Michael Janiak, Co-Founder and Executive Creative Director of Pattern, was interviewed on Mission Matters Marketing Podcast by Adam Torres.
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Michael Janiak’s mission is to help founders, disruptors, and visionaries build their brands’ identities and eCommerce experiences, fully realizing their vision and connecting with customers in ways that resonate.
How did the Pattern journey begin?
Janiak shares that he was interested in drawing as a kid, and that instinct grew into a love of graphic design when he was first exposed to it through skateboarding and snowboarding. In high school, he joined a graphic design program where he first learned PhotoShop, and after that, there was no turning back..
“That was kind of where the passion for design and visual language—being able to shape people’s feelings or perception of something with art—that’s really where that happened to me,” he says.
A 3rd generation American with an entrepreneurial streak, he says a passion for building businesses was passed down through his family. Today, he’s been working in design for over 20 years with time spent in New York, Los Angeles, San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area. Over time, his deep experience in digital marketing, campaigns, print design, corporate branding and eCommerce led to a business partnership with Pattern co-founder Isaac Newton.
What Pattern does for its clients
Pattern’s service offerings focus on user experience and visual design for eCommerce, which primarily involves designing websites and apps. The agency also specializes in brand identity, from logo design and naming to a host of related offerings. Over the past couple of years, Janiak notes, Pattern has worked with an exciting range of startups and celebrities including brands launched by beauty influencers like Jaclyn Hill and Jeffree Star and cultural icons like Jonathan Van Ness from Queer Eye. They also recently designed the digital brand and e-commerce experience for musician Ariana Grande’s new beauty brand, r.e.m. beauty.
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On working with founders
For founders wishing to grow their brands, Janiak suggests focusing on making products that people appreciate. Rather than overdoing anything, he says, brands should ask customers what they’re looking for and respond in kind. As for working with founders, he says trust is key and can take time to build. There’s an art to visualizing a founder’s ideas through design, giving them what they want and making it the best possible version of itself. That process can be iterative, he notes, and when executed well, can result in something above and beyond the founder’s initial hopes and expectations.
What’s next for Pattern?
The past year brought with it a wave of accolades for Pattern, including a Webby nomination and an eCommerce agency category win at the Shopify Commerce Awards.
Looking ahead, Janiak says Pattern will keep offering and evolving its knowledge of brand identity, eCommerce experience design and product & platform design, along with scaling into new offerings related to UX and UI design for web3, NFTs, and the metaverse. The team plans to continue growing in size while focusing on eCommerce apps and branding, with an eye toward working with more startups as well as established brands.
To learn more, visit https://www.thisispattern.com/.
