RISING ICON #81: Melanie Walby
Photo by Wordsworth M. Musinguzi
What name do you prefer to be called?
Melanie Walby
What are your pronouns?
she/her
Where did you grow up?
Born in Charlotte, NC. Grew up in Eau Claire, WI.
What city are you currently based in?
I’ve been living in Minneapolis since 2006.
How do you typically introduce yourself to new people?
Small talk about my garden, my toddler or the next plane ticket my husband and I want to book. If people ask what I do, I say graphic design.
What’s one thing you wish more people knew about you?
That I am usually down for spontaneous same-day plans.
Who do you help?
I help people who need to get aware but I also help people who are already aware and very tired. My art lives at the intersection of justice, theology and print design in formats that are meant to be touched and held. That’s the magic of print. It guides people to have much-needed conversations offline and in person.
What are you building now?
Good Graces, LLC.
What were you building ten years ago today?
My agency and design firm resume.
What do you predict of yourself 10 years from now?
I’ll be less focused on building and more focused on sustaining and nurturing. Be it my work, my relationships, or my hobbies.
What’s a fact or statistic you wish everyone knew about your industry?
That design is not aesthetics or simply creating images.
Why do you believe the work you do matters?
I’ve seen the way it has changed people’s minds enough times to know that it matters.
Who is your mentor and what is the best advice they’ve given you?
I always think of my high school choir instructor who told us, “Don’t only do things for the money. When you do what you love, money finds you.” It sounds like a cheesy platitude but I’ve seen it work.
What piece of content about you or your company are you most proud of?
I was just honored with L'Étoile du Nord (Star of the North) from MN United and they wrote a really thoughtful and kind piece about my career and future plans.
What publication do you hope to appear in next?
I was interviewed by Communication Arts back in 2016 about the work I was doing within a local design organization. I’d like to be featured again for my personal work because it’s rare for design publications to feature people who are working outside of agencies or in-house firms. I want young designers to know there are so many other options than what we’re taught in school.
Who would you love to be interviewed by?
I’m listening to a lot of “What Now” by Trevor Noah. I think he’d be really fun to talk to—especially about media and design.
If you had to give a TEDTalk tomorrow, what would the title be?
Angry Grace.
What award would mean the most to win?
If there was ever a, “She Treated People Well” award, I’d feel seen.
What makes zero sense to you?
Talking about people instead of with them.
What’s a word in your industry you hope gets re-evaluated?
Multi-tasking. I think it is glorified grind culture. I wish we had more appreciation for uninterrupted time to focus.
What game are you changing?
I changed where my money comes from by starting a home goods brand, not an agency, that is opening up more possibilities to create on my terms. I enjoyed working with clients for almost 15 years but I’m ready to see what stories I tell and what fonts I use when it’s only my decision.
What’s the next thing you’re a part of that you want to invite more people to participate in?
On a whim, I applied to be a vendor at the Minnesota State Fair and they accepted my application on my first try! I’ll be launching Good Graces at my booth in the West End Market next to the Grandstand stage and am really looking forward to seeing my community come through.
Where can we follow you online?
Right now, melaniewalby.com is the best place to find me. I’m also on Instagram as @shopgoodgraces.
What’s one thing that makes every leader better?
Being vulnerable enough to admit mistakes.
A few other places to find Melanie online:
melaniewalby.com
instagram.com/shopgoodgraces
L’Étoile du Nord Spotlight: Melanie Walby
faire.com/direct/goodgraces
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We’re grateful to each Rising ICON for their transformative work. Thank you, Melanie, for sharing your story!
LAUREL is a media relations partner for bold leadership. For nearly a decade, we’ve helped leaders build effective strategies for scale and growth specializing in key opinion leadership and go-to-market strategy for emerging brands. To follow along with the RISING ICONS series, nominate a leader or subscribe to our weekly email newsletter. To accelerate your own rise, get our free guide to elevating your leadership profile, FIT(lite). RISING ICONS is made possible by grant funding from Knight Foundation.
“My art lives at the intersection of justice, theology and print design in formats that are meant to be touched and held. That’s the magic of print. It guides people to have much-needed conversations offline and in person.”
Notice: It’s important for our readers to understand the origin of the interview content. The featured ICON contributed responses that were not edited from the original submission. All claims are made solely by the contributor and do not reflect the views of LAUREL or its partners. Thank you for supporting innovation leaders. We’re convinced, the future is bold.
