Design agencies worldwide have earned an unfortunate reputation for delivering great work at the expense of the people. Expected to produce original, innovative design solutions while working too much overtime with no protective boundaries, creatives have long been held to an impossible standard for performance. Now, a new perspective on agency structure is emerging that puts the people first while serving the client better than ever before.
Alyssa Zwonok, Founder of remote creative agency Nomad Cre8tive, is leading a movement to bring a paradigm shift to creative agencies – where both teams and clients benefit from freedom, respect, and a healthy work-life balance. Zwonok, a gifted designer with over a decade in the field, took to heart the experiences she had working at traditional agencies – feeling overworked, under-appreciated, and disempowered by the set schedule and lack of choice in projects.
Founding Nomad Cre8tive in 2018 as a boutique branding agency was Zwonok’s solution to making agencies work for people again. This idea was the product of her journey – not only on the path of her career but geographically. When the conventional design career didn’t work for Zwonok, she forged her own path by way of a year studying abroad in Bordeaux, France, followed by four years of international travel.
Zwonok’s north star is and always has been graphic design – but she intuitively pivoted into a position as an airline attendant, allowing her to satiate the need for travel while continuing to build her resume as a freelancer.
Weaving freelance design work into her untold adventures across North Africa, Asia, Europe, and The Americas set the stage for what Zwonok recognized as the life she was meant to live – one with the freedom to work from anywhere, on her terms.
This deviation proved invaluable, as Zwonok collected further evidence that she could successfully work from anywhere as a designer, even soaring 30,000ft above the ground. The open skies created space for Zwonok’s idea for Nomad Cre8tive to come forth into life, and while the passengers slept, she laid the groundwork for the business plan that would change how agencies operate for the better.
Today, Toronto-based Nomad Cre8tive has grown into a burgeoning full-service marketing, branding, social media, and design agency, providing teams of specialized remote creators to businesses locally and globally. Their time-tested remote agency model was “wheels on the ground” far before the pandemic’s mass exodus to virtual work and benefits their clients in ways traditional agencies simply can’t.
Nomad Cre8tive provides innovative agency-quality projects at premium prices thanks to their low overhead costs and expenses. The remote structure delivers everything clients love about freelance work – flexible hours of operation and the ability to choose creators – but with the reliability and trust that comes from working with an organization. One of Nomad Cre8tive’s key philosophies, “Hire one team to do it all,” is made possible through Zwonok’s dedication to building a large team of experienced creatives specializing in every field of the design industry. Taking it one step further, Zwonok carefully curates a custom team for each project, matching only the designers with the most applicable experience and predilection for the work at hand.
Nomad Cre8tive clients can rest assured they will always get consistent quality work and exceptional service – throughout scores of recommendations and reviews Zwonok is extolled as a “rare blend of CEO, creative director, and mentor” and “a creative leader who has a great balance of being hands-on and being high-level” – which explains her reputation for effectively supporting her design team while respecting their independence. The excellent client experience that companies like CANNA Canada and DavidsTea have had working with Nomad Cre8tive is a direct result of Zwonok’s commitment to a workplace where every member of the team is seen, valued, and empowered. As a result, teams at the agency can rely on the ability to set their schedule, choose only the projects that resonate with them, and rest assured that their well-being will always come before the work.
Zwonok recognized in her formative travel years how much freedom of choice and the power of community expanded her creativity and brought her lust for life to a new level. By making her dream career and lifestyle a reality, she has opened doors for creatives and agencies to follow suit.
Nomad Cre8tive is far more than a highly-professional remote design agency bringing to life the authentic branding visions of mission-based businesses – it is a beacon to the world of design agencies and everywhere that success comes when people come first.
For all of your marketing, branding, social media, and design needs, trust in Toronto-based marketing agency Nomad Cre8tive, the people-first agency consistently striving to break the mold.