Jodi Edwards is the NYC-based founder of HueBold, a creative studio specializing in bold, strategic brand identities. She helps build new brands from the ground up and elevates established ones—crafting distinct, category-defining businesses that stand out. Her clients include industry leaders like HelloFresh, Green Chef, and Lay’s. Read on for the story of Jodi’s success.
What inspired you to start your agency?
I’d thought about it for a while, and after becoming a mum in 2020 during the pandemic, flexibility became my number one priority. My husband and I got married in 2021, which helped me finally get a green card. Once I had that, the path was a lot easier. So I got an LLC, and HueBold was officially founded in July 2022.
What gap in the market did you set out to fill?
After working in design and advertising agencies, and on the brand side for 20 years, I found benefits to both business models. I wanted to merge the two and build a small agency where great creative skills could be accessible to companies of all sizes. I work with a team of brilliant marketers, strategists, and copywriters to deliver high-quality work, without all the layers and ego of a big agency.
When you work in design agencies, it’s fast-paced, long hours with little flexibility, and when I became a mum, that was no longer sustainable. I wanted to spend time with my daughter and be a present part of her life. And I wasn’t surprised that women own only 1% of creative agencies in the US. I didn’t want to give up on doing what I love, so I decided to build a company on my own terms. Running my business gives me total control over choosing the type of clients I want to work with, where I work from, and when. And I am helping to boost that stat!
What was your very first client project like—and how did you land it?
Funny enough, it was a product designed to help you poop! So on the surface, it didn’t sound like a great first project. My former co-worker, whom I met at HelloFresh, founded Bellway Super Fiber. He wanted to shake up the fiber supplement category to appeal to a younger audience. The market leader, Metamucil, AKA “your grandma’s fiber,” had been owning the shelves for decades, and I love working with challenger brands! Bellway had already gone to market with a product, and there were a ton of issues with the packaging design they launched with. So the redesign I created for them helped them get into over 6,000 stores in the US, including Target and Walmart. You really only need one good case study to attract more clients, and this project continues to help me win more work.
What’s your core philosophy or approach that shapes your work?
I consider myself a creative translator. I come up with that big overarching idea and then help brands to implement it. The work I do is not just visually impactful, but it’s also functional and rooted in strategy. I’m often hired by companies that have lost direction or are not meeting their business goals and aren’t quite sure why. When I dig in to provide a brand review, it uncovers a lot of surprising gaps, inconsistencies, and a lack of a cohesive story or brand purpose. I ask a lot of questions and don’t start working on anything visual until we align on the creative strategy. After I finish the work, I spend time with the client ironing out any kinks and making sure the deliverable is usable and gets them results.
What’s a recent campaign or brand project you’re most proud of?
I recently worked with a Femtech startup called Phase. They came to me with a logo and a deck they created themselves and were preparing to raise funding and pitch to a room full of investors in London. They were building the first productivity app for women based on syncing with your cycle and tapping into hormone levels and strengths on a daily basis. I completely overhauled what they had, transforming them from a scrappy startup to a big brand with a vision and a clear direction. They got a new logo, color palette, headlines, messaging, pitch deck, website design, photography guide, and a marketing campaign. When they pitched, the transformation blew away the other companies, and Phase was the only company to secure funding. I am now an equity shareholder with the company and serve as a brand advisor to them, providing ongoing support.
How do you stay creatively inspired?
I have a sketchbook next to my computer, and I draw and paint characters when I have spare time. I invite my 4-year-old daughter to collaborate on them, too, which is so special. I am so inspired by her approach to art; she has such a wonderful use of color, a brilliant imagination, and doesn’t overthink anything. Kids are such a fabulous source of unfiltered inspiration.
I also love to mow lawns, something about the smell of cut grass and the before and after I find really calming. In fact, any time in the garden, actually, there’s a level of creativity and strategy required to maintain an outdoor space. My husband and I just renovated our backyard, and it was much more of a creative process than I expected. Time outside, away from the computer, helps me clear my head and come up with ideas.
Have you had a defining “I’ve made it” moment since launching your business in the U.S.? What did that feel like?
I worked on a high-end fragrance rebrand for House of Puente. I’d never worked on a luxury beauty brand before, so I was up for the challenge. The project involved brand positioning, logo design, bottle design, and packaging. The client loved the work so much that they kept me on to build out the website, email campaigns, and social media posts. The project was featured by the Dieline, an online magazine that showcases the best packaging around the world. That was a special moment for me (and HueBold). It’s nice to be recognized by industry peers, too!
What have been the toughest lessons you’ve learned building a business in New York, and how does that experience compare to running a business in Australia?
I’ve had to learn to sell my little heart out! In a city like New York, our accent and our Aussie laid-back, fun-loving approach to life are great in social circles, but in business, they only get you so far. I’ve had to step out of my comfort zone to learn how to talk myself up and pitch my company’s services in a BIG WAY. Sometimes during interviews or business pitches, I’ve cringed at my own words, waiting for someone to tell me to get over myself. When I find out I got the job or won the project, I realize, wow, I guess this is what I have to do. A lot of women naturally undersell themselves, and I would often hear people sell me better when referring me, so I am working really hard on this in every conversation… including this one!!
What inspired you to start your business in the U.S. rather than in Australia?
I actually ran an agency in Australia with my dad prior to moving to New York. I was just starting out and full of gusto, and my dad was gearing up to retire, so we had totally different levels of energy to put into the business. I always had big ideas and clients with small budgets, and that frustrated me continually. In 2013, I decided to move to New York with no intention of running my company. I was happy to be an employee and learn the nuances of building brands for the US market and adapting to the American culture.
What struck me as a huge differentiator was the impact of population. The US has over 300 million more people than Australia on the same landmass; that still shocks me whenever I hear it. And a business can have a mediocre product in the US and still bring in more revenue than a thriving business in Australia. Therefore, the budgets for creative are bigger, and so is the potential for the work that I do to have a really big impact on a company’s success.
New York is a mecca for some of the best talent in the world, but Aussies can hold their own, and we are among some of the most innovative and progressive thinkers in the world. I’d like to see more of us starting our own businesses here in the US.
What are you passionate about outside of HueBold? I hear you have also co-created a children’s book? How did that come about?
Yes! Back when I lived in Australia, Tess Rowley and I co-created a kids’ book called “Everyone’s got a bottom” in collaboration with Family Planning Queensland. It’s an introductory body safety book for parents and carers to read to kids using age-appropriate language for kids aged 3-8. The book gives young kids the words and knowledge to learn about their bodies and to help keep them safe.
The book has sold over 52,000 copies worldwide. Several child safety experts, the Daniel Morcombe Foundation, and the Australian Federal Police have endorsed it. And the book has been helpful in our own home; my daughter loves to read it.
Last year, Tess and I formed the company Kids Body Safety. We have also taken over the publishing of the book and are in the process of launching it globally. Our website not only sells our book, but it’s also a resource for parents and carers around the world to help with child abuse prevention. We are collaborating with a former police officer who worked in child protection for 30 years. Together, we are developing a training module for teachers and parents, including lesson plans and activities to encourage ongoing conversations at home and in the classroom.
What’s your favorite weekend activity in NYC?
This depends on a few things. The season and whether it’s with my daughter or just my husband and me. As a couple, we love going plant shopping, and the flower district is heaven for plant lovers. We’re slowly trying to turn our home into an urban jungle. We also love date nights out, seeing a live show on Broadway, and having dinner somewhere new. It doesn’t always have to be flashy, but it has to be somewhere we haven’t been before. I know one day, if we ever leave the US, we will look back on these memories and be glad we made time to go to shows and eat amazing food, because it can be easy to become complacent about New York after being here so long.
As parents, we enjoy taking our daughter vintage shopping. She’s only 4 but LOVES fashion and always finds herself something so unique. Last visit, she chose some very extra: quirky flamingo sunglasses. She looks fabulous in them!
What’s next for HueBold?
We’re starting to take on bigger clients. This year, I have been working hard on sales, and it’s a muscle I have avoided flexing for so long. I work with a coach whom I absolutely love. It sounds so cringe saying I have a coach, but I couldn’t imagine getting to where I am without her. I experience imposter syndrome from time to time, and she’s helped push me into a bigger pond and reminds me to stop and celebrate the wins along the way instead of always focusing on what’s next. Last week, HueBold was invited to take part in an RFP for a big client who’s been working with some of the best agencies in the US. I am looking forward to the process and learning from it. Let’s hope this is the first of many!
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