Your resident Showit brand and web designer. I've helped dozens of creatives stand out online and create a sustainable digital presence.
Creating a new brand and website is always a huge undertaking. But tackling a rebrand as a designer who already has a massive amount of web pages, services and marketing channels? That’s a whole ‘nother animal!
Early in 2024, I started to feel unaligned with my current branding. Like many service providers, it’s easy to skip out on the strategy and intentionality you would put into working on a client project. This was the case with my current branding. It was “ok” but lacked much clear direction or personality. It was essentially created because I “needed” a brand, but it no longer represented the multiple facets to my business, core values or the unique value proposition I bring as a designer and marketing strategist.
I knew it was time for a change, so I dove in headfirst – and I’m SO glad I did!
I’m a firm believer that the very essence of any visual brand starts with words on a page. What feelings do you want your brand to portray? What kind of client are you wanting to attract? What are your values as an individual and business?
These are all things I worked through, and I took myself through the questionnaires and prep work I take my clients through – establishing brand values and setting clear objectives. Val Casola helped me with an amazing Brand Messaging Guide that helped me create clear guidelines for how my target audience was and how I was uniquely positioned to help them.
The next step was curating a Pinterest board based on my brand messaging work. This might be one of my favorite steps in the branding process to this day (no surprise as a Pinterest marketing girlie!). Once I was happy with the Pinterest board, I created a mood board with images and colors that represented those visuals.
Having brand photos that align with the look and feel of your brand is soooo essential to your overall brand consistency. If you’ve never done a brand photoshoot, THIS IS YOUR SIGN to book one. Maggie of Maggie Exum Creative did an INCREDIBLE job on my brand photos! I sent her my brand mood board and inspiration and she nailed the warm, fun and playful vibe I was going for.
The branding really culminates with the logos and brand assets. I wanted the brand to be classic and timeless with a touch of fun and whimsy. Each logo features smooth, clean lines along with some botanical elements in my submark. I chose The Picnic Club as my title font and it gave off just the right vibe, paired with the classic Courier New here and there for a vintage touch, and Hillmont as my fun cursive script.
Once my brand assets were defined, it was time to move on to the website. This was the most time-consuming step in the process by far, ad I have TONS of pages floating around that needed to be updated. I’m a firm believer that great web design starts with great copywriting. My dear biz friend Val Casola once again crafted stellar website copy that reflected my brand voice and helped me clearly communicate the transformation I provide to my clients. If you’re on the fence about investing in professional copywriting before a website, know that your both your future clients and web designer will thank you if you do. The former will be more clearer on how transformational your offer is and running to inquire. The latter will be able to create a much more aligned and stellar website that’s built off well-structured copy.
Another big project that made this project take longer than I realized was alllll the areas I had to rebrand as a result. My Instagram, Pinterest, Email Newsletters, Lead Magnets and Checkouts all needed to be updated with the new branding. This was a process, but updating my brand kit in Canva helped tremendously!
Finally launching my new brand has been a little more gradual than I would like, but sometimes you just need to push that big old launch button a touch before you’re ready or you NEVER will! I’m still working through updating my shop, portfolio and a few other assets, but I’m SO happy to have a new brand that’s 100% aligned with where my business is at now.
Interested in rebranding or launching a more conversion-focused, aligned website? I’d love to help! Check out my brand and web design services and inquire here to get on my calendar!
Each week I share design and marketing tips, a roundup of my favorite resources, and an inside look at entrepreneurship the slow way.
Vineyard creative co is a brand, web design and marketing agency serving creative service providers. Based in Cincinnati Ohio, serving clients worldwide.
weekly sustainable marketing tips, trends and heart-to-hearts from one creative to another