Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Zagorski.
Mary, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born in Gulf Breeze, Florida where I lived for 18 years. I was always told as a young child that I had a vast imagination, which was great for creativity, however not so much for academics. I pushed through though and I landed at the University of W. Florida in graphic design, which back then focused heavily on print as well as digital design. I mean, Adobe hadn’t even released Indesign yet so we used a layout program called Quark, which if you know you know, it was a struggle to bridge with Adobe suites, they just did not get along. I finally found a discipline I felt passionate about, I was a sponge for anything and everything in design, especially brand identity. My junior year I was hand picked to take part in an advertising and design campaign class where we would work alongside a corporation to re-brand their identity. It turned out the corporation was Yahoo. We spent the entire semester focusing on the re-branded identity for Yahoo, then traveled to pitch it to the executives in South Florida. I participated as one of the main presenters for our school and I just knew we would win. We didn’t win and they thanked us for our hard work. A few months later I did see some of the ads our class had designed in a magazine called the Economist, which I still have packed in some box to this day.
I loved learning about all the different principles of design, color theories and was genuinely excited about the future. My senior year I had an opportunity to study abroad for a year in London and jumped at it. It was the BEST decision I ever made. I was exposed to so much diversity in London; different cultures, people, food, opinions, architecture and design. I was hooked, I had the travel bug and really used that year to explore Europe.
Upon my return I graduated (2005) and packed up to move to Denver, CO. I had no job, no idea what was next but felt excited about the future. I remember that I designed these business cards with the intention of landing a job. They had my name on the front and a brief description about me on the back and explained why I was the next best hire. I looked up job fairs in the newspaper and went to every single one. It took two weeks and I landed my first job. It was at the local Denver Women’s Chamber of Commerce where I worked a few years as a graphic designer. Reality and my first taste of adulthood was strange and exciting. Eventually I became bored and knew I wanted more. I dabbled in a few other positions in Denver while searching for something new, challenging and perhaps even the opportunity to travel internationally again.
Fast forward, a few years and I finally landed a position for an international tech company called GSMA. They are a company that represents the worldwide mobile industry. They were headquartered in London, which meant a lot of travel and a larger platform to learn from. I worked remote from Denver and traveled every few months to the different events they held around the world. It was fun, I was young, ambitious and hungry to learn more. The tech industry moves fast, so I learned a ton, resulting in being a real tech nerd. I dove into digital design, brand identity systems, coding, app development and web development. I was/am super passionate about design and networked a lot which lead to some really cool opportunities. I networked day and night and made real friends with the likes of some really big players in the tech industry, which paid off later. The networking and friendships led to an opportunity with Google. I was invited into the Google Glass program in 2013. I was one of the first early adopters to launch the product in Europe where launched the EU program during GSMA Mobile World Congress in 2014, recording hours of footage during the event, speaking and promoting on behalf of the Google Glass program. Even though the program didn’t work out as planned, the opportunity was incredible.
In the fall of 2014 , it was time to move on to something new. What came next was a lot of soul searching and thinking about what I loved and what I wanted to do next. I did some in-house consulting with a few large corporate companies, dabbled in drone technology, worked in some high profile design agencies, and then decided it was time to start my own design studio. In 2015 I launched PRISK design. It felt like the timing was right. A little about PRISK: PRISK is a design studio, with a focus on brand identity. With PRISK, I’ve launched over 17 companies from concept to finished product or service. I’ve developed brand identities, websites, films, packaging, books, brand experiences and more. As a woman owned studio, PRISK is the heart of everything I do and the business enables me to dance to the beat of my own creative drum. I have personally worked with clients such as: Spanx, W Hotels Worldwide, Capital One, HSBC, Goldman Sachs, Marriott International, GoodWipes among others.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Every successful business has had its road blocks. We are a small design firm, we do everything in house which is not always easy, however, great struggles today make for strengths tomorrow. The challenges I’ve faced have definately built the beauty and results you see with PRISK now. We overcome struggles by striving to create unique and bold designs that push boundaries resulting in work we are proud of. Another personal struggle is that I am not an especially strong saleswoman, which is needed when you are trying to find new clients. It’s been another challenge which I am still trying to figure out. Putting yourself out there is half the challenge, it is humbling and scary at times but the more often you do it, the easier it becomes.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
PRISK is a design studio that creates brand identities, websites, apps, packaging, brand experiences and more. With PRISK I’m known for being a bit quirky with my bold designs. To say that I am passionate about design and brand identity is an understatement, I love it. I would say our branding approach is not the norm. My team and I are very hands on with all of our clients and I am in constant contact with them during the process and involve them from the very beginning. I find this step is super important. Brand identity can be an emotional process for companies, and there needs to be a sense of trust. My aim is to provoke a new, more modern way of thinking. I strategize everything from brand auditing, product and brand naming, architecture, strategy, positioning, brand guidelines, graphic idenities, ad campaigns and brand experiences.
Volunteering my personal time is also important. Helping younger designers is important, the design world can be discouraging as our industry is so subjective. I want to change this perception and encourage the younger generation to find their voice. A few years ago, I began hosting the Design Kids Atlanta once a month. It was a place for younger creatives to come together and learn something new, be it a hand lettering class, a zine workshop, a panel discussion on design or introducing the wonderful world of filmography. Whatever the subject was, it was open to anyone interested. I have since passed on the role to a new host.
What were you like growing up?
I was and still am a very passionate person. I really thrive best when I am given the opportunity to explore new things, push boundaries or lead, which resulted in a lot of restriction time growing up. I grew up with parents who embraced and worked in nature and the environment. My mother was a Park Ranger at Gulf Islands National Seashore so a lot of time was spent at the beach or camping at different National Parks. I remember it being pretty normal that my parents would let my brother and I skip school some times to watch the baby sea turtles hatch at night. My father owned his own business so working for him at a very small age taught me some important fundamentals that I find have helped me even to this day in being an entrepreneur.
We were brought up to have respect for everyone, everything and especially for mother earth, this is still very ingrained in me. It was an awesome childhood and they always embraced my creativity and let me explore my imagination. It wasn’t seen as something that was problematic, it was just me, being me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.priskdesign.com/
- Phone: 4048205522
- Email: mary@priskdesign.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prisk_design/
Image Credit:
Miguel Tapia
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