Dana Gonsalves

You joined this group a long time ago, didn’t you?

Long before we became Sequel. That’s why I was at the first meeting, at a coffee shop in Brooklyn. We managed to snag a big client, and we were excited about coming together again. It’s not every day you meet people you really want to work with.

What was the attraction?

A shared passion for business AND design. That’s what made us good -and a little unusual-as a design team. By then, we had gained a lot of experience. We had worked hard for clients and gotten results. We knew what we were capable of, and we wanted to keep it going.

What did you bring to the mix?

I am the go-to designer. Because I love every part of the process - the strategy, creative, tweaking the details. I never get tired of the little things, because getting them right is crucial. I also keep sight of the big picture, because that’s the reason we’re working at all.

How has Sequel changed over the years?

I think our range has grown. These days we’re involved in much broader branding and marketing decisions, and our engagements have grown larger and more complex. But even with that, at the core we’re the same. We still work hard, we still care about each other, and we still really care about the clients we work with. I think clients can see that, and that’s why so many of them tend to stick with us.

What, specifically, do clients sense?

I think our empathy. We know how hard they work to win, and they know how much we care. I think that’s one reason we’re really good at helping clients in periods of change, when they’re turning themselves around, or refreshing their brand, or rolling out something entirely new. When we’re on board, it’s clear we’re serious about helping them get where they want to go. We take on their challenges as our own, which is, I think, why we succeed.

What’s the big challenge now?

Doing more with less. We need to think a lot harder and smarter, because the budgets we work with are often constrained. Still, even with these limitations, my job is to hit the sweet spot - to find a combination of language, imagery and color that clicks with an audience. No matter what, my mission is to create a unique, compelling and long-lasting user experience. That’s the essence of design, and it’s never going to change.