Starting and maintaining a business is no small feat. Ten percent of startups fail within the first couple of years and very few ever see their fifth anniversary. So, when an individual dreams of self employment, doing what they love and are passionate about, they put a lot on the line when they decide to make that leap and venture out on their own. That’s exactly what Craig Draper did 37 years ago. Designworks Group recently celebrated that 37 year milestone and Craig’s son, Logan Draper, says that it’s “because Craig listened to younger people that they survived the changes in media and marketing where a lot have failed.”
Logan is one of those younger people that help keep the agency on track with changing trends, and he has recently been stepping into the role of leading operations for the family business. Logan has been with the family business for 11 years and says he has learned it from inside and out by starting at the bottom, as the janitor. He lightheartedly shares, “It’s been a fun journey.”
There is no doubt that the marketing and advertising landscape has changed since Designworks conception in the early eighties. Just in the 11 years that Logan has been working for for the company, platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and Pintrest have emerged. Apps like these have completely how the population receives information, and in turn how the methods that marketers must figure out to reach those audiences for their clients. Logan and the team have proven that they are pliable and up for any challenge by navigating the ever changing media landscape, while still maintaining a “customer first” approach to business. Logan says that they measure success with monitored results for their satisfied clients.
Not only has the company managed to navigate the highly competitive and quickly changing niche in which they operation, they have done it with great success and peer recognition. Their office is filled to the ceiling with awards that they have won for various projects over the years. When asked how many Addy’s the agency has (an ADDY is an award given by the American Advertising Federation), Logan chuckled and replied, “I have no idea. We really slowed down the last five years and now focus on honing our craft. We might have missed out on some of that stuff lately. We changed our measurement of what success is and became for client focused.”
Another project of Logans is his podcast, Modern Mad Men, that he records in a designated studio built inside of the Designworks offices. The term “Mad Men” harkens back to a title that the advertising industry put upon themselves and men that worked on Madison Avenue in the 1920’s, which was the hub modern advertising at that time.) This unedited and uncut podcast series that began in the fall of 2017 spotlights local entrepreneurs. After 2 years, Draper says that he plans to increase the frequency of the shows, which are available on all streaming outlets. “It’s fun for us,” he added.
Logan also serves on the pastoral team at Onelife Community Church where he often has the opportunity to speak from stage. He says “the cool thing is that my role at Designworks and my role at Onelife are the same, just loving on people are what’s important, whether it’s here, there, or out in the community.”
Adapting to the world’s ever changing social habits and technology helped Designworks Group remain successful throughout the decades, but it is their family atmosphere and love for people that keep them going.
