Lemon Yellow works with Gusto

A place for minimalism in the magic city

From its world-class beaches and wild parties to its dramatic architecture and vibrant hispanic culture, Miami isn’t known for subtlety. For Miami-based branding agency Lemon Yellow, that was a challenge they couldn't pass up.

We caught up with Lemon Yellow co-founder and creative director Erika Morales, along with art director Stephan Goettlicher, to see how the shop takes a less-is-more approach in a city defined by excess — and how Gusto has helped them along the way.

To understand Lemon Yellow, you must understand their name. Like so many great things, the moniker was born out of a love for food. In search of the one ingredient you can add to anything that only makes it better, Erika and her business partner, Julian Martin, landed on lemons. Coincidentally, the fruit’s association with freshness and cleanliness paired perfectly with the kind of work they sought to create.

Founded in 2005, Lemon Yellow is a full-service branding agency with a penchant for provocative, minimalist design. Whether building a new unboxing experience for Capital One or rebranding one of Miami’s favorite longstanding Argentinian restaurants, the studio’s clean and bold identity always shines through.

The agency’s commitment to simplicity is evident in its creative process, too. “We don’t present multiple concepts to our clients simultaneously,” says Erika. “Excess overwhelms people. We dive extremely deep into one concept and hone it as much as we can. We thought we might face resistance with that approach, but believe it or not, our clients love it.”

Of course, creative work is only one side of the equation. The other? The people behind it. That’s why Lemon Yellow chose Gusto to run payroll and offer benefits for her entire team.

“I was so tired of writing checks. I came from a Fortune 100 company where everything was set up very tightly. When we started Lemon Yellow we wanted to have a professional setup, but nothing out there existed. Transitioning to a smaller company...

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the logistics of running a business grew even more complex. To help lessen the burden for employers like Erika, we had to move fast. By simplifying the PPP loan process and keeping the Small Business Resource Hub up to date, Gusto became a crucial destination for businesses around the country.

Says Erika, “Our relationship was tested during the pandemic, and it was very apparent that Gusto was running a tight ship. You don’t forget when somebody comes through in hard times.”

When the going gets tough, it’s nice to have someone to lean on. While we don’t say this about everyone or everything, Lemon Yellow and Gusto are two ingredients that definitely go better together.