Meet Yulia, an international brand consultant and co-founder of Creativeans, a Singapore-based branding and design consultancy. With experience across Asia and Europe, she helps businesses uncover their brand truth through design thinking. She also founded C-Academy to build creative confidence and reframe branding as a long-term investment.
Outside consultancy, Yulia co-authored Are You Brand Dead?, sits on the council of the Institute of Management Consultants Singapore, and co-founded Cipta Mata Group to connect brands between Singapore and Indonesia. She also serves as honorary secretary of Lions Club Singapore Vanda, supporting community initiatives and championing authentic leadership.
You have worked with many SMEs and MNCs across Asia and Europe. What do you observe about the branding across these markets, and how do you adapt your approach?
Every market has its own rhythm, shaped by culture, economy, and the maturity level of branding in that country. Some markets are much more advanced than others. Even in Singapore, as recent as 2010, many businesses still did not understand what branding really was. People thought it was just about having a logo or a nice name card.
But one thing remains constant across all markets: we must understand the customer, the market landscape, and the company itself. Branding is never one size fits all, but the foundation is always the same. It starts with empathy.
At Creativeans, we always begin by listening. Once we understand the context deeply, we guide our clients to differentiate themselves in meaningful, not cosmetic, ways. That is how we build brands that matter.
Coming from an industrial design background, how has design thinking shaped your perspective on building meaningful brands?
Design thinking is second nature to me. It’s not just a method, it’s a mindset. Coming from an industrial design background, I’ve always believed in the power of iteration—a continuous loop of learning, checking, adjusting. It’s not about a straight line from A to B, but what you discover along the way.
That’s why we created our own methodology at Creativeans: EDIT Design Thinking®—Empathise, Define, Ideate, Test. It helps us simplify complexity and focus, always starting with empathy. Whether we’re designing a brand or experience, we begin by truly understanding the user.
To us, a brand is like a living being. It breathes through every interaction, and we aim to build something relevant and user-centric—not just trendy.
What inspired you to co-author Are You Brand Dead?, and what is one key message from the book that every business owner should take to heart?
Many SMEs still misunderstand branding. They think it is just about having a nice logo, a catchy name, or a set of marketing materials. We kept finding ourselves repeating the same explanation, that branding is much more than that. It is a strategic asset that helps businesses grow meaningfully. After a while, the repetition got frustrating.
So we decided to write Are You Brand Dead? to put our knowledge, experiences, and practical tools into one resource that anyone could pick up and learn from. It is a hand guide to their branding journey. It took us nine months to write, edit, design, and produce the book ourselves. The one in circulation now is already the second production.
You can find it on Amazon, at Kinokuniya, in the Singapore National Library as both an eBook and physical copy, and on the bookshelves of business leaders who have met us in person.
People may throw away name cards and flyers, but they rarely throw away a book, because a book carries wisdom. And when that wisdom resonates, it stays with them. That is the magic of Are You Brand Dead?.
As the founder of C-Academy, what gaps in branding or design education were you hoping to fill, and how has the response been from C-suites and PMETs?
C-Academy is the training and research arm of Creativeans, created to help business leaders and professionals solve challenges through creativity—even if they don’t see themselves as creative. Beyond group workshops, it offers private consultancy to C-suites, integrating creativity into leadership and decision-making.
Now active in schools through partnerships with the Ministry of Education and DesignSingapore Council, C-Academy works to nurture creativity in both students and professionals. Its mission is to make creative thinking practical and accessible using proprietary tools, encouraging participants—from PMETs to teachers—to explore, fail, reflect, and grow.
The results have been promising, with more leaders embracing creativity as a strategic skill, not a luxury.
Many SMEs still misunderstand branding. They think it is just about having a nice logo, a catchy name, or a set of marketing materials. We kept finding ourselves repeating the same explanation, that branding is much more than that. It is a strategic asset that helps businesses grow meaningfully.
As a council member at the Institute of Management Consultants Singapore, what are some emerging trends or challenges you’re observing among local consultants and business owners?
A key trend in consulting is the growing emphasis on collaboration. As business challenges become more complex, consultants are increasingly partnering across disciplines to deliver integrated solutions.
In my practice, we work with experts in areas such as augmented reality, marketing, PR, and production to take ideas from strategy to execution.
Meanwhile, business owners face rising costs, manpower shortages, and market uncertainty. Some fear overseas expansion due to unfamiliar regulations, while others make costly missteps. A strong product is no longer enough—businesses must understand their market, customer mindset, and competitive landscape.
This is where good consultants add value, helping clients move strategically and efficiently. Since COVID, the need for diversification has become clear. Growth today isn’t just about speed—it’s about clarity, collaboration, and purpose.
You speak often on creativity and branding. What do you believe is the biggest misconception businesses have about what a brand truly is?
A lot of people still think branding is expensive and only meant for big companies. That is not true. Branding is not a cost—it is an investment. Branding is strategy. It is the brain of the company, guiding every decision and action, both internally and externally.
That is why we titled our book Are You Brand Dead? and created Mr Brain as the mascot—to remind business owners that without a clear brand, a business loses its direction and identity.
Even small businesses can build strong brands if they start with the right intention and clarity. Branding gives your business direction and helps you make better decisions.
Another big misconception is the belief that copying successful competitors is a shortcut to success. I always tell my clients—if you copy someone who is already winning, you are standing behind them. And when you’re standing behind the winner, there’s no way you’ll win.
Branding is all about differentiation. It’s about knowing what makes you different and owning that difference with confidence. When you understand your brand truth—who you are, what you stand for, and why it matters—that becomes your competitive advantage. That is what sets you apart in a crowded market.
What do you think makes a good entrepreneur?
A good entrepreneur must have a conscience. You can have vision, resilience, capital, but if you lack a sense of responsibility to your team, your customers, and your purpose, the business will not last. I have seen too many companies built to extract value, not create it. They grow fast, burn out, and disappear. That is not sustainability.
A good entrepreneur listens, adapts, and stays humble. They understand that success is not built alone. Your employees are not just staff. They are your partners. When you treat them with respect and trust, they grow with you. They care, they contribute, and they help build something greater than themselves.
The best entrepreneurs are not just focused on growth. They are focused on meaning. They are clear about why they exist, and they build with intention. If more entrepreneurs embraced that mindset, I believe the business world would be a much healthier and more inspiring place.
What’s your vision for Singapore in the next five years?
Over the next five years, I hope to see Singapore take bold steps in recognising, protecting, and scaling our intellectual property. While we’re a nation rich in creativity and innovation, we often undervalue our ideas or act too late to safeguard them.
From design and branding to technology and F&B, our future growth depends on treating IP as a strategic asset, not an afterthought.
We’ve seen success stories like Phua Chu Kang, Oddbods, Mr Kiasu, Razer, Ya Kun, and Old Chang Kee—Singapore-born ideas that scaled through branding and consistency. But many great ideas still struggle to gain traction due to weak brand articulation.
As a consultant, I’ve seen how a clear brand strategy helps founders turn ideas into enduring, scalable brands. This mindset shift—from business-building to brand-building—is what Singapore’s next growth chapter needs.
Connect with Yulia: LinkedIn and Instagram.
Yulia is a member of Rainmaker, a revolutionary movement that rallies like-minded people together based on the values of Love, Authenticity, Respect, Kindness and Youthfulness (LARKY).
