Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike and Katie Beitler.
Mike and Katie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
We’ve been planning this since day one. Since we were a couple of college kids falling in love in the art department. That was nearly 20 years ago. We didn’t know what it would look like or what it was supposed to be, but we worked. We taught ourselves how to create together. To balance each other’s weaknesses with strengths and as cheesy as it sounds… to have fun while we do it.
We were married the summer after we graduated and we both immediately went to work as graphic designers. Over the years we’ve both independently worked our way up the entire length of the design career ladder…from in-house Graphic Designer to Ad Agency Creative Director and everything in between.
During the 15 or so years we spent honing our skills and talents we always knew we wanted to work together. We had a million and one versions of what this business would someday look like, but we were never brave enough to really go for it.
Then, in 2017, our family experienced a series of tragic moments. Our circumstances changed and so did our perspective. We suddenly weren’t scared. Someone very wise told us to “Go as far as you can go – Don’t stop short where it is safe because you will regret it later.” Those were powerful words at a very important time for us… and we listened.
Less than two years later, we had both left our “day jobs”, The Brand Movement was up and running, and Katie was a certified yoga teacher. It’s been a wonderful, stressful, and rewarding adventure.
We maintain a studio at Tyler Station in Oak Cliff. However, as often as possible we work from the road. We enjoy chasing inspiration. We like waking up and letting the surroundings of a new city, state, or country influence what we create that day.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The amount of loss and change we’ve experienced since 2017 is overwhelming. We miss the people, pets, and everyday comforts we took for granted. Our entire life has been flipped on its ear. Through it all, we’ve made a conscious effort to stand back to back like a couple of gunfighters staring down any and everything that comes at us. We’re taking it all on with as much grace and dignity as we can muster.
In a way, the work has helped us move along this bumpy road. Focusing on the work and creating together has given us refuge and a common goal. Our love for our work is intertwined with our love for each other.
Please tell us about The Brand Movement – what should we know?
We are a creative studio focusing on Branding, Illustration, and Graphic Design. Conceptually successful creative is where we excel. We work with our clients to understand and oftentimes help form their vision. This understanding allows us to develop creative with purpose and on purpose.
We are designers by trade and artists at heart. Our work is created with an artist’s passion and a designer’s discernment.
The Brand MVMT is the expression of our collaboration. That collaboration is something we are really proud of. Over nearly 20 years of creating side by side our process has developed organically, and thankfully our skillsets are natural complements. Katie is obsessed with details and Mike has a knack for the big picture. We work with an unintentional rhythm and our finest creative emerges when we fuse our passions and talents.
With all of that said, we are most proud of the fact that our company allows us the opportunity to help. Whether it’s through a work of art, a brand, or an illustration; The Brand Movement is our platform to create works that work to bring about what is good. Which is where we get our tagline… Works for the Good.
Something that sets us apart is the word movement. We included that word in our name very intentionally. For us, it speaks to two things:
1.) The idea that inspiration doesn’t sit still. We prefer to chase it. Being “on the road” inspires us. We love absorbing the culture of places outside our bubble and allowing what we discover to influence or work. Our unique work/marriage relationship is what really makes this business model is possible.
2.) We believe our bodies were designed to move. The daily life of a designer is typically pretty sedentary. For us, creativity doesn’t come from sitting in a chair. It comes after we’ve moved. That could be as simple as throwing a football in the studio parking lot, as intense as a six-hour hike through the desert in Joshua Tree, or as refreshing as a month-long yoga immersion in the South of France. Either way, we use movement as a tool to reset and to focus.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Our attention to detail… which some might call obsessive, but we prefer reasonably particular.
Contact Info:
- Website: thebrandmvmt.com
- Phone: 214-681-2290
- Email: us@thebrandmvmt.com
- Instagram: @thebrandmvmt
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