Thoughtful Branding Services
Clients usually connect with me at one of two stages in their small business or nonprofit organization's trajectory: the start up phase or rebranding. I think both are pretty dreamy. Building a strong brand foundation (brand roots!) for confidence, growth and consistency is so important for your internal and external brand image! What does that mean?! In short, we build really valuable, tangible, accessible resources and tools together that make your digital marketing life easier. Hooray for that!
Why is branding important?
Every small business should have the basic tools, files and information they need to present themselves professionally and authentically to the public and to their staff. Those tools, i.e. your logo, website, colors and key wording should SING with consistency and alignment with your mission and your WHY. Further, you should have full control over your digital assets (website, hosting, domain). In the long run, this saves so much time, money, and helps you to better connect with your audience, team members, and overall trajectory. I'm prepared to help, and, dare I say, make it fun.
Let's Build your Brand Roots...
My primary scope / focus is on the essentials of new or refreshed brand foundation development. The Brand Roots scope covers discovery & brand assessment, logo design, brand/style guide, and website design and development. I also dig process improvement i.e. taking time consuming paper related / inefficient internal tasks into the now with different apps and digital solutions. I swim in that organizational sea all day so, I can usually find the tool for the thing you wish took less time to complete in your business / organization.
The ways we grow:
1. Logo Design
Having a logo package (different file variations, options) you love is a key component of your brand image. You should have high resolution files and variations at your fingertips. If you don't, let's chat. I'm oh so happy to start from scratch or simply refresh and vectorize an existing visual identity. This design process includes collaborative brainstorms, concept review, edits, and a full export of logo variations and file types, all neatly organized and labeled for future use on the web, social, swag and more. Just say no to grainy low res logo files!
2. Brand & Style Guides
Clients rave about these puppies. A Brand Guide defines and details your visual identity, along with detailing style guidelines to prepare your team for consistent and accessible external communications. Contents: custom color palette, typography pairings, logo variations, and product mockups. I offer a full (5-9 page) and abridged (one sheet) version. It's something you'll save to your desktop, bookmark, post on your office wall, etc. and refer to often. Brand Guides take the guesswork out of what font/color/logo to use and where to use it!
3. Website Design & Development
Maybe you already have a website but you're not thrilled with, or perhaps you're just starting out. Either way, I want to hear about it. My mission is two-fold: create a beautifully designed presentation of your brand roots, AND establish a system for maintenance post-launch that works for your goals. I can teach you how to edit your site yourself, or continue to support you when needed. Everyone is different. I'm fluent in Wordpress, Squarespace, Wix, Square, Toast, and so much more...
4. Layout & Graphic Design
I can take any Google Doc. or Microsoft Word list of items/ideas/content and transform it into a beautiful, purposeful, on-brand layout you're proud to call yours. We call this in the biz (what?!), brand collateral. Sounds fancy, but simply put, thoughtfully designed print and digital designs are essential to drive sales, donations and overall brand loyalty. Items I love making include: menus, posters, postcards, business cards, campaign mailers, letterhead, stickers, instructional booklets, etc. ahhhh consistency!
Let's Chat / Have Coffee / Create Things
Would you like to work together on building your brand foundation or just say Hi? Reach out!
Design Project Highlights
Take a look at some brand foundations I've made for clients lately. Feel free to reach out if you'd like to see any other types of work samples from me. Side note, I adore layout design: posters, postcards, booklets, fundraising collateral and more. I'm here for it.
