Today we’d like to introduce you to Craig Johnson.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Craig. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My first career was in the music business, managing bands at Sixthman, an artist management firm. I enjoyed being the business side of a creative industry but there were things about the music business that I didn’t like. Blake Howard was a freelance graphic designer working with a lot of our bands and we ended up starting Matchstic together in 2003. We were a graphic design firm, but after a few years just being a graphic design group wasn’t unique enough to really stand out, so we focused our efforts as a brand identity house. We built out a brand strategy practice, a naming practice as well as brand messaging to round out our brand identity competencies. We now focus all of our efforts on creating identities for new brands as well as overhauling identities for established companies.
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?
Phew – I wish it was a smooth road, but we’re still here 14 years later fighting it out. In 2009, the struggle was the find work as the economy was tanking and we had to lay off a significant portion of our staff. Branding firms were few and far between in 2008, but new ones pop up all the time now so we have to continue to work hard to hold our position as the premium identity firm in the southeast. Then there’s navigating change in general, which is never easy. Whether it’s change in what customers want, what new technology exists, staff changes & the war for talent, etc. Throughout it all, we try to stay focused on 3 things: doing great work, being a great place to work, and having a healthy business. If we do all three well, we will stay strong as a company.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Matchstic – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Matchstic is a brand identity house that helps companies define who they are and how they express themselves to the world. Our services include Brand Audit, Positioning & Brand Strategy, Naming, Logo & Visual Identity Systems, Tagline & Brand Messaging.
What sets Matchstic apart from others is that our core focus is brand identity. It’s all we do and we’ve been doing it for a very long time. Many other firms do branding, but it’s not their core focus; it’s what we live and breathe all day long, all year long.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Our customers have been asking us to help them manage their brand for the long term, not just create the identity as a one-time project. We’ve been looking at ways we can help them with that so they never get off course and keep the brand on track with the direction of the company at all times.
Contact Info:
- Address: 437 Memorial Dr SE, Unit A7
Atlanta, GA 30312 - Website: www.matchstic.com
- Phone: 404-446-1511
- Email: craig@matchstic.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/matchstichouse
- Facebook: facebook.com/matchsticbranding
- Twitter: twitter.com/matchstic
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
