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People are pretty curious about the various tools I use as a professional designer, and today I want to talk about the most underrated tool I use ALL the time: Pinterest. Are you surprised? Aside from Affinity Designer, which is my go-to design program, Pinterest is probably the tool I use most often when I’m working on projects for clients. It is just so easy to use when it comes to swapping ideas and inspiration, because everyone basically already knows how to use it. Whenever I get a new client project, I will set up a new board on my Pinterest account and invite the client to be a contributor. Then, we can both add images to the board that we think align with the vision for the project. We can leave notes on the pins to communicate and collaborate and I can really get a sense of what they’re envisioning for their project and similarly, they can see my thought process well before I hand over a design draft. I thought it would be fun to share some screenshots of some of my past projects, along with the Pinterest boards that accompanied them so you can see how I pulled inspiration from them!    As you can see, Pinterest is NOT just for recipes and wedding planning! I think it’s pretty cool that you get to see the progression from idea to final product, and I know my clients like to participate in the ideation process, especially when they get to use a platform they already know and feel comfortable using.
If you’re a designer, do you also use Pinterest like this? Or do you have a different approach for sharing ideas with your clients? I would love to hear what you do and how well it works for you!
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I have to say, I fall in love with all my big branding projects, but the work I did for Kris from Marble City Ballroom is definitely near the top of my “most fun projects ever” list. When you spend months working with a client on their brand identity and website, you think about it all day long. Sometimes you even dream about it. So, I always make sure that I connect emotionally with the person and the story behind the brand before I say “yes” to working together. If it’s going to be such a big part of my life, I want to love it! When Kris first reached out to me, he already knew exactly what he wanted. He had spoken to several local branding agencies, and just didn’t feel like they were taking the time to listen to him and get to know him as a business owner. Even though I consider myself to be an introvert, I really love getting to know my clients on a personal level and learning more about their passions! Kris was so fascinating to talk to, and I could really feel how much he loved teaching people how to dance. The first step was to chat about what his goals were for the brand and his vision. I have a simple questionnaire that I have clients fill out, and then we hop on a call to discuss it further. He really liked the direction I suggested and he gave me the creative space to do my thing. This project consisted of a new brand identity and a website. I started with the brand identity because it’s so important to get the logo, colors, fonts, and style nailed down first before you even start working on the website or any other add-on materials. He loved the logo design I came up with for Marble City Ballroom. He was looking for a brand identity that was fun, romantic, and classy. So, I chose a modern script font that I felt incorporated all of those elements and also looked sophisticated since his target audience is split between newlyweds who want to learn some dances for their wedding day and adults who want to learn the art of dance and get a little more joy out of life. Here you can see the difference between the business card he was using before he hired me (left) and the new digital card I created for him (right):  Once he signed off on the new brand identity, it was time to get to work on the website! This isn’t something he originally planned on doing because he didn’t think it would be in his budget, but we were able to make it work by packaging it with the brand identity. I am so glad we went this route because the website is so stunning!  In addition to achieving the goals he wanted, this new brand identity and website has already brought in several new clients! When I initially chatted with him about working together, he said he really wanted his brand to look “better than the local competition” and I think he has definitely achieved that goal. He wrote the kindest testimonial, and I just wanted to share that with you here:
If you’re interested in talking about branding services, you can always reach out to me via my contact page or by emailing me directly at karla@karlapamanes.com!
If you’ve been following along with my recent Instagram posts, you know that I haven’t been going through the easiest time ever. Things are getting a little better now, but I was dealing with some burnout around the launch of my new course. Don’t get me wrong — I am so incredibly proud of it and the feedback I’ve received so far, but I really pushed myself to the limits trying to get it out into the world as quickly as possible. I worked WAY more than I like to. There were many late nights and weekend work sprints just to get this done before my own (arbitrary) deadline. After two weeks of doing that, I was feeling the impact. Admittedly, I was in a major funk.  To get myself out of it, I found myself repeating a little mantra that has always really helped me during tough times: “You’re not alone.” I don’t know about you, but I feel like there’s a lot of toxic positivity on the internet, especially on Instagram where I spent the most time. It can make you feel like if you’re struggling, you’re doing something wrong. But really, that’s just life; it happens to all of us. I want to help normalize both the ups and downs so no one feels alone in their struggles, even if they’re small ones! If you have a mantra that you use in these situations, please share it with me in the comments! I just think this is so helpful and I would love to hear what helps you! In addition to the course I launched in April, I also got a chance to work with some really amazing clients on their brand identities. I created a brand identity for a girl's clothing line, a realtor and an online community for tween and teen girls. Because these brands have not yet been released to the world, I thought of sharing with you the concepts that didn't make the cut.  I am so incredibly lucky to do this work, and yes, even though I get crazy busy sometimes, I am always so grateful for this life. 🙏🏼 I just have to remember to take it easy, give myself some grace, and maybe extend my own due dates *just* a little so I don’t have to burn myself out. 😊 Let me tell you… something magical happens when you meet your virtual friends and mentors in real life! I was so fortunate to be able to attend the two-day Free Mama Live conference in Kansas. This event is put on by Lauren Golden, a woman who has been so instrumental in helping me set up and run my virtual business. During the conference, I was invited onstage to share my journey and naturally, I was terrified out of my mind. Your girl Karla is NOT a public speaker, but you know what? I didn’t talk myself out of it. I channeled all the bravery in my body and I got up on that stage and shared my story. There were tears, but that didn’t stop me. It was SUCH an amazing experience and I had people coming up to me afterwards to tell me how much my words resonated with them. Over the long weekend, the speakers that Lauren invited to the event spent a lot of time talking about just “doing the thing” — even if it feels scary. That was a message I really needed to hear when I was first starting out, and turns out, I still need to hear it today.
As soon as I got home, I started working on my next course to help current and aspiring brand designers. This new mini-course teaches designers how to build a foundation for their business so they can get booked solid with clients they love.  My new course is called “Book Yourself Solid® System: Foundations” and it’s designed to teach designers how to build a foundation for their business that will help them book themselves solid with clients they love! Rather than saying “yes” to every little project that comes their way (which is something I totally did… for years), they will be able to work more strategically and charge more for their services because they’re attracting their ideal clients. I am SO excited that this is out in the world, finally. I am so proud of myself that I did something I was kind of afraid to do. And of course, now that it’s done, I’m wondering what I was so nervous about. But, that’s the way it goes sometimes. You have to go through the unpleasant feelings and get on the other side of them before you can look back and reflect on it. I would love to know what you’re excited about right now! Comment below and let me know, and if I can help at all — even if it’s just to offer encouragement — I would certainly love to do so!
I was recently chatting with someone who went through my Brand Design Love Academy course and she (gently) challenged me to talk more about me and my story.
This isn’t always the easiest thing for me as someone who is a little more introverted. But, she was absolutely right to push me on it because as humans, we want to connect with other humans, and that means being more vulnerable and open! I know when someone shares something personal with me, I feel an instant connection with them. That’s so important. It’s Not All Sunshine and Rainbows First off, let me just say that the story about how I ended up running a profitable design business is a pretty humbling one. Still, I know it’s important to share with you because I think there’s too many stories from entrepreneurs out there that paint the path to success as a fairy tale. They’re leaving out all of the growing pains and the hard lessons and really only talking about their successes. This isn’t helpful for other people who are a little bit further behind them on the path. It sets them up for disappointment when their story doesn’t end up going the same way. Starting a business, no matter what, comes with ups and downs. Many ups and downs. So, needless to say, my story is NOT a fairy tale. It wasn’t always easy but you know what? That’s okay. It has led to some really great things and I have grown so much as a person and a designer since I started out all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. The Phone Call That Changed Everything The story of my life as an entrepreneur all started with a phone call telling me that I was being laid off from my design agency job. This kind of call is crushing for anyone, but it felt especially crushing because it was the second time I had been laid off in two years. Talk about a humbling moment. I’m not going to lie: this phone call really made me doubt myself and my skills. Who gets laid off twice? Maybe I just wasn’t good enough. Not to mention, I was feeling so much panic after losing what felt like a stable career while living through a global pandemic and everything felt uncertain. Not a great time, to say the least. I had to figure out what to do, for myself and my family. I could jump back into a full-time role or I could finally decide to dive into the deep end of my dream to have my own design business. Both options seemed scary at this point. Was there really such a thing as a stable job? Could I really make it on my own? Both paths filled me with doubt, to be honest. It was hard to ignore the little voice in the back of my head telling me to share everything I have learned about brand design. My dad was a teacher, and after he passed away in the fall of 2020, several of his students shared how he had touched their lives. I was so inspired by his legacy and impact and I felt a renewed sense of urgency about following in his path. So, I did it, I went full force with my business. Don’t get me wrong: I was terrified. But I have zero regrets about my decision. Of course, there are days where I feel overwhelmed. In fact, when I launched my course early this year, I had a lot of “fraudy feelings” that made me doubt practically everything (you can read about that here). But even with all that, I am SO glad I chose this option rather than going back to a full-time job at another agency. I feel grateful that my future is in my hands and no one else’s. And if you’ve been thinking about starting a business, let me just say: it’s worth it. It’s hard for me sometimes to get super personal like this, but I believe it is SO important to connect with people, even if it’s “just” online. So, I would love to get to know more about you! Come follow me on Instagram and introduce yourself to me! |
