Manhattan Beach, January 30th, 2020

Based in sunny Los Angeles, Isadora Agency is an award-winning website design agency that seeks to change the way brands connect with audiences in a digital world.

The digital agency has a deep understanding of the key role of visual identity and digital in the business and has a team of creative innovators that work to make projects a reality.

The digital agency offers a wide array of services, including enterprise websites, mobile apps and UX design systems. Isadora Marlow-Morgan founded Isadora Agency and is its current president and Chief Creative Officer. Speaking to TIA, Marlow-Morgan described the evolution of the agency since its beginning in 2009, her career path and the future challenges ahead.

Please highlight the moment of a usual day you value most

Brainstorming with the team. We usually do this early in the day (well, early for creatives) with fresh cups of coffee. Multi-disciplinary team brainstorms allow us to share ideas across departments and expertise, resulting in innovative, simple solutions to complex business problems. I believe strongly that great ideas can be ignited by the smallest flame, that might come from the most unexpected source.

Thinking about the evolution in your work from when you began until today, what’s the biggest change you find?

The biggest shift in my work came from evolving from a doer into a curator. I now employ much more talented web designers and developers than I ever was and I am in the wonderful position to nurture their talents and guide them to create more innovative cutting-edge work. The role I have now is as much about people management as it is strategic road mapping and problem solving.

How do you make sure Isadora Agency stays innovative from such a crowded sector?

We actually built this agency on the premise that we were always going to create truly unique and distinctive work. We stay away from templates, themes and pre-made assets and instead opt to concept and create everything from scratch.

How do you guarantee creativity and innovation on the projects developed?

The most important thing is to avoid familiar solutions, be courageous and think differently. Every brand is unique, through a collaborative approach we take the time to truly get to know these brands; what they stand for and how they want to be seen. We then combine that with our strategic design thinking to focus on the people we’re creating for, this leads to innovative, effective solutions every time.

Which are some of the opportunities and challenges that you are facing?

Opportunities and challenges often overlap. For example, we are very excited about our growing new product offering of Design Systems; a robust collection of design components with rules and principles to harmonize UX, Design, and Development teams, bringing digital products to market faster. The term itself was only coined a few years ago and the product is still widely unknown. Our challenge is to educate brands about the benefit of this new product while the opportunity is being one of the few agencies to offer it.

What do you have in the pipeline for the year?

The UX Design System product that we started offering just a couple years ago. It’s an area that we plan on expanding as we see a lot of potential for this robust product.

If you have to name a strength or a weakness that people would be surprised to learn about you, what would it be?

I am self-taught. I developed my skills on the job with the help of incredibly talented co-workers and leaders I had the good fortune of working with. This meant lots of late nights in my early years, In fact, working until 3am to perfect my craft after hours was something I was perfectly willing to do. This is the beauty of our industry, if you are driven and dedicated, you can succeed.

Are there any particular personality traits of women in business that should be applauded?

There are so many, but I would like to highlight courage and empathy. Most women in leadership positions have had to fight to get where they are and be courageous in their choices. I also find that it is in the nature of women to have more empathy. This not only allows us to build deeper relationships with our team, but also to understand the human element when problem solving.

What advice would you give to the next generation of female leaders?

Don’t wait or expect things to be given to you. Be proactive, make your move and make your mark.

Who inspires you?

It might sound cliché but it’s my mother. She is a serial entrepreneur who taught me at a young age to forge my own path and have confidence in my abilities.

As a child we did not go on vacation, no, instead she sent us kids to work! Sometimes it was at her companies (I was doing tele sales at the age of 15), other times it was just to learn the value of earning a dollar by herding cattle on a ranch, for example. My mom is awesome, and quite the character!

Three things I wish I knew when I left school:

– You can read as much as you want, but you really truly learn when you dive in and do the work, so get started!
– School teaches you how to learn and then go get a job.
– School does not really teach you how to be an entrepreneur.

Thanks Isadora!

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founderIsadora AgencyIsadora Marlow-MorganmanagementUX Design