Hey friends!

My name is Curtis Townsend, a.k.a Curtis Brandsit.

This is a story about how branding and design saved my life.

Born to a teen mom in a family where drug addiction and alcoholism reigned supreme, I grew up amidst domestic abuse and gun violence, in a constant state of fight or flight. Somewhere along the line I picked up a pencil and started drawing. When things got bad I turned to drawing, painting, and designing to escape the chaos. Despite finding art at a young age, the trauma I experienced as a child led me to start making really bad decisions, the result of which left me broke, homeless, and living in my car.

Finally, one day, I was like “What the fuck are you doing?” Sure, the odds were stacked against me – and it was a miracle I was even alive – but I had a choice to make. Andy Dufresne said it best, you either “get busy living or get busy dying.” So I pulled myself up by my bootstraps, enrolled in the local community college, and started studying art. After doing well in art school I ended up transferring to, get this, Harvard University. That’s right, I went from living in my car to Harvard Yard. I still can’t believe that shit sometimes.

After college, I went on to start a successful screen printing and embroidery shop that I grew into a branded merchandise company. And that, my friends, is how branding and design saved my life. Looking back, I realize now that everything I experienced in life led me to be incredibly empathetic towards others. So much so that I’m able to connect with people in deep and meaningful ways. I would say that empathy is my superpower. Today, I use my superpower to help business build brands that resonate and engage their dream clients.

Curtis Townsend