From Childhood Creations to Business Success: Emma Jacquelyn's Story

From Childhood Creations to Business Success

Emma Jacquelyn is a lifelong artist with a natural entrepreneurial drive. From selling hand-drawn paintings to her neighbors as a child to launching her branding and web design business, Desert Rain Design, Emma’s passion for creativity and business has always been intertwined. When the COVID lockdown gave her unexpected time to invest in her dreams, she seized the opportunity to build her design business, transforming her artistic skills into a thriving brand development service.

Finding Opportunity Amidst Lockdown

Emma is a longtime artist with an innately entrepreneurial spirit. “I always wanted to be a
salesperson. I would draw little paintings and try to sell them to my neighbors for 25 cents, or every time we had a school fundraiser, I always wanted to sell the most things and raise the most money.” This drive, coupled with her artistic ability, led her to start Desert Rain Design. Once the COVID lockdown went into effect, she used the time at home to dig into growing the business.

The Challenge of Pricing Creative Work and Knowing Your Worth

One of the most relatable aspects of Emma’s business journey is her struggle with pricing Desert Rain Design’s services. Vagueness around pricing can make it difficult for new business owners to determine a fair price, and women often tend to set their prices too low when they start out. On top of that, artists are used to having their work undervalued.

With all this in mind, Emma set a price that to her, a freshly graduated college student, seemed exorbitant. To her clients, however, her prices seemed like a great deal. That’s when Emma realized that, in order to see her business grow, she needed to ask for more. Even when her services cost more, clients kept coming, and Emma was eventually able to pursue Desert Rain Design full time.

Thriving in Missoula’s Creative Community

Community is an important part of Emma’s life, and the work she does. Emma is an active member of the Missoula arts community, through which she’s had the opportunity to work with other makers and artists in the area. One of the most rewarding things about doing local brand design is seeing her work out in the wild. “...making a logo for someone and then seeing it on their building or on their food truck or on a sticker on somebody's water bottle, I'm like, oh my gosh, that's so cool.”

Beyond Logos: Crafting Cohesive Brand Identities

As a designer, Emma is passionate about going beyond the basics of branding to create a cohesive brand identity for her clients. She uses principles of design and psychology to select colors, typefaces, and other things to create a visual embodiment of the business. This ultimately leads to branding that resonates with her client’s customers, giving them an edge in the marketplace.

A Journey of Creativity

Emma Jacquelyn’s journey with Desert Rain Design is a story of creativity, resilience, and
growth. Her work not only brings artistic visions to life but also helps businesses create lasting impressions through cohesive branding strategies. Emma thrives on community and collaboration, finding joy in seeing her designs out in the real world.

Through her thoughtful approach to design and a keen understanding of business psychology, Emma empowers her clients to build strong brand identities that resonate with their audiences. Her story serves as a reminder that valuing your work and leaning into your creative strengths can pave the way to success and fulfillment.