{"id":4143,"date":"2020-07-15T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-15T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.dream.press\/?post_type=customer-spotlight&p=4143"},"modified":"2025-09-01T10:35:50","modified_gmt":"2025-09-01T17:35:50","slug":"line-and-grid","status":"publish","type":"customer-spotlight","link":"https:\/\/news.dream.press\/news\/customer-spotlight\/line-and-grid\/","title":{"rendered":"Line and Grid: Building Brands and Breaking Boundaries"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The solid, intersecting lines of a grid are foundational tools of graphic design. Designers use grids as a guide to\n create visual flow and rhythmic space. Grids keep their projects consistent, balanced, and harmonized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the best designers know when it\u2019s time to break out of that framework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s the concept behind Alex Banman\u2019s Toronto-based business, Line and Grid<\/a>, which represents the intersection of bold, classic design principles\n with making a strong impression in connecting to an audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe purpose of my business is to multiply the value of my clients\u2019 marketing efforts through brand design,\u201d Banman\n says. \u201cI usually work with smaller-sized businesses, directly with the owner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In launching his business just over two years ago, Banman broke out of his own personal grid by pivoting from a\n promising young career as a talented branding designer to making it as a business owner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always felt that I wanted to run my own business,\u201d Banman says. \u201cThe pressure was building for years; I had\n waited a long time for the right moment. I felt that I wasn\u2019t going to start unless I just started at some point.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So he took the leap and created his own one-man branding agency<\/a>, building up an\n impressive portfolio of\n clients<\/a> in industries from real estate<\/a> to duct\n cleaning<\/a>, designing logos and branding websites, fliers, even trucks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the process, he\u2019s embarked on a crash\n course in marketing<\/a> \u2014 both for his own business and his clients \u2014 and has found DreamHost<\/a>, his trusty web host, to be a surprising key partner in his success\n along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related:<\/strong> How to Tell Your\n Brand\u2019s Story (And Why You Should)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breaking the Grid<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A native of British Columbia, Canada, Banman made his way to Toronto after studying design in college. As a large\n city center, Toronto was a great place to jumpstart a career in graphic design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was always interested in starting my own business,\u201d Banman says. \u201cBut I spent about seven years working in the\n industry before [making the leap].\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trained in design for print, Banman taught himself some coding skills and worked several jobs in digital branding\n before being hired by a real estate agent. \u201cI built his brand from the ground up; I did his print materials \u2014\n promotional booklets, mailers, and business cards \u2014 and also published his websites and digital ads.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Working for others gave him some practical experience in moving beyond the principles of graphic design to seeing for\n himself how these principles actually help business owners connect with clients and reach their goals, providing\n context for his skills in creating a visually-stunning graphic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt helped me see how my work fits into the bigger marketing machine,\u201d Banman says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even through this success, Banman felt the pressure building to act on his dream to break out on his own. Partway\n through 2017, he started making plans \u2014 wrapped up projects with his employer, rented a coworking space, and in\n February 2018 finally took the leap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was really excited to be doing what I wanted to do,\u201d Banman says. \u201cI was nervous in some ways, but I was also\n quite confident because I had done reasonably well as an employee. It was definitely a mix of emotions. I wasn\u2019t sure\n what would happen. There were so many challenges \u2014 every single day during the first year and a half of my business.\n It felt like I was learning something new every day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
<\/div>