Meet Meaghan Cafferty | Brand Identity Designer & Owner, Soul&Story

We had the good fortune of connecting with Meaghan Cafferty and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Meaghan, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
When I was a kid we moved a lot. The most brutal move for me took place in the middle of fourth grade. Yes—all middle schoolers are awkward, and I was no exception to the rule. Basically a carbon copy of Olive from Little Miss Sunshine. I was an introvert through and through—reading out loud in class was my literal nightmare. I didn’t have an athletic bone in my body (still don’t) so making friends through sports wasn’t an option. I was socially-awkward and really, really sweaty. All the time. Thankfully there was ONE thing I could do—draw—and that became my secret weapon. Drawing pictures, decorating folders, making name tags, etc. became my mechanism for connecting with my classmates and eventually making friends.

Fast-forward 20 years and I’m still the same one trick pony—just with a fancier title. Being a freelance brand identity designer is my secret disguise to infiltrate whatever world I want to experience and connect with passionate people along the way. Starting my own business was never the goal. I built Soul&Story because I love making things for people—as much now as I did then.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
***QUESTION: What value or principle matters most to you? Why?

To me, the single most important principle is meaning. I ask every client: beyond profitability, what passion drives your business?

I’ve only had one client say profitability was the main motive. That was awkward.

More often than not, there is true meaning behind every business. That’s powerful stuff. The answer typically informs a lot of the branding process but also shifts the perspective—we’re working on something really big here! Maybe it’s about making people’s lives easier, or keeping people safe, or providing access to a better future.

Right now, I’m working with a local business that makes butt wipes. Yup—plant-based, flushable butt wipes. When we had the conversation as a team about the meaning behind the business, the main motive wasn’t what you might think. The passion that ignited our little team was WAY bigger than butt wipes. It was about the confidence that feeling clean and comfortable brings. It’s about feeling empowered and breaking taboos. Turns out there’s a lot of meaning in the simple act of enabling people to feel good—I actually joined their team for a year just to be a part of it.

Finding meaning will always be #1 for me—when I uncover what passion fuels my clients, it fuels me too.

***QUESTION: What’s the end goal? Where do you want to be professionally by the end of your career?

I definitely want to teach—I’d love to be a college design professor. I can attribute true impact in my life to a handful of influential teachers I’ve had along the way. I’d like to be that person for someone one day. But first I need to go to grad school. Side note: how do people afford grad school?!

Additionally I plan to keep working in my field, mastering my craft and building iconic brands for passionate businesses.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
***QUESTION: Tell us about a book you’ve read and why you like it / what impact it had on you.

Currently reading:
Rare Breed by Sunny Bonnell and Ashleigh Hansberger.

Sunny and Ashleigh founded the branding agency Motto—their story is equal parts badass and inspiring. Rare Breed is an unorthodox guide for motivated misfits. When I picked up this book, I was in an uninspired funk. Rare Breed is a rally cry to keep trying and reminder that you’re not alone. My favorite chapter so far is called “Be Loyal to the Nightmare” an excerpt reads:

“Part of being a naturally obsessed person is the obligation we feel to power through the brutal times. In “The Value of Suffering,” a terrific 2013 op-ed in the New York Times, English essayist Pico Iyer wrote about the privilege of experiencing pain on the way to a goal: “I once met a Zen-trained painter in Japan, in his 90s, who told me that suffering is a privilege, it moves us toward thinking about essential things and shakes us out of shortsighted complacency; when he was a boy, he said, it was believed you should pay for suffering, it proves such a hidden blessing.”

On the subject of suffering, the book I return to most is Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning. Words can’t summarize the impact of his writing—but it’s been an influential source of guidance in my life and I reread it often.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
***QUESTION: Risk taking: how do you think about risk, what role has taking risks played in your life/career?

Oh yeah! Gotta risk it to get the biscuit. Working solo, I’ve had to put myself in situations that I’ve absolutely dreaded—pitching alone (up against iconic agencies) to huge clients, flying cross-country to present brand strategy, walking into businesses to do cold sales, even leaving my full-time job (and steady paycheck) was a risky move… A lot of those things did not work out for me. But some did! Those small victories have made all the difference. Now I’m more comfortable with being pushed outside my comfort zone. I view being uncomfortable as a good sign—confronting challenges has been the biggest factor in my growth as a designer, business owner and human. Comfort is a slow death.

***QUESTION: Where are you from and how did your background and upbringing impact who you are today?

I’m from Erie, Pennsylvania. My dad is an engineer and the hardest worker I’ve ever known. He grew up with very little— by the time he was a teenager he was providing for his family. He went to trade school and eventually got a job as an engineer with a company that paid for him to get his masters. There was a point in my childhood where my dad was commuting 2 hours to work, taking night classes in NYC, then commuting 2 hours back home. Witnessing how hard my dad worked shaped my character—I owe it to him to pour my everything into what I do. My mom was also a designer and has the most generous spirit—she has encouraged my creativity since day one and truly believes I can do anything. She still thinks I’m good at math. (I have to use a calculator to figure out what to tip.)

All this to say—my upbringing has provided me with pride in my (borderline obsessive) work ethic and the audacity to believe in myself, too.

***QUESTION: What is the most important factor behind your success / the success of your brand?

Boiled down to its simplest form, I think the most important factor has been making the process fun and meaningful for my clients. Providing strategic and well-executed branding is obvious—but if I’ve learned anything it’s that being a decent human is equally as important.

One morning when I was working at a design agency, I approached my boss the minute he came in with urgent questions about a rush project. I was operating under stress. Ignoring my questions, he playfully mocked me—”Good morning, Dale! How are you today Dale?”—that moment taught me a valuable lesson.

It doesn’t take much to connect with someone on a human to human level—people remember how you make them feel. I make it a point to only take on projects I feel passionate about for people I genuinely want to work with. Then, regardless of what’s going on in my personal life/stress levels/the state of the world—I bring my absolute best energy into every meeting. Being good to my clients has brought me repeat business, tons of referrals, and some really great friends. Plus really understanding who I’m working for makes the work better, too.

Website: https://www.soulandstory.co/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulandstorybranding/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meaghcafferty/