{"id":59813,"date":"2019-08-13T11:12:11","date_gmt":"2019-08-13T15:12:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/?p=59813"},"modified":"2020-09-03T05:53:06","modified_gmt":"2020-09-03T09:53:06","slug":"what-emily-heyward-brand-guru-and-cofounder-of-red-antler-does-all-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/creativity-culture\/what-emily-heyward-brand-guru-and-cofounder-of-red-antler-does-all-day","title":{"rendered":"What Emily Heyward, brand guru and cofounder of Red Antler, does all day"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Our series <\/em>What Do People Do All Day?<\/em><\/a> takes a look at the work life, lunch habits, and downtime of people across different industries. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Name:<\/strong> Emily Heyward
Title\/company:<\/strong> Cofounder and chief brand officer, Red Antler
Years on the job:<\/strong> Almost 12 
City:<\/strong> New York<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do Casper<\/a>, Birchbox<\/a>, and Allbirds<\/a> all have in common? They\u2019re totally recognizable brands (you just need to close your eyes and picture their products and packaging to know that much is true), and they\u2019re the strategic brainchildren of Red Antler<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emily Heyward cofounded the branding company in 2007 after growing disillusioned with her career in advertising. \u201cI reached a point where I felt like we were fighting the wrong battles,\u201d she says. \u201cWe were trying to come up with new and exciting things to say about products that were fundamentally flawed, and that were probably not what people should even be buying.\u201d Now, her focus is on building brands that she can authentically get behind. \u201cIf we\u2019re helping put something new into the world, we need to fully believe the world needs it,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

About half of Red Antler\u2019s business is made up of prelaunch clients, and those projects begin with a \u201ckickoff and discovery phase,\u201d Heyward says\u2014talking in depth about vision, researching the market, determining what problems legitimately need solving. \u201cThen all of that input gets funneled into a strategic positioning that creates clarity around what the brand will stand for conceptually,\u201d she says. \u201cWhat\u2019s the idea we want to hone? What\u2019s the tone we embody? What\u2019s the emotion we want to elicit from people?\u201d From there, the Red Antler team (which now includes about 100 full-time employees) works on logo, color palette, typography, art direction, brand copy, and more, all in collaboration with the client.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have incredible empathy for the entrepreneur experience because I am one myself,\u201d Heyward says. \u201cAnd we\u2019ve launched so many companies, so we\u2019ve seen so many different scenarios. That enables us to play a deeper advisory role than just a creative services company.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she isn\u2019t brainstorming the next cult brand, here\u2019s how Heyward might be found spending a workday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My morning routine is\u2026 <\/strong>completely different than it would have been six months ago, since my wife and I had a baby in December! We switch off who wakes up with him, so half of my mornings are spent feeding and reading or playing; the other half are spent maximizing sleep. (Maybe once every couple of weeks I\u2019ll squeeze in a workout.) I also walk my dog and eat breakfast, and if I\u2019m not with my son, I love watching NY1\u2014it\u2019s the reason I can\u2019t get rid of cable until cable doesn\u2019t exist anymore. I don\u2019t start working until I get to the office, around 9 or 9:30. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I first check my email\u2026 <\/strong>when I get up, but it\u2019s a quick scan. I won\u2019t reply to anything unless it\u2019s absolutely critical (e.g., having to do with that day\u2019s schedule). Otherwise, I may skim newsletters like What A Day<\/a> or theSkimm<\/a> while I ease into being awake. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first Slack I got today was\u2026 <\/strong>no one has slacked me personally and it\u2019s 11:15 a.m. I can\u2019t decide if that\u2019s good or bad! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I usually spend my commute\u2026 <\/strong>listening to a podcast<\/a>. Right now I\u2019m very into the Great Debates<\/a>, in which two comedy writers get into heated debates on topics that range from the everyday to the esoteric. It\u2019s hilarious. I try to enjoy my commute and not be furiously checking email the whole time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first thing I do when I get to work is\u2026 <\/strong>try to clear my inbox of anything that doesn\u2019t require action. I work extremely hard to keep my inbox under 50 (which is a single page on Gmail), ideally under 20. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Heyward’s typical day involves walking her dog, discussing color palettes, and playing with her son. Photographs by iStock.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

My ritual to get started is\u2026 <\/strong>does coffee count? Without coffee, there would be no start to anything, other than maybe a mental breakdown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most likely thing to break my focus is\u2026 <\/strong>a group text chain among my friends, where I know if I don\u2019t chime in, I\u2019m going to come back to 70 unread texts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I get notifications for\u2026 <\/strong>Slack only. I don\u2019t need my phone actively demanding more of my attention. I give it plenty on my own. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hours I spend in meetings per day\u2026 <\/strong>too many! Seven? Gross. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I eat lunch at my desk\u2026 <\/strong>rarely, because I\u2019m rarely at my desk. I usually take meals in a meeting, which is arguably even less sexy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last time I napped during the workday was\u2026 <\/strong>Hahaha. Do people do that? Other than George Costanza? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I shut down my phone at\u2026 <\/strong>around 8:30 or 9 p.m., and I\u2019m unwavering about this. I don\u2019t even bring my phone into my bedroom. I have an old-fashioned clock radio that I use as my alarm clock, and I wake up to a classical-music radio station. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last work thing I do before bed is\u2026 <\/strong>check email. But, again, I make sure there\u2019s a nice moat of time between checking email and going to sleep. During that time I\u2019ll watch TV, walk my dog, read. If I don\u2019t have that downtime, I end up dreaming about work and I sleep terribly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If I\u2019m looking to waste time, I go to\u2026<\/strong> Instagram, shopping apps (I have three screens of apps in my phone\u2019s shopping folder), or The Infatuation<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My open tabs always include\u2026 <\/strong>just email and calendar\u2014I don\u2019t like to keep a lot of tabs open. The exception is that I\u2019m writing a book right now, so if it\u2019s a writing day, I\u2019ll have a lot of articles open about whichever company I\u2019m writing about, along with my previous chapters and notes to reference. (The book, no surprise, is about branding.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My starred Slack channels include\u2026 <\/strong>none. Embarrassingly, this is the first time I\u2019m learning that you can star Slack channels. I guess I\u2019m not a power user. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My email signoff is\u2026 <\/strong>\u201cBest,\u201d with an upgrade to \u201cAll my best\u201d if the situation warrants even more best from me.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marry\/kiss\/kill: Slack, email, phone…<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n