Jason Bouwman - Compass Creative

Name: Jason Bouwman
Company: Compass Creative Studio Inc.

Jason is the owner and principal creative at Compass Creative. He was definitely the most interesting speaker that we've had so far, because of his unique approach. He didn't have a flashy presentation, but he did speak passionately about his life and the decisions he's made to get to where he is today.

Growing up, he loved drawing and so decided to take Illustration at Sheridan. He specialized in technical illustration because he wanted to balance his love of drawing with the responsibility of getting job; he thought that it would be easier to get a job with a technical background. Furthermore, instead of focusing on marks, he focused on making a great portfolio and he also started calling up companies while he was still in his second year of college.

He told us about how his family had always stressed the importance of being independent and providing for your family and because of this he knew he wanted to have his own business. In his first job at Howard, he explained to his supervisor that he didn't intend to work there longer than 2 years. He was kept on as a freelancer and was even allowed to use the company art equipment for his other freelance work.

After a few years he left Howard and set up a studio in his basement, where he worked as an illustrator. He eventually decided to grow his business, and went to his clients to ask why they worked with him. They told him it was because he forced them to think differently; he intuitively gave them insight into their businesses in order to do the right work for them. He realized that this insight is what would set his company apart.

Jason told us several more things that he's learned running his creative firm. Firstly, he explained that although people say they want websites, they actually don't. What they want is money (either in sales or donations), and websites are only a means to that end. He went on to say that the website has to show how your story is different, because customers don't owe you money, and describe the company's identity, strategy and brand.

He also described that the three types of website approaches are promotional, informative and e-commerce, and that he helps his clients figure out what they need by using insight. He also stressed the importance of managing the expectations of what websites can actually do for the client.

Lastly, he spoke to us about being creatives and the need for us to find balance because we combine our hobby with our work. He explained that we while we need passion for what we do, we also need the skills and most importantly, the market to use them it. He said that we need a combination of those three things to be successful, and even to be less passionate and more specialized in our expertise.