Business owners large and small, non-profit organizations, design and marketing firms have called upon Alicia’s branding expertise on a strategic as well as design level. Having worked in design for the past ten years, Alicia started out in advertising which gave her a keen awareness of the purpose and story behind a design.
In advertising, design serves a purpose and a function—if it’s not believable, interesting and relevant then no one will be paying attention. Bringing this focus and a natural story-telling know-how to the design world shaped Alicia into the brand strategist and designer she is today. She holds that brands are not created, they are discovered through research and in-depth questioning of company owner and customers—a belief that has led her clients to call her a “brand therapist.”
Alicia has a small design practice here in southeast Portland called Alicia Nagel Creative where she provides branding and design services for an array of different clients, engaging teams of subcontractors as needed for larger projects. Recent clients have included:
- Ghost Nest – an online maker and seller of customizable hardware for the home
- Zipporah Doula – a birthing coach and reproductive rights advocate
- The HeArt Project – an arts program for under-funded public schools
- Area Floors – selling upscale floor-coverings since 1967.
Projects result in a number of branding and marketing materials which may include a logo, website, business card, e-newsletter campaign or an overall brand strategy. When not designing or leading companies through various brand strategies, Alicia donates her services to non-profits and organizations whom she believes in to help set them up for success.
Alicia has a bachelor’s degree of science in communications from Boston University and a master’s in human observation and learning from the world around her. She has a love for making things with her hands and fixing things herself. Past projects have included making jewelry for selling at arts and craft shows, DIY screen printing in the bathroom (not successful), and sewing projects using repurposed fabrics.
Alicia will teach a specially tailored and highly researched Speed Branding workshop for I Heart Art: Portland on April 16 at Museum of Contemporary Craft. Register now if you haven’t already ($10 per person) and apply her brand expertise to your own creative business.
Bonus points: Make her smile a little by pronouncing her name correctly from the start—ah-LISH-ah
I enjoyed the work shop and learned the value of FOCUS! Thanks, Barbara at the PDXfabricdeli.
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