and environmental responsibility standards. By collaborating with us, clients align with our shared values, knowing their design projects contribute to positive social and environmental impact. They gain access to a global network of purpose-driven businesses, benefiting from collaborative opportunities, valuable resources, and innovative ideas. With our strategic approach, we offer our clients a straightforward process and design direction right from the start of the project. From the brand discovery and research phase through design and launch, we maintain regular communication and collaboration every step of the way. We do what we say, just as simple as that. We are small, but our impact is big. We aren’t a vendor; we’re your trusted design partner with you for the long haul. No big overheads, layers of account managers, or inflated timelines to make room for other client projects. We only work with a select number of clients per year. With Mindful & Good, you work directly with our experienced founder, who collaborates with you every step, working obsessively to get you where you want to be.
What does success mean to you?
I define success as having happy clients achieve their goals and grow their businesses while positively impacting the world. Doing work that has purpose and impact is very rewarding. With pressing global challenges such as climate change, social inequality, and public health crises, developing sustainable design solutions that mitigate those challenges is hugely successful.
Pricing:
- Investment in our design services varies depending on the client, their needs, and the scope of work.
- Small business clients spend anywhere from $25k to $50k, whereas our mid-sized clients spend $50k and up, annually.
- Monthly design retainer services start at $5k.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://
mindfulandgood.com/ - Instagram: https://www.
instagram.com/mindfulandgood/ - Linkedin: https://www.
linkedin.com/company/ mindfulandgood
Image Credits
Julia Fay Photography and Shrimp & Grisettes
