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It's my birthday! 🥳🎂 Well, it's my birthday in the United States. But here in Australia, I've been 39 years old for about 24ish hours already! As my own “World’s Best Boss,” I get to enjoy some pretty amazing perks, but I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned taking a semi-spontaneous birthday trip to Australia. 🇦🇺🎉  Last year, I reflected on “38 Lessons in 38 Years” during my birthday month. This year, I’m focusing on something even closer to my heart—gratitude. There’s so much to be thankful for, and I want to share just a few things filling my heart right now:
💗 This business. I sometimes have to pinch myself that I get to design for a living. It’s been a long journey, and I don’t take a single moment of it for granted. 💗 My amazing clients. Your trust and collaboration mean the world to me, and you allow me to do the fulfilling work I love every day. 💗 YOU. Whether you’ve booked my services, attended a workshop, mentioned my name in a room of opportunities, or even just liked a post—you’ve been part of this journey, and your support means everything. 💗 My parents. They taught me that hard work pays off and always gave their best. My dad in heaven continues to guide me, while my mom here on earth is my unwavering cheerleader. 💗 This beautiful birthday experience. From cuddling koalas to feeding kangaroos and watching penguins waddle by, I’m soaking up every magical moment. None of this would be possible without the freedom my business has given me, and I’m so deeply grateful for it. But most of all, I’m grateful to share these moments with my son, Lennon. Showing him what’s possible when we believe in ourselves makes this experience even more special. How We Ended Up in AustraliaA little backstory... Lennon and I met Silvia and Kristen (aka the Traffic Ninjas) last year at a retreat in Mexico. When we found out they were from Australia, Lennon had two immediate questions: 🕷 “Are the spiders as terrifying as YouTube makes them seem?” ✈️ “Can we come visit you sometime?” Fast forward a few months (and a new award-winning brand identity for them later), and here we are! Tomorrow, we’ll be flying from Melbourne to Sydney to meet them, and they’ll be hosting us. 😊 Kristen and Silvia are incredible Shopify experts. I saw their magic firsthand in September at their first live event in Dallas. Their impact on Shopify business owners is inspiring, and I can't recommend their work enough. They're bringing another live experience to the US next year—definitely check it out HERE. Now it's your turn—tell me about your most spontaneous (or semi-spontaneous) birthday celebration you’ve ever had? I’d love to hear your story! Share it in the comments or reach out—I always enjoy hearing from you. 💗 Oh, and if you have any genius tips for keeping an 11-year-old occupied on a long return flight, please send them my way! 🙏🏼
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I put myself out there a lot online (sometimes too much?) because I think it’s important to just be a human. There are enough people out there acting like they have their “ish” together! With that being said, this story *might* make me seem a little unrelatable. But I’m going to tell you anyway because I think there’s a good lesson I can leave you with at the end. Lennon and I were at H-E-B and they were giving out samples of a new kind of boxed mac and cheese. As soon as he tried it and I saw his face, I knew what was coming next: “Mom, can we get this? Please? (cue puppy eyes) 🙇🏻♂️ It’s really good!” Of course, he said this right in front of the sample person so I had to say yes. 😆 But when I went over to the shelf to grab a box, I saw that it was $8. Yep. $8 for mac and cheese… in a BOX… that you have to make YOURSELF.  I’m all about those little splurges because they remind me that some things are worth taking a chance on, even if they seem unnecessary — or a little risky — at first. Just like buying that $8 mac and cheese, choosing to invest in yourself and try something new can feel daunting. When I decided to go full-time with my business, it was a big risk. But taking that leap led to opportunities I never could have imagined, like the freedom to prioritize what truly matters. 💗 For example, I recently made a quick decision to drive to my hometown in Mexico to check on my mom because she had been unwell for two days. (Moving to San Antonio after my dad passed was a choice I made to be closer to her.) The ability to just pack up and leave without asking anyone's permission—to put my family first—is a freedom I’ve worked on creating. Moments like these remind me how priceless it is to have time and location freedom. 🙏🏼✨ I want to help you create that kind of freedom for yourself! I’m inviting you to join my free master class called Design Your Way to Freedom. It’s your chance to dip your toes into the world of brand design, without the financial commitment. In this master class, I’ll share the secrets to becoming a successful brand designer, how to make good money (even with little experience), and some tough lessons I've learned along the way.  This is your opportunity to treat yourself to learn about a new skill set that can open doors to the freedom you’ve been dreaming about! 🦋 And if this is not for you, I would greatly appreciate it if you share it with someone who you think can benefit from it! 🫶🏼 So tell me… would you buy $8 mac and cheese from the grocery store? Either way, I hope to see you at the master class on November 12th at 1pm EST. It’s going to be super fun!  Interview originally conducted by Bold Journey. Grateful for the opportunity to share my story with them! boldjourney.com/meet-karla-pamanes ______ Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Karla Pamanes. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below. Hi Karla, really appreciate you joining us to talk about a really relevant, albeit unfortunate topic – layoffs and getting fired. Can you talk to us about your experience and how you overcame being let go? Getting laid off due to COVID-19 was a hard hit, especially since it wasn’t my first time—I’d already gone through it just 17 months earlier. For a decade, I had a stable career in the media industry, working at a company that grew to be a leader in lifestyle media, surrounded by colleagues I admired in a city that felt like home. But when that chapter closed, I found myself facing years of uncertainty, and I’ll admit, it was pretty intimidating at first. Eventually, I learned to roll with the changes. After the second layoff, I decided it was time to dive into building the design business I’d always dreamed of. It wasn’t always easy, but the journey has been incredibly rewarding. I’ve been able to help amazing clients bring their visions to life and create something for myself in the process. I came to realize that while getting laid off can be a major setback, it can also be the push you need to take risks, grow, and build a career that truly aligns with your passions. Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself? I am Karla Pámanes and I am an award-winning designer and branding expert based out of San Antonio, Texas. I have designed for brands like BRIT + CO, Discovery, HGTV, Food Network, Facebook (now Meta), Kellanova, and more. The best part of my job is meeting people who have big ideas that they feel passionately about. I love that I get to use my skills as a designer to help them translate those ideas into a dynamic brand that inspires people to take action. The brand identity design I do for my clients gives them premium positioning in a global marketplace that’s becoming more and more crowded by the day. My process focuses on capturing the distinctive personality of the brands I work with so they can make waves in their industry. The world doesn’t need any more boring design! When I’m not working on brand identities for my clients, I am working with aspiring designers as a mentor. I created a signature design course to share the knowledge I’ve collected from my 15+ years of experience in the corporate, agency, and freelance world. I talk to people all the time who are drawn to the design world but aren’t sure whether they’re ready to pursue it. These conversations inspired me to dedicate more of my time and energy to design mentorship!  There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on? I always loved the phrase, “Be the person you needed when you were younger.” Going back to my early years when I was learning graphic design I would have LOVED to have a mentor. I had talented professors, but there was never enough 1:1 time in the classroom. I often turned to my peers who were a little ahead of me and they helped me improve my skills the most. I created The Brand Design Academy to be the mentor I wished I had when I was first starting my career, and I’m always so excited when I receive feedback that someone has booked their first design client or put together a portfolio they’re proud of after taking the course. https://www.karlapamanes.com/the-brand-design-academy.html Reflecting on my journey, there are three key lessons that truly shaped my growth as a designer. These are the qualities I found most impactful, and I’d recommend focusing on them to anyone just starting out: 1. Find Mentors and Community Learning from others who’ve been where you are can make a huge difference. Seek out mentors or supportive groups to help guide you along the way. 2. Stay Resourceful and Proactive Don’t wait for opportunities—create them! Look for resources, ask questions, stay curious, and always keep learning. 3. Practice and Keep Improving Consistency is key. Keep working on your skills, embrace the learning process, and don’t be afraid of mistakes—they’re part of the journey! As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development? The biggest risk I ever took was deciding to go full-time in my business. After back-to-back layoffs—first due to a merger in 2018 and then during COVID in 2020—I found myself questioning the stability I had always valued. When my dad passed away in 2020, I hit rock bottom. It was a turning point that made me rethink what I truly wanted from life. That’s when I came across The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The book challenged me to confront my fears and limiting beliefs about what I thought was possible. It introduced the concept of the ‘Upper Limit Problem,’ where we subconsciously sabotage our success due to hidden fears. That idea resonated deeply, as I had always admired people who pursued their dreams but struggled to believe it was possible for me. The Big Leap helped me shift my mindset, take risks, and aim higher. The most valuable lesson was learning to live in what Hendricks calls the ‘Zone of Genius’—focusing on what I’m naturally good at and passionate about. This book played a crucial role in helping me take the leap into running my business full-time, embracing uncertainty, and finally chasing the life I truly wanted. Contact Info:
When you’re designing for your brand, font selection is one of the most important choices you’ll make. Think of it like choosing the tone of your voice when speaking—it can change everything about how you're perceived by other people. For example, if you choose a bold, modern font it can signal confidence and innovation, while a delicate script might feel more elegant or traditional. Every font tells a story! So how do you choose a font that is going to make sense for your brand? I always start by thinking about your target audience and how you want them to feel when they come across your brand. Do you want to seem fun and approachable? Or is it more important to convey seriousness and authority? Beyond just how the font looks, it can also impact how trustworthy people perceive you to be. Research shows fonts influence how consumers feel about a brand. Like, imagine a wealth management firm using a flowery, decorative font—it could come across as unprofessional. On the other hand, a clean, minimal font might instantly build trust. There are hundreds of thousands of fonts out there. Seriously, there are between 200,000 and 500,000 according to the internet. So rather than endlessly scrolling through font options, it helps to know the three main font categories so you can narrow your search.
 Each of these font types can work for different brand styles, but here are a few guidelines I like to use:
Choosing fonts that fit your brand’s personality is a key step in building a memorable identity. By aligning your typography with the emotions and messages you want to convey, your brand will have a much better chance of connecting with your audience. I could go on for hours about fonts and how to choose the right ones for your projects, which is why I’ve created a free resource: The Essential Guide to Choosing the Right Fonts. In this guide, you'll find even more helpful tips for choosing fonts and direct links to some of my favorite free and paid serif, sans serif, and script fonts! Master font selection and create impactful brand identities with my easy-to-follow guide.  Last week I returned from an in-person event hosted by two of my clients, Silvia and Kristen Myers (AKA The Traffic Ninjas). Silvia and Kristen are from Australia and they help Shopify owners drive more traffic and make more sales.  I recently got to help them with a brand redesign (you can see a sneak peek of the before and after below) and I loved seeing their new branding on their t-shirts and slides. 🤩  Attending this event was about more than just meeting Silvia and Kristen, though (and another client from Tennessee, Mary Ellen and Sarah from Design Decor Knoxville 💕). This event was all about growth! ✨
Let me explain… I was asked to give a presentation about consistency in branding and honestly, it went so well! I remember not so long ago, the idea of getting up in front of a crowd to speak would have literally made me sick to my stomach. 🥴 I believed I was too introverted, or that my accent was “too noticeable” to present to a crowd, and why would someone want to listen to me? 🙈 These beliefs come and go for me, but if anything, I have learned to do things scared! Before heading to drive to Dallas, where the event was held, I called Silvia to see if she needed anything and asked if she was ready. She said she was a little bit nervous, it was their first in-person event! I reminded her she's a badass and an expert at what she does. And she said the same back to me! 💗 Sometimes we just need to hear and believe the encouragement we give others! Since I decided to go full time in my business I haven't stopped learning and growing (because isn't entrepreneurship the biggest self-development journey?) and I keep impressing myself by looking back at the life and business I have built for myself and my little family. 👩🏻👦🏻🐱🐱 by working on getting out of my comfort zone, one tiny step at a time. I don't take any of this for granted, and I wouldn't be here where I am today without people like you, who have supported me in one way or another. 🫶🏼 I didn't intend for this to be such a sappy blog post, but I am truly grateful to be able to do what I do for incredible inspiring people I get to call friends now! 🥰 I hope you enjoy the last days of summer! And if you'd like to share with me in the comments, tell me about the last time you did something scary and how it turned out! I'd love to know. 💗 |