We were lucky to catch up with Christopher Santoro recently and have shared our conversation below.

Christopher, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Ever since I was a student at Massachusetts College of Art & Design, I knew that I wanted to run my own design business. At the time, I was playing in bands in the local punk and metal scene, and I would be commissioned to do album packaging, band logos, and show posters for different venues. So in my early college days, I would be working on my class projects during the week while working on freelance projects during the…well…week! Looking back on it, it wasn’t the healthiest work/life balance, but it was definitely where the “spark” was born. I absolutely loved what I did—the thrill of each new project, and the even bigger thrill of nailing the concept and execution (and getting paid, of course!).

While I continued to do this into my senior year, I realized that the work I was doing wasn’t lucrative enough in the long-term, and I found myself wondering what I’d do. I ended up taking a Package Design elective, which was taught by my professor Adam Larson. While the class projects were around package design, they started with forming an understanding of brand strategy and visual identity design. The class was the eureka moment I needed, as I realized that I could take the same thought process I was putting into bands, and apply it to company brands. Why? Because at the end of the day, I was still helping them figure out who they are and how to visually reflect it in compelling design language.

When I finally graduated in May 2012, the country was still in an economic recession and full-time jobs were hard to come by. With that, I found myself freelancing for corporate and agency clients right out the gate, while also taking on private clients for branding projects. Even though the job market still wasn’t working in my favor, I had amassed enough clients to finally go full-time with Santoro Design in early 2014. To this day, I still get the same “thrill” from every new client and every successful project, but now on a much larger scale of service than where the studio was in the beginning.

Christopher, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Santoro Design, LLC is a New England-based branding & website design studio dedicated to empowering early-stage B2B and DTC brands. From the roots of the strategy, to the final launch and ongoing activation, we not only help these companies communicate better and more authentically, but in doing so we help them create better connections with their consumers and compete more confidently in the marketplace.

Over the past decade, I’ve worked with a large variety of small businesses and start-ups within the Boston tech scene. With early-stage companies I’d have conversations with, one of the more recurring themes was that the branding and marketing would be in the backseat, with more focus on the products or fundraising efforts. Logos would be purchased on platforms like 99Designs just for the ability to get out there and start pitching. From a business standpoint, I always understood why they’d go that route, but the irony is that in order to pitch, a company has to be able to communicate why their product or service has value in the market—and that’s basically a big part of what branding is! Contrary to what most people think, it’s not just the look, but the entire narrative that gives everything the company does reason and purpose. It’s why, as a studio policy, we don’t take on “logo projects.” If anything, we do that more for the client’s best interests in mind. After all, if you want to get from point A to point B, you’ll need a fast car, not a shiny wheel.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

At the end of the day, I believe the studio provides great service with relevant, empathy-rooted consultation for our clients. We believe in our clients’ abilities to make an impact in their market, and we want to help them see it through. We work with clients both on a per-project and retainer basis, ensuring they have us when they need us. We go the extra mile when its strategic for both of us. It’s why some of our current clients have been with us for years!

I also believe our prioritization on research has been crucial towards our growth over the years. For us, it’s not just a priority, it’s a brand value. We try not to take any thing at For me, the gold really comes through in our Discovery Phases, for which we conduct a series of in-take workshops that give us a deeper look into every aspect of the clients’ world. Insights from those workshops, on top of additional research done in-house, create the foundation for better brand positioning, clearer and more effective messaging, and beautifully appropriate design language.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

So far, I’d chalk it up to just doing great work and giving great service to our clients. There are plenty of tips out there for building leads and optimizing sales funnels, but the majority of our clients have come to us via referral and word of mouth. Aside from that, we do occasionally post content on our social channels, and write content pieces in our studio blog, “The Process Book.”

Contact Info:

• Website: www.santorodesign.co
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/santorodesign1/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/santorodesignllc

Image Credits
HIVE.Studio, SUBJECT/Object Manifest