Daybook 05
Welcome to the Daybook, an exclusive, almost monthly editorial of my journal notes turned newsletter.
Grab your favorite bevvy and settle in (I’m still hyper fixating on my homemade, iced, brown sugar latte)
DAYBOOK ENTRY 05 [7 min read, this one’s a little longer than usual]
Filed under: Holistic Branding
I did a lot of social media and marketing work before I really got into branding. Through this experience, I noticed a common trend among my various clients, this is how it went:
Client needs social media graphics → they need a lot of it → they need it yesterday.
→ Client has a single logo (that won’t fit anywhere) and they don’t have brand photos, guidelines, and don’t even get me started on the foundational strategy.
→ There’s no awareness, no mission, no values, no goals behind their brand.
→ There’s not even any back-end processes for things such as order fulfillment, handling issues with orders, communicating with clients, managing the buying process, etc.
→ And because of that, their sales were random because their customers could literally see through it; they felt the disconnect!
→ Consequently, brand growth is stagnant because there’s no engagement with the brand (through actual sales or online)!
Needless to say, this pattern made my job quite challenging because I had very little to work with. Without any sense of foundation, I struggled to create content and market effectively. The lack of a solid brand story and messaging meant that my efforts often fell flat, regardless of what strategies I tried to implement.
On top of that, without essential visual elements like functional logos, color palettes, or imagery, creating content felt literally impossible.
So, I learned over time through these experiences that to have a strong, thriving brand, it’s essential to start with a foundation… this is how I got into branding in the first place.
I began creating logo suites and brand identities in response to the need for diverse logos that would actually function in today’s various touch points and marketing spaces. But I ran into a problem.
While my artistic passions drove me to designing logos all day for my clients, I couldn’t stop there: I realized that I needed a reason to design those logos, a purpose.
I learned that I needed to go deeper with helping my clients define the purpose for every aspect of their business. I realized that goals, values, mission, brand promise mattered — and they mattered A LOT.
I learned that not everyone can see it either, so I started doing more consulting throughout my projects, letting my clients brainstorm with me so that they can learn to see it too.
Now, I believe that the logos that I love oh-so-much to design are the cherry on top… The logo by itself cannot strengthen the brand alone because it doesn’t tell the story, create connection, illustrate values, or showcase expertise.
This is why I currently focus first on building a framework for purposeful decision-making in your brand before I give any design or creative solutions.
Though as an artist at heart who just wants to give you pretty lil graphics, I can’t unsee the big-picture and I am committed to investing and expanding my knowledge, tweaking my own project processes and back-end business foundations to better support the growth of your business.
For June and July branding start dates, I’m including a monthly consulting call for three months post-launch to ensure seamless implementation and help you build up your brand world.
If you’re the face of your creative business and are looking to polish your brand image this summer, click here to inquire!
PROJECT START DATES
Brand and web:
June 17
July 8
July 22
VIP Day:
June 20
July 11
July 25
INSPIRATION
I’m loving:
The Facebook Marketplace, Mid-Century, wood furniture hunt. It’s literally becoming a hobby. But I’m searching for the perfect media console/TV stand!
Outdoor walks. Okay I’m always loving outdoor walks but for some reason I’ve been on a kick about being serious about my walks lately! It’s so good for my menty health but I also just love being outside as much as possible during the summer. If anyone has any good strategies for getting 10k steps in a day, DM me because I can’t seem to get the timing right during the day to get it all in – it’s a lot!
Mini home upgrades like organization, sheets, bath mats. Literally the smallest things can make such a huge difference, I’m always doing little home tweaks and I feel like it keeps my space fresh!
CREATIVE ENERGY
Ok hear me out…unmonetized hobbies…
A novel concept, right?
If you’re feeling burnt out, try doing a hobby for fun. With like zero goal or aim. And this is coming from a recovering productivity-obsessed artist who feels like she didn’t get anything done if she has nothing to show for :)
Currently learning that it’s okay to scrap the pottery, take out the stitches, re-read parts of books or articles I enjoy, delete the files, and scribble for nothing but pure fun and joy.
Join me! It does wonders for your creative energy.