Guidance for purpose-driven founders and daring entrepreneurs

How do I clarify my brand positioning?

Sat, 15 Nov 2025 07:02:00 GMT

Four key cornerstones to define in order to amplify your brand's impact.

You may not like the policies or core beliefs of big corporations, but purpose-driven founders can learn a lot from them about branding and marketing.

Think of a few brands that you avoid like a child with sticky fingers.

What do they have in common?

Why don’t you like them?

Do they all look exactly the same?

And do they sound similar?

Of course not!

Now, think of a few brands that you stand by. The ones that will have your business for life and you tell your friends and family about.

What do they have in common?

Why do you like them?

Do they all look exactly the same?

And do they sound similar?

There may be some overlap, but they aren’t likely to be the same in every single way (otherwise we might have a trademark infringement on our hands).

Let’s take a closer look at the core components of the brands that withstand the test of time.

The brands that thrive for decades aren’t afraid to be themselves. They are so true to themselves that they can’t help but attract the right people. They attract or repel based on how they show up as a brand. Led by what they stand for and the values they abide by.

So you see, it’s not all about the flashy visuals, but the core essence of their brand. This is what many branding experts call “brand strategy” but I like to think of this as your brand’s soul because it’s easier for people to understand than the abstract “mission, vision, and values” (though these are still important). Think of your brand’s soul as the part of your business that connects and inspires people to champion everything you represent. The part of your business that drives and motivates.

If we circle back to the corporations at the start, each likely have a dedicated fan base. When people have something to hold on to, something that connects with who they are—that is what makes a brand memorable. When you combine these strong feelings of admiration with decades of advertising, quality control, and strategic planning. That’s when people will never forget you.

Now you can see why this concept is so important to your brand’s su ccess. Defining this core essence is what builds brand equity, trust, and memorability. A logo is only a fraction of what a makes up your brand, and even the best logos can’t speak to hearts the same way your brand can.

Quick Reminder: What is branding? Branding , at the surface level, is what people see and how they feel when they interact with you and anything related to your business or organization. This includes digital spaces, your messaging, your product packaging, unboxing experiences, business cards, and so much more.

So, what’s the secret to good branding?

The initial concept has been outlined and you might be starting to make some connections on your own. So it’s time to ask yourself the hard questions about your business to clearly define:

Who you are.
What you do.
Who you serve.
And why.

This may sound simple at a quick glance, but I encourage you to carve out some time for deep reflection and write down your most honest answer for each of these. Your responses are likely what motivated you to start your business and are what make up the soul of your brand.

Each topic will spark additional questions to help you dive deeper and get a clearer picture of your driving force. The questions listed are not an all-inclusive list, but a starting point to get you thinking in the right direction.

All four of these cornerstones will help you determine how you show up, who you should connect with, and how to best serve your audience before you even think about fonts or colors. These are the types of questions that brand strategists work through with you or for you. And if you partner with a brand designer, they will love you for having all of these details fleshed out.

Who you are

You already know your name as the founder and if you’ve begun your business journey, you know your business name. Diving deeper will help us define who we want our brand to become. Each use of “you” is used to represent your business.

If you were a person out in the world, who would you be? How would you act? What are you wearing? Where do you spend most of your time? Who are your friends and who do you get along with?

How do you want to be perceived? What adjectives describe you? How would people describe their first impression of you? Who inspires you?

What do you dislike? Where do you feel most at home? What are your core values? How do you treat your community partners? Are you quick to communicate?

Sometimes it helps to think about a fictional character when you’re working through these questions. Do your best to think outside of who you are as an individual and more about your business as a whole.

What you do

Let’s continue by outlining what you actually do. This helps you think through every step of your business process and your overarching impact.

What are your services? What products do you create or supply? Who are your vendors or community partners? How do you make money, gather donations, or gain community support? What kind of people make up your staff and or board?

Are there any restrictions or regulations that you must follow? Do you cut corners (if you’re here it’s not likely)? How do you decide who to work with? Do you value quality over quantity?

What standards are you abiding by? Do you select your materials based on specific standards (ethical, sustainable, fair trade, etc)? What is your unboxing experience like? How do you celebrate your donors? How do you support the people within your nonprofit (volunteers, staff, leadership, etc)?

Do you show up for events? Are you connecting with your community? Are you working with people on a global scale? Are you trying to spark a movement?

Take some time to think through all the aspects of your business. Follow the pathways that people follow when they interact with your brand. Go further than the basics if that makes sense for your brand. The bigger the business or organization, the more complicated this cornerstone becomes.

Who you serve

Now we are diving a little deeper to get clear about your audience. This will help you determine how to better serve them.

Do they spend time online? What platforms do they spend time on (if any)? Do they have families? Who do they spend time with outside of work? Do they have any hobbies? Are they volunteering with any local organizations?

Who are the people they enjoy working with? What types of products are they interested in? Where are they shopping? What are their favorite foods?

What other brands are they loyal to? What brands do they follow online? Are they traveling often? Where do they go on a weekly basis?

Knowing your audience helps you meet them where they are. Making the most of your marketing efforts by strategically aligning with where your audience is spending their time. This will also impact whether you put more energy into digital or print promotion.

Why?

To me this is the most essential cornerstone with some of the hardest questions. Being a founder or executive director is tough. When you’re having a bad week, this response is what pulls you through. These answers should come from your heart.

Why did you start the business? Are you trying to create something better than your corporate past life? Did someone inspire you to become an entrepreneur or founder? Did an event spark the idea through a speaker or panel discussion?

What brands inspired you to start this journey? What brands have your business for life? What about them sparked your interest initially? What made you tell your friends about them?

What are you spending your business money on? Does it go back into the business? Does it go towards the people you serve? Are you investing in your personal and professional growth? Do you have a family to support?

This next section might come out kinda harsh. Know that I list these questions with love, so take a deep breath before diving in. Maybe even take a break if you’ve been working through these sections all at once.

Why do you care?
Why do you continue?
Why don’t you give up?
Why should people care about what you’re doing?
Why does it matter?

Once you run through all of those, you’ll start to gain clarity around your business “why.” Hold that answer close. Put it on your vision board or at the top of your list of goals. This is the heart of your driving force.

Quick recap

Branding, especially for purpose-driven small businesses and organizations, isn’t just about the visuals. In fact, that makes up only a small percentage of what helps you connect with your audience. Using your time to focus on the core foundations of who you are and why you are doing it will help you prepare for longterm success.

Defining the soul of your brand helps you become more memorable because your customers become more invested in what you represent. Once you have your foundations in order, marketing becomes easier because you know your driving forces. You show up consistency because you know who you are. This clarity is what helps big brands gather an expansive fanbase.

When you have strong cornerstones, your business or organization opens up the opportunity to inspire champions of your brand. True fans help you expand your impact without the extra ad spend and that is powerful stuff.

Still feeling confused and searching for branding support?
Head to the contact page to fill out an inquiry form.

What makes a brand feel authentic and aligned?

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 05:44:15 GMT

You bring meaning to the mark.

Logos are important, they help identify your business even in the smallest of spaces. However, a logo isn’t the only distinguishing feature of your business. You bring meaning to the mark by telling your story and creating memorable moments with the people interacting with you and your brand.

A well designed, strategic logo only gets you so far without the care infused into it by the way you do business or the quality of your products. Only you can provide the life and energy that a logo needs to withstand the test of time. YOU bring the years of dedication, quality service, and consistent experience.

Why bother with a logo at all?

A logo is like a face for your business and your brand foundations (brand strategy) is the soul (what makes you who you are).

If your face is frowning, you might prevent people from walking up to start a conversation. A bad logo can have that effect too, instantly making buyers turn in another direction. But a happy face invites people forward. Just as the right logo can draw people in, creating a memorable moment and reminding people of your business when they see the mark again.

Now you can see how your logo impacts the first impression your business makes on potential clients or customers.

What impression is your logo making? Is it sending the right message?

Building identities to expand your impact

To craft a more complete picture, you’ll want what people in the branding industry call a “brand identity” (or at least a “visual identity”) to support your logo family. Building comprehensive brand systems multiplies your impact and helps you attract the right people.

Factors that play a role in creating a brand that resonates:

Logos and logo family
Messaging / Tone
Personality
Solid customer / client experience
Illustrations
Photography
Product and package design (and material choices)
Colors
Fonts
And more!

A brand identity is what encompasses all these factors and a brand standards (also known as a brand guidelines) is what captures all the details in one place.

YOU bring meaning to your colors and logo, not the other way around. Though I will say that a good logo with a strong brand identity rooted in strategy can assist you in making the right first impression and build trust with your audience right from the start.

Reminders:

It’s okay to start with a DIY logo, especially if not having one is holding you back from getting started.
Your logo isn’t going to do all the work—you’ve got to back it up with solid business foundations.
Sometimes it’s best to grow first, so you have a better understanding of your business goals before your invest in a professional logo or full brand package.
You’ll know what feels best for you and your business—don’t rush it if you aren’t ready (this will help prevent future rebrands).
It’s possible to build a successful business without the best logo. You earn your reputation in the market by providing quality products and/or excellent customer experiences.
You can still make an impact without the best logo, but a good logo and supporting visual identity improve brand recognition, memorability, and sales because they build trust.

Think about investing in branding support when:

You’ve outgrown your current logo.
You are losing business to competitors who look better than you.
You are ready to charge a premium price.
Your current logo is holding you back from pursuing new opportunities, partnerships, and collaborations.
You feel embarrassed to create content or market your business.
It's also good to consider anytime you’re thinking about rebranding.

Quick Recap

In order to build an authentic brand that lasts, you need a combination of solid brand foundations, a visual identity that connects, and a top-notch experience created by YOU!

And a globally recognized brand takes time to build, years to reinforce, and many memorable moments of expertly crafted experiences (not to mention millions spent on countless advertising campaigns).

Adapt and grow as you go, you've got this!

Need more information? Continue to my branding service page for more details or check out case studies for samples of my work.

What's the difference between branding and logos

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 06:17:29 GMT

A brief overview to help you understand these often confused words.

You’re likely familiar with the words if you spend time in the business world, but do you understand them? Hopefully you can get some clarity on these two terms after reading through this post.

Branding:

how you make people feel when they interact with you or your product.

Brand Guidelines (also know as "Brand Standards"):

a comprehensive document that defines your brand foundations and visual guidelines to help you make the right impact and show up consistently for your customers, so you can build trust and increase brand recognition.

Brand strategy:

the foundation of your brand that includes: your vision, mission, values, ideal customer, positioning and more. Helps you get clear on how you want your clients / customers to feel when they encounter your brand in the wild, so you can craft a plan to make the right impression with them.

Logo family:

the set of logos that are created so you can place it on a wide range of spaces with ease. They make your logo more versatile and scalable.

Logo:

an identifying mark that represents a business or organization.

Logomark:

the simplest version of your logo (they don't often include text).

Interested in more easy-to-understand definitions about branding, creative design, and print? Follow this link for more.

The difference between a logo and branding? A logo is a single identifying mark that can be seen (on a product, social post, billboard, etc) and tied it back to you, it’s a single piece in a thousand piece puzzle.

Branding is the entire puzzle, only telling the whole story when all the pieces fit snuggly together. Branding includes your brand voice, messaging, company culture, visual identity, logos, and every touchpoint people can interact with. And that is why it is so important to have all these details thought out and defined. So you know you are crafting the right experience, creating the right moments, and connecting with the right people. Leaving the right impression and making memories, so people keep coming back for more. All while spreading the word by telling their friends about how great you are.

Have more questions about branding and logos? Or looking for your next creative partner to help you revive your brand or tackle part of your to-do list, so you can focus on your mission? Schedule a Connection Chat to have a longer conversation.

This is also a good way to reconnect with me if we haven’t talked in a while, friends and potential collaborators are always welcome to book too!

The overlooked consequences of AI integration

Thu, 20 Mar 2025 20:40:56 GMT

What is lost when the human creative process is relinquished?

It seems like AI is integrating into everything these days. You can now build a website with the click of magic wand icon or direct Chat GPT to write a book for you. You can even generate graphics for social media posts in an instant.

This can leave many creatives feeling shook , thinking: “Hey, those were our jobs!”

What happens when a creative process, one that once took days, weeks, months, YEARS, is now compressed into one click of a button?

What is lost in the pursuit of convenience, speed, and affordability?

And what might the spread of AI-generated content might mean for the future of news and research?

A Loss of Identity, Integrity, and the Ineffable

Imagine two hypothetical scenarios.

One is where you receive a gift from someone. It’s something you’ve wanted for a long time, and only your closest friends and family know about it. Your birthday comes around and your aging mother, who has been on a dramatic health decline in the past year, procures this special gift for you: a tiny sculpture of an elephant with its trunk turned up (symbolizing good luck in many cultures), made of garnet stone, mined in the area of India you once visited and loved during your time in the Peace Corps, sold by a friend who runs a local small business.

The gift, given at a special time, from a special person, and from a special place, is now laden with meaning and memory.

Now imagine that you purchase that same gift on Amazon. It’s not made from the same precious stone (though it looks exactly the same), nor was it made in the same region. You bought it for yourself because you wanted it, and you took the quickest route to get it into your possession.

It lacks the meaning, care, intention, and uniqueness of the way in which the first item was made its way to you.

This metaphor can be applied to the difference between something AI-generated and something that has been developed through an intentional, creative process with other human beings.

When someone purchases a logo from an online AI logo generator, decades of experience from a designer (years of schooling, countless hours being inspired by books, trips to museums, and wandering art galleries, and thousands of experiences with developing original work for clients) is lacking. The reciprocity of paying a designer for their work and valuing their decades of mastery is lost. The “a-ha!” moment is never reached when the pieces of the puzzle in the creative process come together and the designer arrives at the long sought-after solution. And most importantly, the creative collaboration and the human connection between the client and the designer cease to exist.

As a result, the final product generated by AI lacks wisdom, integrity, and depth.

The quickest route from point A to B is not the best route, as we know. It’s certainly not the most scenic. David Whyte, a celebrated Irish poet, once said: “If you hear the word ‘shortcut’, run in the opposite direction.”

Cognitive Decline

When an idea hits, what is the first thing you do? Grab a pen and paper to jot down some notes? Or do you start typing into a prompt bar? Although both require some problem-solving skills, refining to uncover the desired result and working through all aspects of an idea can help us dig deeper.

Many creatives are familiar with that “stroke of genius” moment. Sometimes it hits in the shower, on a walk, while exploring another concept, or even creeping in through the fog as you open your eyes in the morning.

Eliminating such an integral part of the creative process could stunt our best ideas from fully emerging from the depths of our minds.

Remember what life was like before the Google Maps app? People used to have some sense of the surrounding neighborhood and city and how to navigate the roads without assistance. Many have lost a sense of direction and navigational ability in the wake of being able to insert an address into an app and get directions instantly without ever needing to remember them.

What about doing simple math in your head before the advent of a calculator app? Or needing to memorize information like a recipe or a poem or the lyrics to a song, because it wasn’t readily available on the internet? Studies show that humans are declining rapidly in cognitive ability, and the reliance on technology and AI can be partly to blame.

Threat of False information and Accessibility

Nearly all of us have been fooled at some point by fake, AI-generated content online.

During the reporting of recent LA wildfires, there were an assortment of AI-sourced images circulating worldwide that weren’t real. This article from NPR showcases the identified images along with tips for spotting them from BBC and NPR .

Another viral trend has been the spread of fake animal rescue videos. These videos tug at our hearts and play with our emotions. They can also sometimes encourage people to interact with wild animals, which can be potentially dangerous. Here is a marine biologist that walks the audience through how to spot false, AI-generated rescue videos:

A friend who is a ghost writer for scientific articles (which requires extensive research) recently discovered references listed at the end of “factual” information that were completely made up. AI has learned how to memorize citing styles (MLA, APA, and Chicago) and formulate “references” of its own, no factual reference required. Mathew Hillier, a Macquarie University student, conducted an experiment to test this himself in February 2023.

That’s not to say that all AI software follows these citing patterns, but it is something to consider when digging into research (especially if it’s a few years old). And if you are looking for ways to ensure a reference is factual, there are a few great resources listed on the Rasmussen University Library website here.

These issues raise new questions surrounding the free use of AI and the increased threat of misinformation that comes with them.

Someone can generate a false image that can go viral, created and posted from their phone, in seconds.

Not only does this raise the question of ethics but one of accessibility.

Should AI image generation be free to use by anyone? Should it be regulated? Should these images have an automated tag disclosing their source?

AI is already trickling through mainstream media, so people will have to become more vigilant in regards to false information.

If credible news sources are paywalled, will that lead to lower income communities being inundated with misinformation and fear-mongering?

Energy Use and Environmental Impact

Many people have not yet considered the direct impact their latest Chat GPT query or DALL-E image generation.

Read about the environmental impacts from AI integration in this article from MIT News. The article covers rapid growth projections for energy use as a direct result of AI, stats on water resources being used to keep data centers cool, and the resources needed to build the physical infrastructure being created as a result of the AI boom.

“Researchers have estimated that a ChatGPT query consumes about five times more electricity than a simple web search.”

Adam Zewe | MIT News

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) created a document about “The Environmental Impact of the Full AI Lifecycle” that contains a more complete look at AI’s environmental footprint.

The increased demand in resources will inevitably lead to more environmental inequity, disproportionately impacting low-income and vulnerable communities. Read “The Uneven Distribution of AI’s Environmental Impacts” by Shaolei Ren and Adam Wierman if you are interested in learning more.

Navigating the Brave New World

The integration of AI will continue to expand and deepen, despite any of the potential pitfalls and objections.

The greatest change we can affect on our own communities and future generations will be choosing how we interact with AI moving forward, and remember, that is always a choice.

Here are a few suggestions on how to avoid creative loss in the wake of AI dominance, remain discerning about information sources, and preserve what’s sacred:

Support and preserve old traditions and classical modes of making art. Buy from local artists and indigenous craftspeople and meditate on the value of ancient forms of arts and craft. You can even learn an ancestral craft from your own lineage or one that inspires you (for example, Japanese origami, Peruvian weaving, Ukrainian pysanka egg decorating, or Turkish marble-painting).

Create with your hands. There is something truly unique about using our hands to create—it helps us reconnect with the world around us, nurture our inner child, explore new processes, and better understand ourselves. If we allow ourselves to explore and get messy, we can create something from the heart that shares a piece of our soul. That is a level of authenticity that AI will NEVER replace. We are all capable of creating—what have you been craving to create?

Value the human touch. Whether in your business or your personal life, choose to work with and pay a human who has developed expertise in a craft, rather than take a shortcut with an online generator.

Don’t jump to ChatGPT. Instead of perfecting a ChatGPT prompt, start reflecting on your own writings to uncover what could be improved or refined. Taking the time to look back at old writings can also leads to rediscovery and critical thinking.

Fact check your work and thoroughly vet the content you consume. Check your sources and take some time to process information before you assume it is fact. Going straight to the source of information, rather than through a third-party sharing it, will also be more valuable than ever before.

It’s hard to predict what the future will reveal about the side effects of rapid AI integration that we’ve all witnessed the last couple years. Certainly, there will be benefits, and perhaps we will find ways to combat some of these potentially fatal flaws. Through it all, we have to remember to stay true to ourselves, connect with others, and continue creating on our own.

Contributor Spotlight

Renée Fidz is the creator of Hearth , a Substack featuring writings on reconnection to nature, art, healing, magic, and building community. She is an intuitive designer and guide who works with small business owners to express and merge their life purpose with their brand and business. Learn more her work and reach out at reneefidz.com .

Creative design terms explained

Tue, 04 Mar 2025 08:37:44 GMT

A reference guide to understand the language I use and the deliverables we can create together

Carefully crafted list of simplified definitions for words I use on a daily basis as a creative designer. They are familiar to me, but I understand that they may be new to you. I am constantly adding to this list as I have conversations with clients and associates.

Advertising : getting your product or service in front of more eyes, so you can make more sales.

Branding: how you make people feel when they interact with you or your product.

Brand Guidelines (also know as "Brand Standards") : a comprehensive document that defines your brand foundations and visual guidelines to help you make the right impact and show up consistently for your customers, so you can build trust and increase brand recognition.

Brand strategy: the foundation of your brand that includes: your vision, mission, values, ideal customer, positioning and more. Helps you get clear on how you want your clients / customers to feel when they encounter your brand in the wild, so you can craft a plan to make the right impression with them.

CMYK: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black—the colors used to build printed colors.

Connection Chat: my version of a discovery call. This is where we talk through your needs, project details, and any questions that you might have before we work together. Helps us both determine whether or not we are a good fit to work together.

Favicon: that tiny version of your logo that shows up on the tab of a new web page.

Font : a specific design style within a typeface .

Logo family : the set of logos that are created so you can place it on a wide range of spaces with ease. They make your logo more versatile and scalable.

Logo: an identifying mark that represents a business or organization.

Logomark: the simplest version of your logo (they don't often include text) .

Marketing: building a name for yourself and better understanding your customers, so you can show up in the right places.

Pixel : the squares that make up an image; can be seen when you zoom into a photo or png file. Quality is negatively impacted when you drastically change their size.

Primary logo : the main layout of your logo that is used as long as there is enough available space.

RGB: Red, Green, Blue—the colors of light used to create colors on screens.

Styleguide : a visual reference sheet that allows you to keep your visual identity consistent throughout every touchpoint.

Statement of Work : document outlining project objectives, deliverables, timeline, invoicing schedule, and terms.

Touchpoint : places your brand shows up in front of its customers; can include apparel, social media, packaging, merchandise, advertising and more.

Typeface : the entire collection of font styles (heavy, bold, italic, light, etc) .

Vector : artwork that can be scaled up and down infinitely, while keeping crisp edges and retaining quality.

Visual Identity : all the visual elements that impact how your brand looks (photos, logos, colors, fonts, etc.).

I hope this reference makes branding and creative design feel more approachable. There are a lot of fancy terms that are thrown around that can make the topic feel intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. Still don't understand a lot of terms on this list? That's okay, I'll help you along the way. This is my area of expertise and you have your own zone of genius that you'll be teaching me about.

Don't agree with one of my definitions? Let's talk about it, I'm always learning and growing.

What they don't tell you when you set out to change the world

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 09:17:36 GMT

Reminders for earth-conscious founders who might be feeling the weight of the climate crisis on their shoulders.

You are making progress, but some days it won’t feel like it. These are some thoughts ignited by my honest struggle as a purpose-driven, earth conscious business owner.

Note before you begin: take your time reading. If you start to feel overwhelmed, please come back later to get the full message or skip ahead to “Reminders”.

The intention of this post is not to discourage, but to inspire and encourage you forward on your journey towards a more sustainable business and world.

Why eco-conscious?

I wanted to prioritize sustainability in my business because I love spending time outside, surrounded by nature. Breathing in the misty ocean breeze, the fresh forest scent, or that first deep breath after rain has passed. Discovering new creatures and enjoying impressive hikes that remind me the world is bigger than myself. Digging into the earth to plant some new seeds, soon to come up in the spring to add color and provide food for the local bees. No good can come if that was all stripped away.

"Be good to others, do good work, and feel good using our creative skills to help purpose-driven people make a lasting impact. Also making imperfect changes that are better for the planet, volunteering with community organizations, and informing clients of ways to infuse sustainability into their business" (pulled directly from our "Do Good" value description).

I don’t want part of my progress to be harmful for our planet or the lives of the creatives we share it with. I want to work towards a brighter future for all and you probably feel the same way. Without making a conscious effort to make more sustainable choices in my business, I don’t think I can hope to achieve that.

To read more about the sustainable choices (big and small) I make for my business, you can check out the about page .

W hat makes sustainable business hard?

When you decided to start your business, you (like me) knew that you wanted sustainability to be a key pillar. You set out to include the most eco-friendly options, staying on top of latest innovations that might impact future business decisions. Always learning and exploring all your options before making a final selection.

Doesn’t that sound exhausting? It is! The truth is that we make business harder on ourselves. Running a business is hard, when you restrict your options it becomes even more difficult. We often strive for perfect progress while giving others grace for their imperfect changes.

You celebrate others for using their reusable bags or bringing in their own coffee mug.

You cheer their progress when they start using toothpaste tabs or shampoo bars.

You congratulate others for their recent eco-certification.

But you rarely feel excited by the changes you are making.

You dismiss your earth-focused changes in your business, often thinking “so what?”

You surround yourself with people you admire (who, in your eyes, are “doing it better”)

You discredit the way you prioritize low waste solutions or choice of a green web host.

Holidays become more stressful because we constantly think about about the plastic wrap, excess food waste, plastic packaging, constant spending, plastic bows, travel emissions, plastic bags and more.

The constant debate between real vs fake tree is enough to drive one mad (if you know you know).

You struggle to sleep while thinking about the latest climate disaster.
You feel anxiety take over when you think of recent policy changes.
You worry about the future state of the world we are part of.

Hyper awareness of the climate crisis often leads to more doom and gloom and less reflection for hopeful restoration. Many eco-focused business burn out in their first few years and I can see why. We sure don’t make it easy on ourselves, I’m feeling stressed just writing and admitting all this.

Reminders (for you and for me):

As with any business, we use our limited budgets to get something growing and we do what we can to make things work. After all, when we are first starting out, we are planting lots of seeds for future growth. Often growing more than we know beneath the surface.

I want to remind you that:

It’s okay to be scrappy at the start, making a decision based on financial stability, so you can plan for long-term growth.

Instead of the top of the line, custom printed, recycled boxes with algae ink—it’s okay to settle for the reused boxes that we already have. Perhaps investing in a roll of custom tape for that special touch instead.

It’s okay to talk about your imperfect progress and your hopes of larger future sustainability goals. We all start somewhere.

It’s okay if you’re not a B-corp or 1% for the planet member. They don’t make sense for everyone at the beginning of their business journey.

It’s okay if you’re not at every protest or forget to sign every petition—we must give ourselves time to rest.

It’s okay if you aren’t perfect, even the best environmental activists aren’t. The world we live in does not make it easy for us to make every sustainable choice. We are limited by our income, by our resources, and by what is currently available.

I wrote something in a recent collaborative blog that I have to constantly remind myself while growing my business.

“The reality is that, even as conscious business owners, we have bills to pay and a life to sustain. Keeping a business alive and thriving is no easy task and sometimes you have to take the job that isn’t the best fit in order to continue offering your services for ideal clients further down the line.”

Without making decisions that get us through this year, we aren’t likely to be around for years into the future. Instead of perfection throughout every aspect of our business, let’s focus on buying from other eco friendly business so we can support them on their journey and show our support. Let’s encourage each other forward and recognize the progress we are making.

I can acknowledge that I am not perfect but I also know that small changes make a big difference and imperfect progress is still a step in the right direction. I can only hope that talking about my conscious efforts and encouraging others will help multiply my impact. One day snowballing into a world growing in harmony with our environment—a girl can dream.

If you are new to the world of sustainability, I urge you to do one thing to limit your environmental impact today. Grab a reusable water bottle on your next trip to the store, use paper over plastic, shop at thrift shops, pick trash off the ground, think before you buy. Pick something that feels good for you and build from there. We don’t have to do everything all at once, but we do need your help.

Here’s hoping for less shaming, and more acknowledgment for making small changes. We cant hope to achieve the most sustainable version of our business without a bit of love and encouragement along the way. And we can’t hope to change the world without our community.

Thanks for doing your part to create a more sustainable future. Keep planting those seeds and grow as you go along. Please take some time today to acknowledge how far you’ve come. Be proud of yourself for choosing your purpose-driven path. I hope this helps you along your way.

If you are looking for some design support as you ease into the new year, fill out an inquiry form on our contact page or schedule a no obligations connection chat to see if we'd be a good fit for collaboration.

Website mistakes to avoid

Wed, 13 Nov 2024 22:56:14 GMT

As told by a regretful business owner / designer who learned the hard way.

I’m gonna start this off by saying, I am not a web designer. I don’t know all the tips and tricks to mastering SEO and ranking higher on Google. What I do know is that I learned a lot while refreshing my website and I wanted to share in an attempt to spare a few business owners from a headache or two.

There are so many challenges when it comes to selecting the best platform for your business, building a website, and making sure everything is accessible. I certainly learned a lot during both builds, but I would have rather made the right choice for me the first time around.

Mistakes I made on my website:

Not responsive across all devices, my mobile version was giving me sooo many issues and I couldn’t figure them out.
Too much copy and clutter, making it unclear for people to quickly find who I want to work with and how I can help solve their problem.
Design didn’t lead the viewer on to keep exploring and felt a little too bold, I wanted to more closely match my brand’s personality.
Case studies were clunky and hard to follow. Also inconsistent across devices and screen sizes, making an inconsistent experience for viewers.
Kept adding and adding without subtracting, which led to a disjointed experience and potential to cause overwhelm.
My brand’s heart was not shining through and I wasn’t clear on why I was a good choice.
Not easy to jump in and out for edits throughout the year.
Expensive plugins and constant updates that I couldn’t keep up with.

A rough process to follow

I learned a lot from working in WordPress during my first build, but I feel a lot more confident after switching to a platform that I enjoy working in. By sharing the broad strokes of my rough website building process, I hope to save you countless hours and prevent a few mistakes.

Before you begin building, plan for the future / Phase 01 Planning

Will you be the sole editor or do you have a budget for on-going web maintenance?
Why? Because you should consider a platform that is going to be easy for you to edit if you will be working on it yourself.
What are your long-term business plans?
Why? Because you will need something that grows with you, not against.
Do you need a digital storefront, or capabilities to build one in the future?
Why? To avoid the need for a full rebuild of your site, a costly and time-consuming error.
Is this a temporary solution or something that you want to keep for a while?
Why? Again, to avoid having to do a full rebuild. If you are driving traffic somewhere, you want to be able to retain that traffic if changes are made.

Time for the build… Right?! / Phase 02 Strategy

I wish it were that easy, really I do.

What platform makes sense for you? ( Wix , Wordpress , Squarespace , Shopify , Google Sites and more)

Do your research, compare your options and make the choice that makes the most sense for you, your business and your customers/clients. Create your account and buy a custom domain name. The platform you choose likely partners with a third party for this—I recommend using the one they partner with to avoid challenges when connecting the two (don’t get me started on DNS records).

Do you have brand guidelines established?

Yes, great! Make sure you have your colors and fonts ready for your website.

No, that’s okay. If you aren’t ready to work with a brand designer, pick 1-3 colors (even better if you pull them from your logo) and 1-3 fonts (think header, subhead and body copy) to use on your website. Consistency is key!

If you had an old site with the same audience…

Being a bit strategic before jumping into your build is going to save you time and energy. Dig into your metrics / analytics and consider things from your user’s perspective.

What pages are people spending most of their time on?

For my site it was the home page and about page, people want to know who you are and what you do. These pages might deserve a little extra love in your messaging to keep people moving around your site. Really nail down who you are, who you want to work with, and why people should work with you.

What is goal from your website / what do you want people to do?

Book a call, fill out a contact form, call you, buy a product—whatever the answer, be sure to include call to actions (CTAs) throughout your site to make it easy for them to take the next step.

When it comes to planning for the build, you want to establish how many pages you need, what they should be called (don’t make people work too hard), and the general flow of each one (what goes on each page in what order). Keep thinking with that user experience brain and consider what would make sense for someone unfamiliar with you and your brand.

General considerations

Remember that simplifying is often better as it makes for a smoother experience. Too many pages cause overwhelm and might make people leave too quickly before they learn how great you and your business is.

For the rest of the planning process, gather your copy (final is best but, let’s be honest we’ve all had to edit on the fly) and website links (images) for all your pages. Make sure you gather your links and optimize them before uploading to improve ranking and website speed. Although, if you wanted to go a step further or if you have some web design skills, you could sketch out each page and start working out the layout for each page as well.

Build, test, build more / Phase 03 Creation

Time for the build—at this point you have chosen your platform, optimized images, gathered final copy and nailed down your fonts and colors. If you are using a website template, choose the one that makes sense for your business and audience. Most platforms have a place for you to add your logo, brand colors and fonts—add those to start customization.

Add your pages to your menu bar and format your footer—these will be the same. If your platform allows you to customize any other global features, get those done at the start as well.

From there, start building out your home page and start swapping our those headlines and body copy with the copy you prepared. You may have to add or rearrange things to fit the template’s pre-established flow.

Once you are happy with the home page, start adding your supporting pages and use your home page as a guide. Making sure each one has a similar feel throughout.

Reminders when building (I’ll probably continue adding here) :

Add alternate IDs for all your images—to improve SEO ranking and make your website more accessible
Test performance on a range of screens
Add buttons throughout with CTAs and link to other pages
Triple check for spelling errors
Add your own brand colors and fonts to create a cohesive experience
Stay consistent with headline, button and body copy formatting
Add your contact info and links to social platforms where people can find you online—encourages connection and also allows you to stay top of mind
Keep it simple, think about your users, and make it easy for yourself to edit

Once you’ve checked things over yourself, don’t be afraid to send to your inner circle before you share it with the world. They might catch something that you didn’t, we all miss things when we stare too long at a block of copy.

Published and ready to rest / Phase 04 Promotion

Not so fast! Time to promote, link to Google, and update your digital spaces (don’t forget this step) . Your website looks great, but you want people to know about it to drive some initial traffic that way.

Get connected to Google Search Console so your site can be indexed on Google (from my understanding, if the digital world were a library, indexing your site would be like having a ISBN number to identify your book) and set up Google Analytics so you can track your progress.

If you have a Google business profile, be sure to include your new / updated website link—if you don’t have one and are a local business with a storefront, get one created to boost SEO and ranking on Google.

Job well done

Now it’s time to rest and relax. Your site is live, it looks great, people know about it and it will be there ready for you when it’s time to make edits. Don’t forget to keep track of your analytics, so you can continue working on driving more traffic. Add blog posts, refine your SEO, and make updates as needed to keep things relevant.

Final thoughts

All that to say, building a website can be a long process. If you choose the right platform from the start you can avoid having to go through it all again. If you’d rather not go through this on your own, expect to invest some cash (most quality web packages with small teams start between $2000 and $5000 and agencies often charge $20,000 and more). Here are a few designers in my network who offer web design services:

Lauren Lester (Portland-based, I've collaborated with her myself for a client's website)
Daphnah from Terracotta Creative Studio
Geri Leung from Almadin Creative (also in Portland, OR)

Need help sorting through platforms / website options? I’d highly recommend talking through your things with a mentor, fellow entrepreneur or business coach like Amanda Mailey from ALIST . It might save you time and money in the long run.

I hope this post helps give you an idea of what it takes to build a website. Planning for the future and thinking strategically about how people will interact with your site will help you in the long run.

Don’t be like me—take some extra time to choose the right platform for you and your business before you dive in and you will save precious time and money.

When to explore something new

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 09:26:23 GMT

Learning to channel your intuition to pursue what is best for you.

This month, I’ve been cooking up something different by writing a collaborative post with my dear friend Angela. She is an intuitive business coach who guides sensitive entrepreneurs in creating a business that supports a fulfilling life.

In this end of summer season, I’ve been thinking about times of change. The once blooming flowers are dropping to the ground, gardens are full of abundance, and surrounding colors in nature are starting to shift. Life has many twists and turns—it’s easy to get lost along the way. Today Angela and I will be sharing some of our entrepreneurial and life experiences that have pushed us to explore something new.

In Business (Renee)

Exploring something new doesn’t necessarily refer to walking away from your business, unless that feels right to you. Change (for me) requires lots of time and space for deep reflection. Sit in silence, write some notes, let your thoughts flow before getting anyone else involved.

People will always be eager to provide advice, but it might not be right for you, so I always need to sort things out for myself before turning to my inner circle. Here are a few signs that you might be ready to adapt in your business:

Hitting walls or creative roadblocks // Brainstorm with a friend

Little work flowing in or slowing referrals // Consider making changes in your marketing strategy

No motivation for internal work and feeling uninspired by your business // Might be time for a bigger change (rebrand or expansive internal refinement; read about when to rebrand )

Personal life challenges // Give yourself time before making big changes

Launching new products or services // Create systems that keep a streamlined client experience
Feeling behind or jealous of your competition // Talk through your challenges with a business coach or mentor

Changes look different for everyone, sometimes they are big and other times small. They might be as simple as setting better boundaries with clients or setting time frames for certain types of work. Other times you might need a bigger shift, such as moving to a new space or starting a new business endeavor.

I’m sharing from my own experiences and what has worked for me. As with anything I write, you can take what feels right for you and leave the rest. If you need support while sorting through your business challenges, I highly recommend working with Angela.

In Life (Renee)

Change isn’t just something we face in business, sometimes we might crave change in our personal lives too. Perhaps we want better work-life balance, feel compelled to shift priorities, or desire time to explore new interests.

As a creative, there are times when I feel the need to shake things up to create a better balance. I’m still learning what triggers this desire for change but finding creative outlets and hobbies outside of business has helped satisfy the pull. Here are a few signs that you might be ready for change:

Feeling uninspired or bored // Feeling inspired and energized

Feeling creative burnout creeping in // Feeling drawn to pursue something new

Feeling your deepest fears show their ugly faces (imposter syndrome is one of my worst) // Feeling confident and encouraged
Feeling an idea pick at the back of your imagination time and time again

Exploring new interests helps me step outside of my business to nurture other aspects of my life. I’ve recently started keeping a sketchbook for quick creative exploration and Angela has recently learned about animal communication.

Angela’s Insights

I have found that it’s always worthwhile to listen to your intuition when you are desiring to explore something new. For some this means truly listening to your gut, as that can tell you a big “yes” or “no.” Or, another aspect of yourself, as described through Human Design or even astrology. There is so much knowledge inside of ourselves to guide towards the next steps.

Sensitive and highly sensitive entrepreneurs are particularly attuned to the subtle energies and nuances of their environment and their own inner voices. This allows them to make choices that feel authentic and grounded, even in the face of external pressures or expectations.

In my own experience, many changes have occurred in my business because something hasn’t felt right after a certain point. I get a nudge from my inner self that it is time to change.

Similar to Renee, when I feel this way I go into deep reflection. Thinking through what the change requires — the level of energy it will take from my body and the potential benefits for making the transformation.

Transitions Along My Business Journey (Angela)

Desiring to connect with new or particular types of people: In learning more about myself as a highly sensitive person, I realized that many of my clients had this in common as well. I wanted to keep working with these women and so this also contributed to a new fresh brand look and more intentional copy on my website. I love the way my new branding is warm and inviting, resonating with sensitive soul entrepreneurs. I can’t thank Renee enough!

Your perspective changes on something you’ve been doing for awhile; you see a new way to support others with these new ideas: In deepening my understanding of being an HSP, I’ve discovered possibilities of tailoring business strategies to the unique needs of sensitive individuals. For example, offerings that can be strategically rotated or adjusted by the season. Service providers don’t always have to provide 1:1 sessions as a constant throughout the year. This change not only reflects my personal growth but also adds value to those I serve, ensuring their businesses thrive in harmony with their personal rhythms.

Noticing patterns among your clients — giving you inspiration for changes in your business: In doing system strategy work (automations and tech setups), I noticed that some of my clients felt tension with their offerings and the effort to market them. From these conversations, I began to see how important it is to talk about business holistically. Like it’s an ecosystem of its own. This is what led me to begin offering thought partnerships, to help fellow entrepreneurs develop a sustainable business that works for them.

If you feeling ready to explore change or something new, lean into your own inner wisdom and guidance. Trust yourself, you know yourself.

Thank you and reflection

Huge thank you to Angela Ellison for collaborating on this post. We chat pretty often from week to week about everything occupying our thoughts and it’s been great to share a little snippet with you all.

Leaning on Angela (and other trusted friends) when I’m faced with challenges has been a key part of me staying motivated and encouraged along my own journey through life and business. Finding supportive connections to help cheer you forward is a great way to get through challenging periods of change.

I hope to continue collaborating with others. Whether that is through Substack posts, or another format I don’t yet know. Psst, I’ve been brainstorming a podcast—although I’ll wait to share details until it’s closer to being something more concrete, I will share with you all as things progress.

Things they don't tell you about following design trends

Wed, 10 Jul 2024 10:02:53 GMT

In a world where people seem to be longing for authenticity,
don't be afraid to be stay true to yourself.

Tempting as it may be to mimic along when we see a cool trend, this may not be the best thing for our business. Our tastes change over time, so it’s natural to want to change things up accordingly. That’s why it’s important to create a brand rooted in strategy. When we know our ideal client / customer, we can ensure our brand continues to reflect their interests.

I’m not saying you should never change, there are plenty of good reasons to change things up when your brand isn’t feeling aligned. When things feel good as a whole, but a bit outdated, you can consider a brand refresh to spruce things up and keep your look up-to-date. If you want to read more on that topic, you can read through my earlier post by following the button just below.

Why not follow trends?

I’ll be honest, there have been moments in my life when I just wanted to fit in. Perhaps we all go through that, as a child and as an adult, we can lose ourselves in the noise—feeling compelled to follow the majority.

These are often vulnerable moments when we are more easily swayed by other people. Maybe this is why people say you should be careful who you surround yourself with. At the end of the day, do we want to put our time and energy into people who don’t feel right for us? Or do we want to be ourselves and see who our true fans really are?

Key points to keep in mind when you feel tempted to change your logo in an attempt to follow a trend.

Muddles your mission

When you continually shift around your visual brand by following trends, you might start to lose sight of why you started and where you are going. You end up muddling your mission and getting lost in someone else’s dreams.

Confuse your audience

Committing to a new, trendy logo means updating all your brand touch points to keep your visual brand cohesive. Otherwise, your audience is going to start getting confused—unable to keep up with what you look like. If you are changing things up as quickly as bees darting from flower to flower gathering pollen. Inconsistent and ever changing? How can they rely on you to be there when they need you?

Hinders brand recognition / memorability

Chasing trends leads to an undefined and chaotic brand that looks like everyone else. When you look like everyone else, you can’t stand out. Instead you blend in like a stick bug on a tree branch. Is that how you want to present yourself to your audience?

We want to make it easy for your customers to find you, if you are constantly changing with trends you could have a new look every couple of months. When you stick to your brand standards, you create a unified brand for your customers making it easy for them to find you when they need you.

Quick expiration

Trends come and they go—the irony of following trends is that they are going to make you look outdated before the year’s end. Trends tie you to a specific time period and this doesn’t work well in the long run for many brands.

Expensive and time consuming

Changing your brand to keep up with the latest trends is going to cost you, quite literally. Take a second to think about all your brand’s touch points—social media, business cards, banners, signage, tags, stickers, and more. Even more of a nightmare is thinking about revamping your website to reflect your ever-changing brand.

All of these changes take time and energy away from promoting your products or services. In turn, distracting you from working towards your mission. It’s easy to fall in love with the latest BIG thing, but if we follow trends for our visual brand we confuse our audience and hinder our brand recognition. This can also lead to a lack of trust in your brand.

Thinking deeply before making big changes to your brand helps keep your mission on track, while following trends speeds the process up and doesn’t leave time for reflection. When we don’t take time to make business decisions, things may start to feel misaligned causing frustration and burnout.

Discussing your options with an outside perspective can give you new insight, save you time, and save you money. This could be a business partner, friend, coach, consultant, thought partner and sometimes even your designer.

What can I do when I'm tempted to follow the latest trends?

Let’s say your audience is a youthful crowd that is constantly shifting and evolving on an individual scale. They like the newest, shiny thing and are eager to be involved with the next big thing. What do you do in this scenario without disrupting your brand?

There are ways to follow trends without making them a central part of your visual identity. After all, its’s fun to be trendy sometimes. Here are a few creative ways to remain relevant without creating chaos within your brand:

Print limited runs of custom merch that follow a trend (I’m talking stickers, apparel, tote bags, etc.)
You can design something trendy and cool, while also creating excitement around a limited release. This helps you remain consistent while staying fresh.
Change up the way you show up for online promotion
Social media is ever-evolving and people won’t likely be thrown off if you change things up on your feed. You can experiment with secondary brand colors, layout, type treatment and more.
Branching out into a new platform can also help you feel creatively inspired. You can use this to reach a new audience and broaden your community.

Expand your logo family and add a new alternate mark that can be used while the trend is relevant instead of adjusting your primary one. When the trend passes, you can retire the mark or keep it on hand when a trend comes back around.

Perhaps something more unexpected is changing up the way you are writing copy for your brand.
Maybe part of your brand personality is humor, write a set of digital ads that incorporate that side of your brand's personality.
Copywriters can help you branch out of your current writing style—I highly recommend Jess from Grounded Copy Co.

Final thoughts for reflection:

Everyone has their own journey through life—don’t be afraid to make your own way, just like a choose your own adventure book.
Everyone is going to tell you what they think—take what feels right and leave the rest.
Everyone has their own version of success—what is yours?

If you're ready for a big change and need some support along the way to create a brand that looks and feels like you—I'd love to join you on your journey, fill out a contact form to get your brand transformation started today!

Stop overlooking your competition

Tue, 18 Jun 2024 23:16:21 GMT

Don't agree with me? Let's dig deeper...

You have a unique concept for a business and there is nothing like it around you…
There is no one else doing it exactly like you do with exactly the same products with exactly the same hours.

Of course there is no one like YOU! Don’t let that go to your head when you are setting the foundation for your brand. It’s easy to be fooled into thinking that there is no overlap between your target audience and those of another business.

Before we jump into talking about your competitors and how to identify them, hang on to those ideas for what makes you so unique—they will be important factors as you work to promote yourself and might help determine your Unique Selling Propositions (USPs). We won’t get into too much of that today, but important to note nonetheless.

How to determine who they are:

Example: Let’s say you are planning to open a new bookstore and you also want to offer study spaces for people who want a quiet space to work outside their home. Maybe you live in an area where there are no other bookstores who offer this service, so you assume they are not your competition.

Try again…

Dig deeper to find the overlap. What types of people do you want to attract? Where do they spend their time now? And where else might they accomplish the same thing or some of the same things as your new business?

If your city has a public library, they will also attract your ideal customer because they have loads of books and often offer study spaces. And on top of the huge selection, they are free to read! We may not think of them immediately because they don’t present themselves as a normal business, but they are still drawing in people who might otherwise come into your shop.

Another potential competitor is a local coffee shop. How does that track? Sure they don’t sell books, but they might attract your ideal customer because they can also get a snack or beverage while getting work done. Easily bringing their own book along for reading as well.

Let’s keep our egos out of our strategic thinking—instead of thinking of competitors as businesses exactly like yours, start to think of them as business that might be attracting your ideal client. You can let people know what makes you special through your marketing, promotion, and branding. When your touch points share your unique story and USPs, your audience will know that you are right for them.

Reminders

Our competitors may not be exactly like us, so we have to do additional research to investigate where there may be overlap in our target audience.

Competitors…

aren’t always in the same industry.
are at the same market, in the same shop, on the same shelf.
Especially true for product based businesses since you are trying to attract the same eyes within the same space.
have similar hours or parallel service that solve the same problem.
Problem: I’m hungry, Solutions: grocery store, food cart, restaurant, etc.
Problem: I’m bored, Solutions: walk, park, event, workshop, concerts, etc.

Let’s stop thinking of competitors as the enemy.

Just because someone else might be “competing” for the same customers doesn’t mean we have to dismiss their work or use dirty marketing tactics that turn customers our way. It doesn’t have to be us vs. them, but how are we more aligned for our clients or customers to be a better match for them.

If we get creative and think more about building up our community, the people who would normally be considered competitors can turn into something more supportive.

They can be collaborators (can extend your network and online reach)
When we have too much work, we can outsource to help lighten the workload
Send referrals when you are booked or when someone isn’t a good fit.
They can be friends (can help us reflect and make improvements)
By sharing our experiences, we can help both our businesses grow.
Brainstorm ideas for new services or for promotion.
They can even become your biggest supporters
You both can provide insight, share knowledge and resources that help you feel valued.
Celebrating wins together and being there when we hit a low.

We can acknowledge that we may be working to attract the same audience while also understanding that there are plenty of clients or customers to go around. Working with some of my “competitors” has led to some of my largest design projects. Talking through industry trends and business experiences with them has made me feel like I still have awesome coworkers! I encourage you to think differently about your competition—how can you lift each other up?

When and why should we pay attention to the competition?

In regards to branding specifically, we can learn a lot from researching competitors. Not just the visuals either. I’m talking about copywriting, photography, logos, personality and more—the entire brand identity, every piece helps tell your story and attract the right people.

When we are establishing brand guidelines and our visual identity, it is essential to see what is already being done. It is much easier to consider your competition at the early stages of brand strategy and design than later on.

Things to consider:

What they look like (color usage, logo, type system, imagery, etc.) ?
What they sound like (how do they communicate with their audience) ?
Is their website user-friendly?
Easy to navigate?
How quickly can you find what you’re looking for?
Good experience?
Where are they promoting their products or services (online, print, at events, etc) ?
What emotions came to mind when you interact with any of their brand touch points (shop, website, promo materials, etc)?
What makes us different (doing competitor research helps us highlight USPs) ?

After conducting research and observing our competition, we need to recognize the importance of being true to ourselves. If we decide that we are going to create a logo, website, package, etc. that looks like everyone else in the industry, we are making it harder on ourselves to stand out.

This is where the importance of design comes along!

Visual identity (logo family, color scheme, type systems and more)
Leads to more brand recognition, which builds trust with your audience—people buy products from people they trust!
Impacts the perception of our product or business in the market: if you don’t look like a pro, people might take more convincing before making a purchase.
Package design
Competing with other products directly on the shelf, so our designs need to keep our competitors in mind.
Make it easy for your customers to find you and easy for them to quickly find what they are looking for.
Know your audience
The better you know them, the easier you can draw them in through your packaging, displays, promotion, etc.
If you know them, you know what information they prioritize (super important for market displays and package design).

Final thoughts

If you’re thinking that this all sounds like too much to uncover on your own—I encourage you to consider working with a brand designer or a brand or marketing strategist. You could probably also talk about your competitors with a business advisor or thought partner (my friend Angela is a great one as she sorts through the chaos of business and simplifies systems to create something more sustainable).

There’s no shame for asking for help, running a business is hard and sometimes we need extra support sorting through the weeds. I encourage you to pursue extra guidance whenever you start to feel that overwhelm or burnout, as it might be enough to help you keep pushing forward. You don’t have to work with a service provider—it could be as simple as calling a friend or fellow entrepreneur, searching for a book about business or marketing, or even watching a few videos.

Remember to promote yourself authentically and that your competitors don’t have to be your enemy!

Everything you need to know about logo families

Wed, 15 May 2024 18:34:35 GMT

More than "just a logo"—benefits of creating a logo family for your brand.

You might be asking yourself—what is a logo family and why might I need one? Let’s walk through 3 reasons to expand your brand assets to create a logo family.

Quick overview:

1. Versatility: easy to use across all brand touchpoints
2. Accessibility: legible small scale and large scale
3. Memorability: more brand assets can lead to greater brand recognition

Please note that these are not in order of importance.

What is a logo family?

Also known as a logo suite, a logo family is a collection of logo variations that help you keep your visual brand consistent throughout a wide array of applications. Variations often include a primary logo, secondary logo, wordmark, and logo mark. It’s good to note that every brand is different, so your logo family should display your brand’s unique personality in order to be cohesive and memorable.

Let’s break things down into an analogy using the photos above to give you a better understanding of what a logo family is and what it can do for your brand. If you have a design background or have a well established business, you might already be familiar with the benefits of creating a logo family, feel free to skip ahead.

In the photo on the left, you will see a single pink rose in a vase, it’s pretty and you might catch a glimpse as you pass and think “how lovely!” Someone took the time to cut a single flower and bring it inside to brighten up or bring a pop of color to a space. Similarly a logo can bring life to your brand and remind people who you are and what you do.

The photo on the right, is a larger flower bouquet layered with greenery and roses. This bunch of flowers takes up more space and is more likely to catch someone’s attention than a single rose like the one featured above. If you are walking past you might even breathe in a fresh, flowery scent. Someone took some extra time to cut and place the flowers to make sure it looked just right. In the same way a carefully crafted logo family can help you make a larger impact with your target audience.

You could even think about it like wildflowers. The first few blooms are going to be difficult to spot in a sea of green, but as the rest of the flowers reach full bloom there might be an explosion of color!

Sure a single logo can serve a purpose on it’s own, but with supporting brand marks and a bit of extra energy, your brand has the potential to make a longer lasting impact. Thinking about your visual brand in this way, would you rather your brand be a single flower or an expansive field of wildflowers?

One more comparison to drive the concept home!

Think about a literal family—many have multiple members, every family looks different from one to the next and each member of the family has their own role within it. Some are big, some are small, but each are a family nonetheless.

A single logo is like one member of a family, they have limits to how much they can accomplish on their own and their network is limited by the number of people they can personally connect with.

On the other hand, a logo family is like all the members of a family. Each person has their own perspective and role within their family and each has their own network of friends and connections. Just like a family, a logo family can help you reach more people with your brand by creating more opportunities for touchpoints with potential clients or customers.

From here, let’s jump into the three benefits of creating a logo family.

01 Versatility

One of the benefits of expanding out your visual brand into a full logo family is versatility. By creating sub marks that support your primary logo, you can begin to use your brand in places that weren’t easy before.

When considering variations for your logos, you should think about where they are most often used. Every brand is unique and the logo family should reflect that.

Example: Your current logo looks great on your business cards, but now you want to order custom pens and there is no way to fit your logo across one side without wrapping around to the other side. How in the world can it be done… unless you have a horizontal version of your logo! Poof, another member of your logo family that might be good for you to have on hand.

02 Accessibility

If you scale up your logo, does it still look good? What about when it is scaled down? Chances are your logo doesn’t do both and that is when sub marks and logomarks can come in handy.

This point is especially important for intricate logos with lot of little details or lines of text. Simplifying your logo when used on a smaller scale helps ensure everything remains legible. When your logo is easily recognizable across a range of sizes, you will build trust with clients and or customers.

Example: Right now your logo looks great on posters but the little details get lost when you scale it down for social media posts, digital ads, or that limited space on your product package. Having sub marks or logomarks to support your primary logo allows you to keep even the smallest of details “on brand.”

03 Memorability

Creating an expansive logo family increases memorability because they allow you to push your personality forward through your visual identity. Being able to increase opportunities to make your mark across various touchpoints throughout your business can also lead to more brand recognition.

If you can use your logo in it’s simplest form and people start to make that connection to your brand, that is a good sign!

Example: Think about Nike—when they first launched their brand to the world people did not know them for the famous Nike swoosh that people know them for today. Now they can include that logo mark on shoes, apparel, etc for an immediate connection to their brand.

Final Thoughts

Logo families are dependent on your main logo and brand identity
Every logo family isn't going to look the same, one business is going to have different logo variations than another
Not all brands need all types of logos; what works for one brand might not work for yours because you probably use your logos differently
Just as every logo should show a brand’s unique personality, your logo family should do the same
Your logo family should support your main logo

Were the analogies helpful? We want to create content that helps you grow your business, let us know what else you'd like to know about branding. Please reach out if there is more you'd like to know, or share with a friend if you found this helpful.

How do I know when it’s time to rebrand?

Tue, 09 Apr 2024 18:34:35 GMT

10 signs you need to rebrand and a few red flags to consider before you do.

This post was inspired by conversations and reflections with my dear friend Angela from Angela Ellison Creative who went through a major rebrand at the start of the year. Her rebrand was one of my favorite branding projects to date—we both are in love with how her visual identity turned out and, as her designer, I could not be more proud of how well she is integrating her refreshed visual identity!

Intro:

rebrand: to change or update the brand or branding of (a product, service, etc.)
according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition

I could go on and on about the intricacies of branding, visual identities, and logo families, but wanted to keep things simple (for now). Be on the lookout for future brand design resources.

10 signs you need to rebrand (and a few extra)

Your brand isn’t feeling aligned with your audience.
You don’t feel confident using your visual brand.
You feel embarrassed to show your logo with the world.
You dread creating content because you struggle creating posts that are “on brand.”
You're rethinking your business goals and need to realign your brand with your new mission.
Renaming your business (this is a perfect time to rebrand).
Your business has outgrown your current logo / brand assets.
You worry your competition looks better than you.
Your brand personality isn’t shining through.
Your brand looks like everyone else (if you’re not standing out, you’re blending in).
You’ve been using your old business logo and have changed gears entirely.
You’re customer demographic is shifting and you need a new look that attracts your audience.
You’re uninspired by your logo, making you drag your feet on launching new products or services.

If you did not relate to most of these, but you still feel like you need to refine a few things—you might want to consider a brand refresh instead of jumping into a full rebrand. These notes might pertain more to your situation:

Something has always been missing in your current logo
You feel like your logo needs to be modernized
Your logo is complex and you want it simplified for more versatility

Side Note: remember that branding is all about consistency—I’d advise against changing your brand assets too often. You want your audience / customers to be able to remember your brand and changing all the time can hinder your brand recognition and credibility.

How to know if you need a brand refresh instead

You're not ready for a full rebrand (want to test the new name / messaging before committing) .
Don’t have the budget for a full rebrand.
You have an extensive brand guide along with a full logo family, but need to spruce them up.
You love your current logo but it isn’t scalable or versatile (not easy to use across all your brand touch points) .
In this case you can work with a designer to expand out your brand assets (this is what I did at the end of last year for Simple Sundries, a low-waste shop here in Portland).
Mandy loved the overall look and feel of her logo but always dreamed of adding some bubbles by the bird’s beak. I helped her expand her brand assets and maintain consistency throughout her visual brand by creating a style guide reference sheet.

Proceed with caution when you notice these red flags

You are well established in the market and your customers know exactly what to look for when searching for your product on the shelves.
If your audience know and love your look, but you're unsure yourself—consider a refresh instead.
You’ve been around for a long time and people know and trust your brand.
You’re eyeing the latest design trends and want your brand to jump on the bandwagon—if you look like everyone else, your personality won’t shine through!

Side Note: if you want to read about a disastrous rebrand, look up the Tropicana rebrand. A couple of successful ones from the last few years are the Pepsi and Burger King rebrands (many non-designers noticed these too).

Final Thoughts

Knowing when to rebrand is a difficult decision, don't rush yourself and give yourself time for thoughtful consideration. When you have an established audience you can also ask them if your visual brand resonates. Does the heart on your sleeve match the core essence of your brand? If you're struggling to determine if now is the right time for your rebrand after reading this post—set up a connection chat, let's talk through it together.

Did this confirm that you're ready for a change? and need some support along the way to create a brand that looks and feels like you—I'd love to join you on your journey, fill out a contact form to get your brand transformation started today!

Running a business—hard truths and lessons learned

Sat, 24 Feb 2024 08:22:09 GMT

Honest truths

Building a business takes a lot of work and it’s easy to neglect other aspects of my life when I get hyper-fixated on tracking all the moving parts of the business. There is sooo much to learn! Between keeping up with advancing technologies, best accessibility practices, ethical marketing, social media, SEO, content strategies, business regulations, etc. I find it hard to make time to recharge. Some days life forces you to take that step back—you need days off to let your soul rest and recover. Just like a normal 9-5 you’ve got to give yourself sick days and vacation time, trust me, it’s easy to forget when everything is rolling along.

People might claim to have the quick solution, an easier path to reach your goals, but the truth is it isn’t likely to be happen overnight. It takes time to establish a business, standards and processes that work for you. What works for someone else might not work for you, people are all unique and (in my opinion) their businesses should run differently too.

More of my truths… it’s not always pretty

Sometimes those closest to you aren’t going to be as excited as you. Sometimes you will feel alone. Sometimes you will be scared of what is next. Will you find another project or client? Will you be able to create a sustainable business? Can you do it? Some days I’ve felt like giving up.

To tell you the truth, there are a lot of hard days.

Days when I feel I’m not doing enough.

Days when I feel like I’m failing.

Days when I feel like I made the wrong choice.

Days when I think about student loans and the debt that needs repaid.

Days when clients screw you over or disrespect your time and energy.

Days when I look at my to dos and become overwhelmed.

Days when life throws you something that you didn’t see coming

and it smacks you in the face.

Despite the hard days, I’ve found that running my own business has been rewarding.

I get to do what I love to support the dreams of others.

I get to have full control over my career.

I get to build true relationships with the people I design for.

I get to set my own foundation for success.

I get to use my design skills to create brands for truly inspiring people.

I get to work with people with similar values.

I get to support others working towards a brighter tomorrow.

There are plenty of surprises, but no unexpected layoffs that catch you off guard.

I’m not saying that starting a business is for everyone—no not at all.

But if you feel you must, I say do the research, call on your biggest supporters and take the leap!

Starting a business was never the easy path but I always felt the pull to set out on my own. The timeline was not one that I expected or planned on but when life gives you a swift kick in the right direction, I couldn’t choose another route.

Lessons learned

What helps me make it through is making time to do things that I love.

Going outside to breathe in fresh air.

Walking through nature to observe this beautiful world.

Spending time with loved ones.

Eating ice cream, lots of ice cream!

Talking with friends, especially fellow business owners and freelance designers (shoutout Angela and Malia—you’re the best!). I’ve found that discussing my fears and latest challenges with others helps remind me that I’m not alone.

Along the way I’ve learned a few lessons to help me find a better balance between the things that must be done and the things I want to do. In no particular order (dependent on who you are and what you struggle with), here they are:

Set better boundaries (with clients and with yourself)
Be clear about your time and energies to avoid burnout
Be very clear on project scope, so you have clear rules on when to push back
Set rules for yourself to separate work time and you time (something I’ve done recently that helps bring me peace)
It’s okay to say “no” (I’m still working on this myself)
Passing on projects leaves room for new ones that might be a better fit
When I first started out, I said yes to everything and there were days I regretted that—sometimes you just aren’t the right fit
Lean into your biggest supporters (I’ve always been someone who solves my own problems, never wanting to trouble anyone else while seeking help)
Confide in your loved ones
Talk to other business owners for thoughts / advice
Have a contract and get it signed before starting work (Thankfully I figured this out pretty early on but it’s worth mentioning)
They help protect you, your business, and your client
Listen to your gut and trust your instincts
There are lots of scammers targeting young business owners, if something feels off—don’t engage
If a client doesn’t feel like a good fit, walk away
You know if something isn’t quite right, trust that inner voice
Adapt and grow as you go
Refine systems and processes
Add new clauses and details to your contracts
Structure your day in a way that leaves room for everything you want to do
Block out the noise
Step away from the socials if and when you need to
There are a lot of people out there claiming to be the expert but what works for them might not work for you
Read and research all you want, but take only what feels right for you
Make time for yourself and your business
Just as you should separate business and personal money, you should separate business and personal time—yes I’ve learned this the hard way
My personal time is filled with bowls of ice cream, walks with Finn (our sweet pup), strolls through nature, trying new food spots with my husband and getting cozy with a book on the couch

I’m not sharing these as the coach or consultant sharing advice, but as a friend listing what I’ve learned along my own business journey. Everyone learns at their own pace but I’ve found that many of us have similar lessons to learn. I’m sure I’ve missed a few, perhaps I’ll continue adding as I learn and grow myself.

To all the entrepreneurs, inventors and innovators of the world:

Keep pursuing your dreams.

Listen to your heart.

Fight for a better wo rld for all.

Pursue what others deem impossible.

Acknowledge your greatness.

Learn and grow as you go.

And enjoy the journey for all its worth, it’s not one that everyone gets to live.

How to find the right printer

Wed, 22 Nov 2023 19:34:35 GMT

Something I get asked a lot by clients is “how to find a printer?”
This is my guide to help you find the right one for you.

Finding the right printer is no small feat, but there are just a few things to consider to help you sort through your options. I’ll break them down one by one to help you think more deeply to feel confident in your printer selections.

Quick overview:

1. What do you need printed?
2. Your Budget
3. Quality
4. Deadline
5. Aligned values?

Please note that these are not in order of importance, all these variables impact one another and all play a role in helping you make the best decision for you. After reading through these guidelines, take a step back and narrow down the top two or three that you want to prioritize to help you make a final decision when searching for your next print partner.

1. What do you need printed?

Printers can help you create all sorts of marketing and promotional materials, so you can start by considering the variety of products that you might need (both now and in the future). Some examples include: wide format, custom packaging, apparel, stickers, postcards, stationary, etc.

In an ideal world, you find a great printer who offers all of these services, so you can keep working with them instead of having to do additional research every time you need to print something new. However, you’d be hard pressed to find a printer who does everything at the same level of expertise. If they are known for creating best-in-class posters, they can’t necessarily create the best embossed hat.

On another note, printers don’t offer all the same products, so you have to dive in to see what they can and cannot help you with.

ProTip: Do all your research at once and take notes about your top picks for different products that you would like to order in the future. Planning ahead can save you time and money.

2. What is your budget?

Just like any decision nowadays, you need to consider your budget and the price of the print services. If you don’t have one, you should probably start thinking about one for each print project as printing costs play a large role in the end costs for marketing and promotional materials. Don’t be afraid to crunch some numbers to see what is the best decision for you.

Anymore you can’t assume one place will be cheaper than another. Printers like Vistaprint who were known to be cheap have grown in popularity, so I’ve seen their prices rise to accommodate demand over the last few years. I think part of this is due to brand recognition as well, as they pushed hard to market themselves and now everyone seems to know who they are—yay for the power of branding and marketing.

Look at several options and compare the per piece prices (at the same quantities) to get the best idea of what a project will cost to print.

Maybe you spend a bit more and get something with special finishes to help you stand out from the crowd? Or maybe things are tight and you need to sacrifice print quality and put more time into the design to create more impact?

ProTip: Ask your printer where the price breaks are if you are shopping in store. If you’re searching online, you can see these by looking at the quantities and per piece price (this might not be listed, but you can find this by taking the total cost and dividing it by the number being printed).

This might help you decide how many to order if you don’t have a number in mind already. Price breaks happen when the per unit cost goes down as you order more.

3. What quality are you searching for?

This might be impacted by your answers to the last section. If you’re working with a smaller budget, you might not be able to get the highest quality prints. Lucky for you, there is a huge range of printers with varying qualities, so you still have lots of great options to work with.

What quality of paper do you want? Do you want any special finishes (foil stamping, spot UV, die cutting, embossing, debossing etc.)? Does the printer have good reviews or can you go in to view samples before you print?

Bonus Tip: If a printer does not set you up for success by providing print specifications anywhere on their website, it’s really hard to know what kind of quality will result. Print specifications act as a guide and tell you exactly what they need from you in your artwork to create the best possible outcome. If they are not thinking about all the little details, you might consider looking elsewhere.

4. What is your deadline?

Deadline is a big factor when selecting who you can print with. If you need something tomorrow and an online printer has a 3-5 day production time with a minimum of two day delivery, you are not going to be able to work with them.

This is especially important for printed products that are tied to specific events. Perhaps you are an illustrator and need some new art prints to sell at your upcoming market, or you might be a business owner printing fliers for your next workshop. You need to factor in production and shipping time to determine when you need to get final artwork to the printer, unless you want to pay a rush fee.

ProTip: Use these details to determine an artwork deadline for your designers (or yourself) and add at least a few days buffer from the delivery date for the unexpected. If you are designing yourself, check the printer’s website or ask for print their specifications, so you can ensure they can begin printing with no issues.

5. What are your core values, do they align?

When looking at all the printing options for your business, you should think about your business values. If you are a mission driven non-profit that focusses on beach clean-ups, you should probably work with a printer who doesn’t use plastic in their packaging materials and print services. See where I’m going with this one?

"86% of younger consumers (18-44) are willing to pay more for products in sustainable packaging.”
2022 Global Buying Green Report by Trivium Packaging (full report here)

I wanted to include this as a reminder to look at the values that help drive your business forward and make a decision that aligns with who you are at the core. Is the printer paying their employees fair wages? Are they working in safe conditions? Do they care about their environmental impact? Do they use plastic packaging?

The list of questions could go on and on and is dependent on your values, so take some time to reflect before moving forward. These answers could also help you make a final decision when considering your top two or three selections.

ProTip: Check out their website and see if they list their business values anywhere (About page is a good place to start), do some of them align with your own?

Benefits of printing locally

Whenever I get asked about printing options, I always start by explaining the benefits of working with a local print partner:

They may allow you to print smaller quantities (sometimes have no or low minimums)
No shipping costs, as you can pick up in person (also lowers carbon emissions from transportation)
Sometimes you can get it within 24-48hrs
If they can’t print what you need, they might be able to direct you to someone else who can or they might be able to outsource.
Less packaging waste!
Support your community and fellow business owner

Perhaps the biggest benefit is that the people who work there can give you recommendations on paper stocks and answer any questions that you have before working together.

I might be a little biased since I used to work at a small print shop, but forming a good working relationship with your printer makes printing more enjoyable for all involved.

Final Thoughts

I encourage you to start thinking of your printer like a business partner, they can provide valuable insight into the printing process and can help guide you to create better products for your business as you grow. If you find one that communicates well and does great quality work that also fits your budget, hang onto them for as long as you can.

If you have more questions about print or packaging, don't hesitate to send me an email or schedule a connection chat—I'd love to point you to some of my favorite resources and point you in the right direction.