Inteview with Marianne Hartley
What made you become the expert you are in your field? Why did you start offering this service?
Over the twenty years of working as a brand designer, I’ve had an equal passion for the mind body spirit connection and the effect that our thoughts and our surroundings have on how we feel.
When we look at something beautiful, be it in nature, art or architecture, we feel reconnected to ourselves and we are instantly more at ease. I call this Healing Design.
I decided to create brands that are a true reflection of the values and vision of my clients and their business, so that their brand could become a reflection of the DNA and life-force of their business. Simply by looking at their brand, my clients would feel reconnected to their vision and their customers automatically drawn to their service because it would ‘resonate’ with them on an emotional level.
I launched Hartley & Soul in 2013 to bring two passions together – healing and design – to create beautiful brands that capture all of our senses and leaves us feeling connected to our heart.What are the core benefits of your service to your clients? Start with the MOST important benefit, and explain how your work impacts the lives of others.
The core benefit of my work is to give my clients authentic stand out and visibility in a visually crowded market place, with a brand that is a true reflection of their vision and values.
When a brand is aligned with your values, it automatically resonates with the people who are right for you, be it customers, employees or business partners.
Shireen Smith from Azrights Solicitors for whom we did a brand refresh tells me that the redesign of their brand helped them double their turnover and attract high caliber employees like never before.
Mike Harris, founder of First Direct and Egg told me that he handed over his new Iconic Shift Mentoring Brochure to a potential corporate client and the man just stroked the front cover (it’s a very tactile material) and agreed on a deal they had been discussing for months, without even reading the content.
What advice to you have for others in your line of work? How could you best mentor them?
Do what you love and be true to yourself. One of the greatest differentiators within the design industry is your unique way of looking at the world, seeing and creating beauty where others can’t see it.
As designers we have a great responsibility as our designs may well outlive us… So the intention and the energy we put out into the world with the designs we create is as important as the final result.
What are the key drivers of people who use your service? What makes them take that first step to come to see you or access your offerings?
Most of my clients are seeking a personable service with a highly creative boutique design agency.
Key drivers for the people who use my service are
– wanting an iconic design
– a brand that truly reflects them
– be visible and authentically stand-out in their market
– successfully attract customers and employees
– to make a difference in the world
They usually suffer from
– lack of visibility
– lack of stand out
– lack of clarity on their unique offering
– not reaching their ideal customers
– not knowing how to communicate their offering
It all starts with a 20 minute synergy conversation to establish what the client wants and needs and whether I am the right person to support them in delivering their vision. Once we have established that, a tailored proposal is drawn up to capture their desired outcome.
Creating a brand is a journey of discovery for both parties. No company is the same and each vision is unique. It is important to enjoy working with the design agency you choose as they become part of your ‘Vision Holding’ team.
How do you deliver your service? 1-1 ? Online?
Both. I deliver my service generally one on one but also online. There is one international client I never met in person and we created a whole rebrand purely over Skype!
The brand alignment session, which is an all day workshop to establish the core elements of the Heart of the brand and brand positioning takes place in person.
What is your vision for the future regarding your work? What do you intend to achieve?
My Vision is for every company to have a beautiful brand that is a true reflection of their values and uniqueness that successfully supports them in communicating their message with the world.
My dream is for every design to be a healing design that supports us to thrive.
What kind of collaborations are you looking for? What other professionals would compliment your work with clients? What other ways would you like to support your clients?
I work with web programmers, social media experts, PR, marketing, business mentors, photographers, illustrators, animators and film – and I am always looking for new collaborations and co-creation opportunities.
What else would you like to share with our readers?
I believe beauty is healing.
Beauty surrounds us all of the time, all we need to do is look for it.
Marianne Hartley
Hartley & Soul Ltd
Creating Irresistible Brands
marianne@hartleyandsoul.com
www.hartleyandsoul.com
London: +44 (0)7903 924 094
Basel: +41 (0)78 672 40 37
More about the interviewer, Debbie Talalay
Deborah Talalay Theta Healer, Homeopath, NLP Master Practitioner, and a Healer. Over the years Debbie has added to her skills by qualifying in Kinesiology, becoming a Master Practitioner in NLP – Neuro Linguistic Programming – and more recently becoming an advanced Theta Healer. Workshops and lectures include The College of Psychic Studies and The City Business Library. Group sessions are available on request.
Debbie’s Pleasure and Pain Islands Questionnaire:
To discover your Pleasure and Pain Islands, click here…..
Deborah Talalay is a leading London based Theta Healer who has practised in Harley Street and West London and has successfully treated people of all ages and from all walks of life. Deborah has developed the Stamford Healing Process, an enhanced form of Theta Healing that can be accessed online anywhere in the world direct via Deborah’s Self Help Videos.