Be Bolder™: Q+A With Sophie Taylor - Founder Of Castlefield Design

The Marie Hunter brand is built upon one philosophy, “Confidence Speaks Volumes”. Confidence by definition is a feeling of self-assurance arising from one's appreciation of one's own abilities or qualities. The Marie Hunter Modern Muse is a woman who is a guiding spirit and source of artistic inspiration in life and business. 

Today we’re featuring Sophie Taylor, Founder of Castlefield Design. With a focus on luxury branding, designer Sophie creates custom designs like visual identity suites, marketing graphics in print and digital formats, packaging, and designs for products. I had the opportunity to ask Sophie 5 questions and here is what she had to say.

Q+A with MH Modern Muse Sophie Taylor

Q: Tell us a bit about yourself.
A: I am a mixed (black and white), multinational (American, German, and Canadian), bilingual (English and German) graphic designer with a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s Degree. I was born in Toronto but moved to the United States in 1990, and then moved back to Toronto in 2009.

I have been designing for over 15 years, sometimes in in-house positions but mostly freelancing while working unrelated jobs like at a wedding gown store, in a gift registry department, and at estate planning and corporate law firms. I have been working for myself full time under the Castlefield name for almost 4 1/2 years now, and it's an absolute dream. I get to work from home with my two cats keeping me company, and I get to work with really amazing people and brands across the globe. I design in a wide variety of styles from modern minimalist to regal ornate, mostly working on luxury branding, packaging, printed and digital marketing graphics, event invitations, and products graphics. I also sell my designs on stationery, decor, fashion, and accessories.

While the phrase about never working a day in your life if you love what you do is not true (ask any entrepreneur!), I am so happy and grateful to get to design every day.

Q: What was the defining moment that made you launch Castlefield Design?

A: At some point, in 2013, a year after finishing my Masters and while working in gift registry, I decided that I was happy doing graphic design just as a hobby and decided that I would take a position as a legal assistant at a major corporate law firm instead of seeking a design position. About a year and a half in, I realized that was no longer the case, and I decided to start Castlefield. I focused on designing wedding stationery, having worked in the wedding industry for a few years after moving to Toronto, but I still took on branding clients when they inquired.

In 2015, after two raises, I unexpectedly lost my job at the law firm. I was completely surprised, but not unhappy - sometimes you need that kick to get you going, and I, fortunately, had been building my Castlefield network and brand. I'd had a vague 3-5 year plan, but I was very comfortable in the job; sometimes I think that I might have still been there if the decision hadn't been made for me. So, I buckled down, continued building my client list, and Castlefield grew into what it is today.

Q: Who are 3 people that inspire you and why?

A: I thought so long about this question, but wasn’t able to narrow it down to 3! So, I will cheat a bit and say that my incredible network of other freelancers, small business owners, and entrepreneurs - especially women, and women of color - are the people who inspire me with their wins and struggles. Bonus: they are also some of my biggest supporters, and many have become good friends over the years.

Q: How do you deal with resistance from those who do not share your vision?

A: With regard to client work, I haven't had too many experiences with people not sharing my vision, since they are hiring me specifically for my vision. But on the rare occasion that I’ve had someone who had a design style in mind that didn’t fit their business goals or target market, I’ve put together some inspiration to show them the brand-appropriate design direction I have in mind, or showed them examples of brands similar to theirs and how they express their identity and personality visually.

Q: What do you love most about Marie Hunter Beauty?

A: I love that Marie Hunter Beauty donates to ADAA. I have had my own battles with depression – as recently as this summer, briefly, and during most of my high school and undergraduate years – and someone I love very, very dearly suffers from both depression and anxiety; mental health is something we need to talk about more often, and more openly.

I first came across Sophie’s work a couple of years ago when searching for home decor online and fell in love! We connected earlier this year via FB and I’ve been admiring her growth ever since! Sophie is challenging the design industry with her unique and playful approach and for that she is a MH Modern Muse.

You can follow Sophie on the following platforms:

Linktree: @castlefielddesign