Grab your sunscreen, it’s all about Hot Brand Summer this year! ☀️ Along the same lines as “Hot Girl Summer” this is really just an attitude of confidence around how your brand looks and feels. Investing in a “hot” brand means you’ve intentionally elevated your business’s visual identity to attract attention from the right people and land more leads and sales! When your brand’s visual identity looks great, stands out, and can hold its own in the market, you can take time off knowing the leads will still keep coming in. It’s like having a salesperson working for you 24/7 while you have fun in the sun — or the shade with 100SPF slathered all over yourself, like me. 😎 Is Your Brand Hot Enough? I put together a quick checklist to help you determine whether your brand is summer-ready or needs a brand identity refresh so you can head into the summer feeling your most confident. Check all of the statements that feel true for your brand and total the checks at the end: Distinctive Logo Your logo should be distinctive and encapsulate your brand's essence while remaining impactful across various mediums and sizes. ▢ Does your logo stand out and convey the essence of your brand? ▢ Do you have a secondary logo and submark for cohesive branding? Cohesive Colors Your brand should contain colors that evoke the right emotions and create a cohesive and memorable identity that resonates with your audience. ▢ Do your brand colors evoke the right emotions and associations? ▢ Are your brand colors consistent across all platforms and materials? Branded Fonts Your brand should utilize professional fonts that reinforce your brand's personality. You should have several legible fonts that pair well together and can be used for different purposes. ▢ Do your chosen fonts complement your brand's personality and message? ▢ Are your fonts legible and suitable for both print and digital use? Consistent Brand Experience Your brand should be consistent everywhere (website, social media, packaging, promotional materials). You should have brand guidelines that help you create consistent visual assets. ▢ Does your brand create a memorable and consistent experience for customers? ▢ Do you have brand guidelines that allow you to make new assets easily? What’s Your Total Score? Add up your checkmarks from the assessment above and let’s see how “hot” your brand is! 7-8 Yay! Your brand is looking hot and ready for summer. It’s clear you put a lot of thought into your visual identity and your brand is working hard for you now! 5-6 There are a few things you could do to elevate your brand and optimize it for the right audience. If you’d like to chat through ideas, I’d love to connect with you! 0-4 Don’t worry, I got you! There are two ways you can work with me to get your brand summer-ready so you can take some much-needed time off:
If you could take more time off from your business this summer without sacrificing sales, what would you do? What’s on your warm weather bucket list? Let me know in the comments!
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Lennon finished 5th grade and we celebrated with a quick trip to San Francisco (I would call it a vacation but if you’ve ever traveled with a kid, you know it’s not quite a vacation). 😅 The next best thing to creating memories together is being able to disconnect from my work and know that everything is going to be ok. I can do this because I've intentionally set up my business that way. When your branding is dialed in, it will work for you even when you're not working! The way your business looks is a powerful thing. It attracts people. It signals who you are and what you're all about. And when people love your brand, they talk about it and share it. 🤗 That's huge for a small business! The Brand Design DIY Lab is my new program for small business owners and entrepreneurs. In just three weeks, I will teach you how to use Canva to create a full brand identity — including logos, fonts, colors, brand guidelines, and more! With a new brand identity in place, you can take some much-deserved time off this summer, knowing your brand is working behind the scenes for you. 😎 Here's How The Brand Design DIY Lab Works:
👉🏼 First, I will give you access to a fun brand workbook and video lessons that will teach you the basics of brand design so you feel ready to dive into the design process! 👉🏼 Next, you'll learn my 3-step design process to confidently create your own brand identity. You'll be designing logos, brand guidelines, social media templates, and more! 👉🏼 Once you're done with your designs, you can upgrade to the VIP option where I'll send you a private feedback video to help you take your designs even further! If you have questions about The Brand Design DIY Lab, just comment below or shoot me an email at [email protected]. I hope you'll consider joining me in the lab! merakaizen turns in-house creative departments into high-performing, impactful teams that are huge company assets. Once your brand identity is solidified with a distinctive logo, versatile variations, cohesive color palette, and thoughtfully chosen fonts and patterns, the next crucial step is implementation. This means seamlessly integrating these elements across all your marketing materials to create a consistent and memorable brand presence. Clients often ask me what software I recommend if they want to do the implementation themselves or within their team. I highly recommend Adobe Express. Adobe Express is a robust tool designed to elevate your branding strategy, offering a wealth of features that extend far beyond traditional design elements. Here we explore several strategic ways to utilize Adobe Express to enhance your branding efforts, ensuring your brand resonates effectively with its audience across various channels.
By maintaining uniformity across all platforms, you reinforce your brand’s image, build trust with your audience, and create a cohesive experience that distinguishes you in the marketplace. For businesses aiming to thrive in today’s competitive environment, investing in professional branding is not just beneficial—it is essential for long-term success. Ready to transform your brand into something unforgettable? In partnership with Adobe
I have a confession. For the longest time, I thought it was impossible to be a present mother and a successful entrepreneur at the same time. I thought this because I was following all of these successful women in business who were not mothers. So it just seemed like a “one or the other” situation to me! I didn’t want to give up my dreams of being an entrepreneur and I obviously wasn’t going to give up being a mom, so I knew I had to find some new women to follow… women who represented the things I wanted in my life. It matters who you follow, and this was a good lesson for me! During the month of May, aka Mother’s Day month (yes, we get a whole month… I just decided), I think it’s important that we remember that we don’t have to play small just because we are a parent. We can have the same audacious goals as anyone else! I was on the phone with my twin sister the other day, and we were talking about how exhausted we are with all the end-of-year school activities, extracurriculars, and everything else. In fact, I know I’m doing too much because I lost my cool at Krispy Kreme when they wouldn’t take my free doughnut coupon. 🙈 Not my proudest moment! But then the next day, I feel like I redeemed myself. Lennon and I had planned to get barbecue takeout for dinner. But he had a rough day dealing with some 11-year-old problems, and what he really wanted was his favorite comfort food — pizza. So I said, “Why don’t we get both?” He was SO surprised. He asked me if I was sure because he knew it would be more expensive. I told him I was sure and then he said, “Well, you can do that because you’re a millionaire.” 😆 I told him no, I’m not a millionaire (yet), but I could see he was struggling and I wanted him to have what he wanted. 💕 Then he said the absolute sweetest thing in the entire world. He said: “You might not be a millionaire, but you’re doing great as a single mom.” I don’t know what being a millionaire feels like, but I felt like a million bucks at that moment! 🥰 Sometimes that is all we need; to be seen. We make so many sacrifices. We are taxi drivers, career women, cheerleaders, and hundreds of other things, all at the same time. Sometimes it feels powerful and like a blessing. And sometimes we lose our cool at a doughnut shop. If you’re a parent, I just want you to know that I see you, and if no one has told you lately, you are doing so much. 🫶🏼 You are doing an amazing job! |
AUTHOR
Karla is an award-winning designer, branding expert and mentor. She has designed for brands including BRIT+CO, Discovery, HGTV, Food Network, Facebook, Kellanova and more. Her specialty is helping elevate brands through well-crafted brand and web design. ARCHIVES
June 2024
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