Today we’d like to introduce you to Andy Mullady.
Hi Andy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been in design for over 20 years, starting in Chicago where I co-founded 500 Level, a sports-licensing apparel company that won NFLPA Licensee of the Year in 2014. That experience taught me how design can scale a business fast when it’s strategic and disciplined.
When I moved to Austin in 2014, I launched Lake Austin Design as a way to merge that big-brand discipline with the entrepreneurial spirit of local businesses. One of my first major projects was rebranding Nautical Boat Club. I led their transition from WordPress to Webflow, set up heat maps and Microsoft Clarity to track behavior, optimized intake forms, and unified their brand across 27 locations. That project proved my model: I don’t just make things “look better,” I embed myself as an extension of the executive team and create systems that raise the value of the business.
Today, I help companies package themselves in a way that elevates their pricing power and even makes them more sellable.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
A big challenge has been undoing the damage of bad branding. Many of my clients had already worked with agencies or freelancers who left them with expensive visuals but no strategy, or with scattered marketing that didn’t connect.
Early on, I struggled with underpricing myself — trying to win clients who weren’t ready to invest in long-term brand building. What I learned is that my best work comes with clients who are scaling and need premium systems. Once I focused there, everything shifted.
Another challenge is scope creep — premium clients want polish but also efficiency. I built structured workflows, clear deliverables, and data-driven reporting to protect both my time and theirs.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I run Lake Austin Design, where I specialize in helping businesses elevate their branding so they can position themselves as premium and grow with confidence. My work sits at the intersection of design, strategy, and execution. I’m not just a designer making things look good — I embed myself as an extension of the executive team, wearing multiple hats to solve problems that most agencies or freelancers overlook.
I’m proud of working with both household names like branding Gary Vaynerchuk’s signature into his logo, the Chicago Cubs, seeing pro athletes wearing designs all over ESPN, and raising money for Sager Strong after Craig Sager sadly passsed. Now it’s been more of a focus on local entrepreneurs here in Austin like SOLA gym, Nautical Boat Club, and Matey.ai. What sets me apart is that I bring big-brand discipline to smaller, scaling companies, while saving them the overhead of a large agency. My goal is always to raise the value of the business, not just its visuals.
At the end of the day, I want clients to feel like they have a partner they can trust — someone who can make their brand look world-class while also making the business run smarter.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Most people know me for design and branding, but what surprises them is that I spend as much time on the lake as I do in front of a screen. I wakesurf, foil, run the hills on Westlake Drive, e-foil, and even sketch design concepts while out on the boat with my kids. The lake is where I recharge and also where some of my best creative ideas come from.
My parents and grandparents are well known around a small river town in Illinois (Kankakee River) and it’s some of the best memories I have growing up. After my grandfather Ed Mullady passed, all of these articles were written about him in the Chicago Sun Times and other prominent magazines and newspapers talking about the legacy he left for protecting and helping the river. I was so proud to be his grandson and thought I need to leave a mark on my body of water and raise my kids the same way I was raised.
Pricing:
- Brand Strategy + Identity Packages: Starting at $8,000/month for ongoing retainers or $20,000+ for complete rebrands.
- Web Design + Development (Webflow/Shopify): Projects typically range from $15,000–$40,000 depending on complexity and integrations.
- Pitch Decks + Investor Materials: Flat-rate projects from $7,500+.
- Fractional Creative Director Services: Available on a limited basis, starting at $8,000/month.
- I tailor every engagement to the stage and goals of the client — but I focus on working with businesses ready to position themselves as premium, raise their pricing power, or prepare for sale/scale.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lakeaustindesign.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lakeaustindesign/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lakeaustindesign/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-mullady-0482bb137/
- Other: https://www.lakeaustinlocals.com
Image Credits
Andy Mullady at office and apparel shots by Jordan Orsak and interior office and white shirt and family photos taken by Heriberto Elosegui
