Meet Alfred Crawl II: Brand Strategy & Design Professional

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alfred Crawl II and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alfred, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
I’ll answer this questions with a sort of philosophy that I practice with branding. A brand has two sets of people to consider, the customer and the employee. The customer buys into a brand’s promise, and the employees should want to buy into the brand’s values. The messaging, designs, and visuals are all in service to the “promise and purpose”. This is where I come in, where business strategy and brand strategy meet, to work with the brand on defining the values they’re willing to stand behind and operate by. Then moving on to how those values relate to their customers and employees, and how to best communicate them. Ultimately, working towards great brands to shop with and great brand to work for. Company culture. Internal branding is as important as the external. They both hinge on founders’ values and relevance to the audience (customer and employee). Without proper groundwork, the marketing, the copywriting, the designs, and the websites are shallow, no matter how clever. But with the right groundwork and consistency, everyone flourishes. Work with “purpose” is more productive and fulfilling, and purchases that bring value to one’s way of life is more satisfying. Brand strategy is a worthy investment, and among other things, the brand retains trust and loyalty from it. A win for everyone, even beyond the exchange of money. Social impact? I see the owner’s need for achievement, and the employee’s need for purpose, and the customer’s need for value — and I’d like to be the empathy between the three.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
There are plenty of options available for branding and design, but it’s the story that makes a difference, my reason “why”. Most of us spend the greater part of our waking hours at work, lots of times uncertain about the company’s long-term goals. Adding a sense of purpose and common ground among founders and employees will push the brand to a higher potential and customer experience. Intent and purpose has sweet aroma, and a proper strategy and founders willing to uphold it is capable of doing that, generating organic motivation. Everything I provide to a brand all work towards this same end goal, a great brand for everyone involved. Every idea, design element, line of copy, question asked, everything I do is in service of well-being to the founders, the employees, and the customers. Taking an inside-out approach, doing the peppery groundwork to develop the brand’s internal compass, that’s what I’m about, profit and brand loyalty follows. I’ll respectfully refer a prospect to a more suitable designer or brand professional if they’re only interested in an attractive appearance. I’d be rendering a disservice to my mission and to the client. It doesn’t cross my mind to define myself internally as a strategist or designer, those are just titles. I operate by a naturally developed empathy and ability to translate ideas. Those things allow me to operate at a high level and think creatively towards human issues as a whole. And to that, add my experience and education. What sets me apart? Human interest, really.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Centennial Park for certain, and a walk around Peachtree Street. The atmosphere of Downtown Atlanta nearing a sunset is memorable. For good vittles, the food truck park and favorite Asian-fusion spot, Takorea. A winery tour… its worth the drive to north Georgia. Escape rooms are also pretty fun, and an interesting way to meet new people. I still talk to a guy from time to time that we met an escape room years ago. And if it’s a mellow day… a couple fo drinks, music, and a backyard cookout.Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to recognize those of my family, friends and colleagues who’ve invested objective, encouraging and counseling words over the years. That circle is not very large but is always honest – that’s an honor within itself. I’d also like to thank David Airey from across the pond, for the Q&As over the years.. My late father once said to me “It’s amazing that you can draw, but you can’t see”. Those words continue to echo after 25 years, as a way of saying… “look beneath the surface, look for the potential”.

Website: alfredcrawl.com

Twitter: CrawlAlfred