Dynamic Duos: Storyfolk’s Sarah Gross and Cass Mackenzie
In this week's Dynamic Duos, branding and graphic design studio Storyfolk's founding partners Sarah Gross and Cass Mackenzie share how working together with a close friend is like "being part of a crime-fighting superhero duo".
In Dynamic Duos, Mumbrella each week asks two members of the same organisation with a professional and personal affiliation to share with readers the importance of workplace relationships in an increasingly hybridised world of work.
Sarah Gross:
Cass and I have been friends for over a decade, and she is one of the most talented people I know. We met while studying graphic design at The Gordon. At the time, we were in separate classes and different year levels of our course, but our illustration teacher Tibor introduced us because he thought we had a similar passion for design and creative problem solving (Thanks and RIP Tibor).
Our friendship has been built on a love of design and the ambition to push our ideas into new realms. Over the years, it has evolved and changed; we’ve travelled together, supported each other through the ups and downs of life, celebrated the wins, and even become friends with each others mum’s (Special shout out to Rita). I think having a solid foundation of friendship has helped in business as you know the other person on a deeper level. I think this has helped us grow and scale Storyfolk much quicker as we’re aligned on the vision.
While we’re both committed to Storyfolk and its mission to use design and creative thinking as a force for good, I think our different personalities contribute to us being a dynamic team. We bring different skill sets and approaches to the table, too—not only do we complement each other’s strengths perfectly, but they’ve also been instrumental in Storyfolk’s success, the clients we’ve been able to partner with and the work we’ve produced.
Don’t get me wrong, there are most certainly times when things get stressful, but I think working with such a close friend is kind of like being part of a crime-fighting superhero duo; you know that the other person has your back, and you have theirs so together you can go out and make the world a better place. I do feel incredibly fortunate to work with one of my best friends every day, doing what we love.
Cass Mackenzie:
Sarah and I met when we were studying design at The Gordon. A few weeks later our teacher Tibor introduced us and we have been friends ever since. My first memory of Sarah was her visiting our class to welcome the first years and to do an induction presentation. My first impression of Sarah was that her personality shun bright, she was outgoing and, you could tell, an absolute overachiever. A lot of the first years looked up to her, myself included. For the other second years it wasn’t ‘cool’ to socialise with the first years, but this didn’t stop Sarah – she always went out of her way to make friends.
Sarah and I were on similar trajectories from the start. Being one year behind Sarah while studying meant that I could see the steps she had taken and the milestones she had achieved. From scholarships, to winning the same graduate award to volunteering with AGIDEAS together. Seeing her succeed always inspired me to push harder.
After graduating, we started to go down separate paths professionally but our friendship remained strong. I moved overseas and when I returned to Melbourne it was like no time had passed with Sarah – that’s when you know you’ve got a lasting friendship. As our careers grew, it was always great to have Sarah as a close friend to bounce ideas off and to tap into the knowledge and skills she had gained in different areas.
What started as a flyaway comment of ‘we should open a studio together’ increasingly became obvious that we should make it a reality. We had gone down different paths but always matched one another with drive and passion. We shared the same ambition for purpose-driven design and we were also extremely keen to start our own female-led studio. Now we had the diverse experience and skillset to make this idea a reality. Sarah is always the one for thoughtful surprises so she made it official and popped the question with a hand-lettered cake that read ‘will you be my business partner?’. Of course, I said yes! I couldn’t think of a better person to do it with. Running Storyfolk, 3 years on, working with dream clients on work that feels like it matters, I couldn’t be happier to share it with Sarah.
Sarah on Cass:
Most memorable moment with Cass: We’ve had a lot of amazing moments, but one of the most memorable ones was when we decided to go into business together.
We’d been talking about the idea since we were students, but it always felt like a distant pipe dream. Then, in 2019, we started collaborating on commercial projects—and it was incredible! The work was taken to a whole new level combining our different ways of thinking, complementary skillsets and fusion of approaches.
In July of that year, I presented Cass with a cake with icing on top that read, “Will you be my business partner?” She said yes—and that’s where Storyfolk was born.
Well, hypothetically at least, we then had to lay down the foundations for creating the studio including the naming of Storyfolk; we listed hundreds of potential names on colourful post-it notes all over the wall. Thankfully, we have improved our collaboration and brainstorming since then as there were a few very questionable names that were discarded
Describe Cass in one word: Exceptional. This is public knowledge and something I’ve shared long before we formed Storyfolk, but I honestly believe Cass is one of the most impressive designers I’ve ever met (and I’ve met some really talented people).
Cass’ most annoying habit or endearing behaviour the colleague has: This is more endearing than annoying, but we both have different opinions about what a little snack that “tastes naughty, but isn’t” actually tastes like. During lockdown, Cass became fixated on a wholefood and plant-based cookbook. When we returned to the office, Cass would say ‘Try this. It tastes naughty, but it isn’t”… 8/10 it didn’t taste naughty… but delicious nonetheless. She would always start off by saying “It taste naughty, but isn’t” haha. Since then though, there have been some winners and few that “taste naughty, but it isn’t”… unless my tastebuds have adjusted.
Cass on Sarah:
Most memorable moment with Sarah: Going out and doing your own thing can be pretty overwhelming at the start so when in only a few months into our business and we landed the rebrand of a reputable Australian NFP, this is really a standout moment for me. At that point we really knew that we were able to showcase our experience, offering and value. We have had some really big wins over these past 3 years and I really appreciate that Sarah is always one to remind us to celebrate these wins!
Describe Sarah in one word: Vibrant. Sarah is someone you meet and who makes a lasting impression. Right from when I first met her 12 years ago to now, her energy has always been infectious. She brings this vibrancy of her personality to everything she does. From the meaningful connection she builds with our clients to the work she creates – She is always shining bright!
Sarah’s most annoying habit or endearing behaviour: One of Sarah’s endearing behaviours is her level of competitiveness when it comes to almost any type of board game. Always with love, she will annihilate the competition at all costs and, although our friendship is rock solid – there are no friends in Catan! Sarah’s competitiveness has seen her grow and succeed not only in board games, but also as a designer. I am grateful for her healthy push to make sure we are growing and expanding our ideas.
If you and a colleague would like to submit your story to Dynamic duos, please email kwelch@mumbrella.com.au.
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