**4/22/26**
**education**
why i disagree with my college professors
*I paid good money for design school… and then buit a business by breaking half the rules.*

I loved college and genuinely had an amazing experience. In 2015, I graduated from Iowa State University with a BFA in Graphic Design, and I wouldn’t trade those years for anything. But after working in the corporate world and building my own branding studio, I’ve had to learn and unlearn a lot.

So, dear college professors, if you’re reading this, I still appreciate you! I’ve just learned to do things a little differently.

Vector is king

Ahhh, this one is a sensitive topic and one that some designers might still disagree with me on, but please hear me out.
In design school, I was taught that everything had to be vector. Perfectly scalable, endlessly editable, mathematically precise. Pixel = bad. If it wasn’t converted, it was “bad design.”
But after years of working with small business owners, I realized that rule doesn’t always translate. We live in a 3D world full of texture, depth, and movement, so why should our graphics be flat just because they can scale?
Some of the most beautiful brands I’ve ever built weren’t perfectly clean. They had painted edges, paper texture, uneven brush strokes — little imperfections that made them feel alive. The magic doesn’t always live in the vector.
What I’ve found is that small business brands actually thrive on that kind of texture. It lets them tell a deeper story that feels raw, human, and authentic.
And here’s the kicker: most small businesses aren’t slapping their branding on billboards anyway. They need it to look good on Instagram, their website, their email marketing, their packaging. In these digital spaces, high-res pixel files handle that just fine.
For me personally, I love giving our clients both versions: the vector format when they need to embroider a logo on a hat, and the pixel format that gives their brand depth and meaning.

Icons aren’t THAT important for small businesses

In design school, everything revolved around the icon. All of our branding projects placed SO much emphasis on coming up with an icon. Likeeee the Nike swoosh, the Apple, or the golden arches.

But after years of working with small businesses, I realized something major: a singular mark doesn’t set them up for long-term success.

Here’s why: most small businesses are one-person shows or tiny teams, not global corporations with full design departments. When they don’t have enough branded elements to pull from, they end up turning to Canva templates or stock graphics just to fill space.

Giving them a visual library — like illustrations, patterns, icons, and supporting marks — helps them stay consistent and creative without reinventing the wheel every time.

Global brands can rely on a single symbol because they’re already recognized by everyone. Small businesses aren’t. Their goal isn’t mass recognition; it’s connection and memorability.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there’s a time and a place for a solid brand icon, and there are designers out there who do it really, really well. I am not that designer, and that is not my approach for the clients I work with.

In school, branding lived on a blank white page. In the real world, it lives in messy, colorful contexts: your client’s marketing materials, feed, or product photos. It has to work in all of those places.

That’s why I focus on building a brand feeling. Instead of aiming for instant logo recognition, I build systems that create emotional recognition — so people remember how the brand made them feel.