The New York startup scene has exploded in the past decade, especially within the D2C space! Unsexy markets and traditional industries are being shaken up due to the power of the brand. Companies such as Casper, All Birds, Burrow and Snowe are all the brainchild of creative brand agency, Red Antler, whose visual aesthetic and creative direction turns startups into gold.

Co-Founder and Chief Strategist of Red Antler, Emily Heyward has always envisioned a world where design and branding can help break barriers and fuel growth for non-traditional brands. “Our model is very unique in that we choose our clients based on the problem they are trying to solve. ” This new approach to help small companies disrupt their industry has benefited greatly as Casper, one of Red Antler’s early client revealed revenues exceeding $600 million in 2018 since their birth in 2013.

The Early Days

Emily graduated from Harvard and met her co-founder, JB Osborne back when they were working at Saatchi & Saatchi together. “He left to work with a New Zealand based agency who wanted to set up shop in NYC and asked me to join as he was pretty much running the show there (JB is currently the CEO of Red Antler). We quickly met our third co-founder, Simon, and together envisioned an agency that caters to helping smaller brands be heard. However, the New Zealand agency did not align with our vision and wanted larger, more established brands. As a result, we parted ways and the three of us set out to create Red Antler.”

In terms of the corporate structure, JB, the CEO, heads business strategy development, networking with investors, structuring deals and evaluating new business opportunities. Emily works on the brand strategy side and is deeply involved with clients to establish the positioning and brand story, while Simon

leads all creative and comes from a visual background. They truly make the perfect mix for an award winning agency!

“A lot of my best ideas come when I am walking around the city with my dog and right before I fall asleep at night. Creativity happens when my mind is clear!”

Looking back to Emily’s childhood, she always enjoyed planning creative projects and indulging in arts and crafts. “I would always play imaginary games in the yard with my best friend. No structure, no toys or tools, just our minds and the ability to invent stories.” Hence, some would call Emily a storyteller from birth (as would we). “Brands come to us because they know that we can create the foundation. We rarely execute on campaigns, but build holistic brand experiences.” From logo creation, naming, website design, visual aesthetic to brand voice, Red Antler does it all (or at least the important stuff).

When trying to name Red Antler, Emily stumbled upon a wikipedia page that informed her that antlers have the fastest growing cells in the animal kingdom. “We loved that as an image as we wanted to name our company after words related to growth.”

How To Get Chosen By Red Antler:

What makes a good brand? Check out what Emily has to say about getting in the door:

We want to work with businesses that actually have a reason for being, something the world needs. Ideas that look towards the future and how things can be better.
Chemistry is very important! What we do is so emotional so a good working relationship, trust and having fun are big elements.
Make sure that the founding team really believes in the power of a brand as an ongoing driver of their businesses. A brand is a living, breathing, integral part of how you are going to grow over time.

When not working, you can find Emily staying inspired by reading books unrelated to her industry, spending time with folks and engaging in random activities. “What I do in my spare time is as important as what I do in the office. It keeps the creativity flowing.” Fun fact: she also keeps a spreadsheet of pizza places in NYC that she orders from and is constantly updating it!

Photo courtesy of Red Antler.