Jays Care Young Professionals Board: Dayna Barron, the Creative Director

Dayna Barron is the Creative Director of Blo Blow Dry Bar. A Toronto-born entrepreneur, she now gives back to her community and many others working on the Jays Care Foundation’s Young Professionals Board. She’ll be at the Extra Innings event at the end of the month to help connect more young minds like herself and raise money for kids in need.

Who are you and what do you do?
I’m the Creative Director and head of marketing for the multi-national beauty franchise, Blo Blow Dry Bar. I’m also a sessional instructor at OCAD University, manage my own freelance design business and in my spare time I volunteer as the Creative Director on the board for Young Professionals in support of Jays Care Foundation, the charitable arm of the Toronto Blue Jays.

What has been your biggest accomplishment at Blo Blow Dry Bar?
I’ve helped the company and brand grow from a Canadian-based beauty franchise with 10 locations, to a multi-national brand with 85+ locations (and counting!) across Canada, the US, and the Philippines.

What’s most important to you about being a creative director?
For me, the most important part of being a Creative Director is the opportunity to be a good leader, and mentoring new designers. You are only as good as the team you have supporting you, and I specifically like to work with talented young designers that have limited experience but are hungry to learn. My goal is to provide the same opportunities to them for growth that were given to me by my mentors.

Why did you join the Blue Jays Young Professionals board?
I came from a hard-working, low-income family and grew up in neighbourhoods very similar to the ones that Jays Care Foundation supports. I will be forever grateful for the support of programs in the community and the opportunities that they presented me. I worked hard to overcome the obstacles that kind of situation presents and swore that once I was established I would find a program that supported underprivileged youth and assist in whatever way I could. When the opportunity to join the Young Professionals board presented itself, I jumped at the chance to give back.

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What skills from your everyday job translate into the work you do on the board?
I would say that my skills in design and creative direction are the main component of what I bring to the table for the work I do with the board. I love that I get to work with a brand so vastly different from what I do day-to-day.

What has been your biggest accomplishment while working on the board?
Being able to breathe life into the team’s vision for this year’s Extra Innings campaign felt like a win for me personally. However, the true accomplishment is knowing how many kids benefit from our work every year.

What is your role at the Extra Innings event?
My role this year was producing the art and developing the look and feel for all of the design elements that were required for promoting the event.

Your most exciting expectation for the event?
I am extremely excited for Extra Innings this year because it is going to be even bigger and better than it was last year. The funds raised from Extra Innings in 2016 enabled more than 1,000 Toronto Rookie League participants, from 42 Toronto Community Housing neighbourhoods, the opportunity to attend at least one Jays Care “Big Sports Day” and one field trip across the city each week throughout the seven-week program. We’re expecting over 500 attendees this year, and the impact will become even more significant with every ticket sold.

How do you keep yourself going every day?
I am always trying to become the best version of myself and I think that’s truly the key to my motivation on the daily, whether I’m trying to become a better human, designer, creative director, marketer, or instructor.

How do you unwind after a day at work?
I really enjoy spending time with my friends and family to let off steam – whether that’s a late night coffee, horror movies and pizza, or discovering new spots around the city.