BOSS WOMAN 95 EMMA MAJA DESIGN

A CHAI LATTE WITH EMMA MAJA

What is your drink of choice?

Oooh, I love a good mug of chai latte, especially on a rainy day!As for alcohol, I had an elderflower gin recently and it was amazing!

Tell us a little bit about yourself? 

Ok, so my name is Emma (obviously), I’m 26 years old and I’m a freelance graphic designer and illustrator. I’m half Swedish and half Aussie, my middle name is Maja but pronounced “Maya” ( “j” makes a “y” sound in Swedish). I’m obsessed with dogs…I also run the Instagram account @dogsofcanberra. With family and friends on either side of the world, travel has been a huge part of my upbringing as well as my adult life. The freedom that comes with working online from any location with a decent internet connection is actually what first attracted me to a career in graphic design. I love how broad graphic design is and how many different projects I get to work on because no two days are ever the same. I’m so happy I’ve found a career that I wake up excited about every morning!

Tell us about Emma Maja design and how it came to be?

I’ve always loved basically anything creative, and before finding my perfect fit with graphic design I was considering pursuing photography and fashion design. I found that the part I loved the most in the creative subjects I enjoyed was actually the design process, and that lead me to find graphic design. I created an instagram account as a portfolio, way to connect and get inspired, and find my own personal style. As time went on and my skills developed more and more clients were hiring me, and this year I started working on my business full time and it has been such an incredible time.My main goals as a graphic designer are to create branding that represents the business’ core values in a beautiful and unique way, build a trusting relationship with my clients where they are updated every step of the way and their feedback is valued, and to ensure both their final product and their overall experience working with me has been amazing!

How can we support Emma Maja Design?

I am all about supporting small businesses and I absolutely love working with start ups and being part of developing their vision from the beginning! I specialise in brand development and am such a big fan of getting to know my clients and collaborating with them throughout the whole process! It’s so unbelievably rewarding to see an original concept develop and grow into something both myself and the client can be super proud of! So basically, as corny as it might sound, you can support my business by giving me the opportunity to support yours!

Any advice for those wanting to turn their dream into a reality?

Looking back to what I would have loved to know when I was starting off, I can think of 3 main things!1: Don’t be afraid to ask a “stupid” question. It’s okay not to know everything in the beginning, reach out to someone who has more experience and can teach you the

lessons they’ve learned over time! (Not that I haven’t learned my fair few lessons the hard way!)2: Break your big goals into smaller ones that are achievable, and celebrate the little wins! Any step in the right direction deserves to be appreciated, and once you start ticking off that to do list it only motivates you to get even more done!3: Say yes! I’ve tried to take on as many opportunities to grow, even if it put me out of my comfort zone! So many things that would have scared me 3 years ago just seem completely normal to me now. Once you push yourself to do things that make you a little nervous, and try to view them as opportunities it’s crazy how many doors it open up!

I’m really big on being part of a local business community where we can support each other. I am a big believer of “collaboration over competition”, so I would love to offer a branding package at a discounted price! I’ve been so fortunate with people providing me with chances to get my foot in the door I’d love to repay that favour and help someone else out!

Emma is offering girl gang members 10% off her basic branding package. Find the codeword on the girl gang dashboard