Andrew Kopietz

What is Good Done Daily?

Good Done Daily is a Detroit-based graphic design studio serving philanthropic, non-profit, cultural, and academic organizations throughout Southeast Michigan. Some of our clients include Eastern Market Corporation, Midtown Detroit, Inc., Dlectricity, New Economy Initiative, 826michigan, and Wayne State University Press.

What was your experience in the Build class?

My experience in Build was eye opening. When I decided it was time to go out on my own, Build taught me that I needed to lay a foundation through basic business practices like writing contracts, planning for and estimating my time, and translating that time into a profit. It trained me to stick to my guns as I coped with identifying an hourly rate. This is the sort of critical thinking I now use each day.

↑ Above: Good Done Daily’s work for Detroit’s New Center Park

 

“Build taught me basic business practices like writing contracts, planning for and estimating my time, and translating that time into a profit.”

How has your relationship grown with Build?

We’ve grown our relationship with Build by working with some of its alumni, most of whom we’ve met through Build Bazaar or as classmates from other cohorts. Our most memorable partnerships are with the Builders who now run their own successful small businesses. Some of them include the owners of Detroit Vegan Soul who operate a prosperous cafe and catering business in Detroit’s West Village and Atto & Sons, another Build start-up who commissioned us to develop their complete visual identity (logo, brand language, and retail packaging).

What are your recent developments?

We just acquired our own office in New Center. Sometimes when you work out of your kitchen or a tiny apartment, the effects can be a little distracting because your mindset is still very, “…Look, I’m at home, time to feed the cat”. With no physical location, I would travel between coffee shops all around Detroit to steal time for work. This is fun to do, but the lack of permanence can be challenging. Plus our coffee bill was out of control!

We’re very lucky to employ one full-time employee and a supportive group of skilled designers on a project-by-project basis. At times, we’ve had as many as 5-6 people working collaboratively on one assignment. Our new website recently launched and soon after, we were grateful to complete several projects for non-profit clients; the most recent of which included a visitor’s guide for the Downtown Detroit Partnership. Lastly, we just returned home to Detroit after traveling to Alabama to speak at a national conference for community builders about design. It was a busy August!

What is your long-term vision?

Our long-term vision is to stay small. This is motivated by an urge to take on projects that keep us deeply engaged in problem-solving and less distracted by dollar signs and profit margins. Sure, we stay mindful of work that stimulates and keeps the lights on, but for me it’s still very important to consult on projects that feed my sense of optimism and delight. Through this approach, we’ve stayed personable with our clients and adept at making robust work. Accordingly, stronger work has always yielded greater commissions with each new job we accept.

Portrait by: Matt Chung