Visual Storytelling for Business Growth, with Sarah-Anne Wildgoose (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 876)
In this episode of North Fulton Business Radio, host John Ray interviews Sarah-Anne Wildgoose, founder of SAW Design Studio. Sarah-Anne shares her journey from industrial design to graphic design and emphasizes the importance of visual storytelling in business branding. She discusses her extensive experience, including obtaining patents for surgical instruments and working in various industries like Tupperware and education. Sarah-Anne explains how she tailors her design strategies to fit client budgets and needs, the effective use of postcards in marketing, and the critical role of consistency in brand imagery. She highlights the importance of targeting the right audience and using compelling visuals to drive business success.
Sarah-Anne discusses the importance of understanding your target audience, the pitfalls of inconsistent branding, and how even businesses with modest budgets can achieve professional, memorable visual communications. Listeners will gain actionable insights on how to align design strategy with business goals, maximize marketing budgets, and create visuals that truly connect and convert.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. The show is produced by John Ray and North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, and is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
Key Takeaways from this Episode
Visual storytelling accelerates business growth: Effective visuals help businesses communicate their brand story and value proposition, leading to better engagement and ROI.
Industrial design experience sets Sarah-Anne apart: Her background combines creativity and practicality, ensuring that design solutions are both innovative and feasible for production.
Start with strategy, not tactics: Many businesses make the mistake of jumping into marketing tactics (like social media or postcards) without first understanding their target audience or overall strategy.
Consistency is crucial for brand recognition: Clear, concise, and consistent visuals build trust and make a business memorable, regardless of size or budget.
Design for your audience, not yourself: Understanding the preferences and behaviors of your target demographic ensures your marketing efforts are effective (e.g., not all age groups respond to the same channels).
Small businesses can achieve big results: With thoughtful planning and strategic use of resources, even companies with limited budgets can develop professional, cohesive branding and marketing materials.
Graphic design bridges the communication gap: Good design translates complex business messages into visuals that attract, engage, and convert customers.
Real-world success stories: Sarah-Anne’s work has helped clients land major contracts and elevate their market presence through carefully crafted visual communications
Topics Discussed in this Episode
00:00 Introduction and Welcome to North Fulton Business Radio
02:00 Guest Introduction: Sarah-Anne Wildgoose
02:16 Sarah-Anne’s Journey into Design
06:19 The Importance of Visual Storytelling
07:57 Common Mistakes in Business Visuals
17:11 Effective Marketing Strategies
17:42 Success Stories and Client Examples
20:32 The Power of Postcards in Marketing
32:18 Conclusion and Contact Information
Sarah-Anne Wildgoose, SAW Design Studio
Sarah-Anne Wildgoose, CEO and Founder of SAW Design Studio, is a master visual storyteller with over 35 years of graphic design expertise bridging the communication gap between client and customer.
She has partnered with start-ups and prominent brands like Schick Razor, Georgia Pacific, and Birdsey Construction.
Sarah-Anne is passionate about accelerating business visibility in an oversaturated marketplace and shapes the design process in 3 ways:
- Capitalizing on the fact that 80% of the population are visual learners.
- Blending graphic design, branding, and marketing to identify the digital and print media to position clients in front of their target audience.
- Designing marketing tools that work like magnets, attracting, engaging and connecting her clients to their customers.
Her strategy is graphic-driven messaging to create clear, concise and consistent brand stories that are memorable. Since emotions drive over 90% of decisions, color, font and imagery are used very strategically. As a brand curator, she ensures that all the marketing pieces fit and work together, because unity builds the know, like and trust. Working as a partner, a team extension, and collaborating with marketing and sales, her clients receive image-driven digital and print media to keep the brands top of mind, which results in improved revenue.
Working with clients in a variety of industries, some projects include:
- Brand Identity and Brand Refresh development
- Postcard programs to accelerate visibility to a specific targeted audience
- Revenue-boosting sales infographics.
- Requests for Proposals that secured contracts increasing the client’s revenue 35%
- Designing 5 Brand Assets for a cybersecurity conference, providing consistent Brand Identity
- Image-driven Pitch Decks boosting comprehension, fast-tracking understanding, closing deals faster
About North Fulton Business Radio and host John Ray
With over 870 shows and having featured over 1,300 guests, North Fulton Business Radio is the longest-running podcast in the North Fulton area, covering business in our community like no one else. We are the undisputed “Voice of Business” in North Fulton!
The show invites a diverse range of business, non-profit, and community leaders to share their significant contributions to their market, community, and profession. There’s no discrimination based on company size, and there’s never any “pay to play.” North Fulton Business Radio supports and celebrates businesses by sharing positive stories that traditional media ignore. Some media lean left. Some media lean right. We lean business.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. John and the team at North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, produce the show, and it is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
The studio address is 275 South Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009.
You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, and many others.
John Ray also operates his own business advisory practice. John’s services include advising solopreneurs and small professional services firms on their value, their positioning and business development, and their pricing. His clients are professionals who are selling their expertise, such as consultants, coaches, attorneys, CPAs, accountants, bookkeepers, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.
John is the national bestselling author of The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices.
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