Zachary Bates

Through collaborative efforts, the people I work with are able to assist in ideas evolving over time, which influences my ability to create more meaningful and well thought out work. I&#39;ve created work for hundreds of companies, varying in size and industry, and I&#39;ve found that some of my favorites include those in the the hospitality realm, breweries, start ups, or any which allow me to help pave the framework for their brand to better sustain the test of time.</p><p></p><p>I was once asked to speak to what &#39;makes a brand,&#39; and my response was that much like a culture, a brand isn&#39;t easily defined by flashy words, descript features, or even tangible things. It&#39;s embedded with values that are lived, felt, and experienced. A brand has many legs, the challenge is determining which one to stand on in certain moments and develop those to let another aspect of it be the hero for a specific interaction or touchpoint. I&#39;ve been told that what I&#39;ve brought to the table is the deeper strategic thought that ties everything back to the main vision. I&#39;ve also been compared to the likes of Simon Sinek, and even Paul Rudd. One thing I will always value is working with people who are as passionate about their product, service, or brand as I am about bringing it to life.</p><p></p><p>I take an approach where I&#39;m able to live vicariously through the people I work with to learn from them. This perspective gives me the opportunity to get to know their brand in its current state, sort of like being on the inside, which allows me to discover it in a similar manner that an employee might, who are typically the people who are closest to it. In doing so, I&#39;m able to produce an honest audit and a fresh perspective without the concern of offending a supervisor with feedback. There&#39;s something special about serving people by taking the time to understand them. It allows you the opportunity to refocus perspective from their side as well as their audience&#39;s, assess and identify any disconnect from both ends, and create achievable objectives for better alignment. The value I provide to the people I partner with is that I&#39;m willing to share my ideas beyond design thinking and help take their business a step further by daring to dream. The intentional, strategic purpose I embody is a result of the level of care I address all of my work with.</p>