Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in design services but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jason Schwartz, Creative Director and Partner at Bright Bright Great, located in Chicago, IL, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Bright Bright Great is a design-driven branding and UX studio creating digital products and experiences that foster innovation and push boundaries. BBG works with clients who are looking to change their game, tell a new story, create a totally new visual identity system, or revamp experience.

We do not focus on a specific vertical, or industry on purpose. The goal is to pair best-in-class UX decisions with best-in-class design systems.

Tell us about yourself

First and foremost, I am a true designer at heart. I love design. I have two degrees in Industrial Design because I wanted to formally bring UX to graphic design, which wasn't anywhere near as thought out in the 90s as it is today. Industrial Design has been doing it formally for 80 years. (Thanks Xerox!)

Design is the conduit to how we experience our world. It can be found in everything we do, use and make. It is a constant source of inspiration, and always surprises me. My love of all things design makes me a good candidate to lead as a Creative Director, but not necessarily run a design firm.

I run BBG as a design-first team of incredibly talented individuals; however, we are not designing for designers. We maintain a love for design and user-experience first execution while thinking deeply about solving brand and experience problems.

I have been in Design for 23 years, so how and where motivation comes from continues to mutate, but always comes from interesting places. The basics of what I do daily at an expert level are learned over time, but primarily the same skills used for each project... the unique element being a client partner and goals.

I look for almost all of my ongoing design motivation outside our actual industry. Being super passionate about other things outside of design (as a designer) is really critical.

I became interested in design unknowingly in 1985, getting my first glimpse of Garbage Pail Kids on the school bus. I was 6 but didn't know why I loved them so much. Turns out Topps hired the best illustrators from NYC schools like Art Center to create Original Series, and they flew off the shelves, so I spent a full school year trading my lunch money away for about 1 card a day.

My first job was bagging and boarding at a comic store owned by my uncle. I was 10, and he paid me in comics, so I got really deep into the amazing artists, letters, illustrators, colorists, and everyone involved in making a fantastic comic book in the late 80s/early 90s. I'm still influenced by comics today. I have a Tomb of Dracula 1 on my desk, and I've been looking at the colors and typography all month. No one is innovating like comic artists from the 70s creating Dr. Strange's cape design. A goal to strive for.

There are two other places that I heavily draw inspiration from. The first is horror movies. One of the best places to take chances in graphic design is the horror space. Posters, type layout, color choices, photography creative direction all go way off the map. Designers and artists can get away with so much. Look at the art of Joseph Peak from Nightmare on Elm Street. Name one traditional product matching that today. (https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3414868/check-original-nightmare-elm-street-poster-paintings-without-text/)

The second is my outlier, luxury. I am absolutely intrigued by the simplicity and timelessness of the highest level of luxury. How do you improve on something that is perfect? My favorite luxury brand is Tiffany & Co. The amount of time they have spent perfecting Tiffany Blue and how it extends throughout their entire experience is miraculous. Their traditional engagement rings are perfect. No extra detail. I regularly pop into my local Tiffany & Co. to look at what is new, or out of the box with Tiffany collections. They do great collaborations with timeless artists, so usually the innovation happens by blending styles.

When you throw horror, luxury, and comic books into a blender, you get my style. Odd... yes. Interesting... also yes.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

BBG turned 15 years old this January, so that is kind of an amazing feat as a small business. We've never taken investment and always stayed true to our design from the heart nature.

Working with BBG has the same feeling now as it did in the mid-00s. Our principles are timeless, so I expect working with BBG in 10 years from today to continue to feel the same.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Running a small business is hard, period. Also, usually the business part of being a business owner is time consuming and boring.

When BBG first started, no one took owner's draws for six months as we ran our first projects and waited for payments. Growing takes time. Even starting our agency at the beginning of a technology boom, getting out there was tough. Today, our rolodex is pretty intense. We also see a lot of repeat work, or long-term engagements.

We all recognize that the next time the phone rings could be our next few months of security. That keeps us hungry but also helps us understand our value.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. If you want to start a business, make sure you have the work (or the demand) to support it. Day 1 is probably the most exciting and stressful day of your life.
  2. Have a good accountant and a good lawyer. When we started and started growing, we totally underestimated our taxes for a few years. Knowing what you need to save and when to save it is key and sometimes hard to recognize when looking at the numbers.
  3. Make sure that you are doing something that emotionally keeps you happy and fulfilled. I love design. Running a design-first firm is amazing. I wouldn't have those same feelings doing something that I didn't love. It's really important, especially as you hit the milestones, month 1, year 1, year 10. There are definitely ups and downs over time.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://brightbrightgreat.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightbrightgreat
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightbrightgreat/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bbg
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brightbrightgreat/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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