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Imagine you’re opening a cute new café in your town. You’ve found the perfect location, you've perfected the latte art, you’re baking pastries that melt in your mouth, and you’ve hired the friendliest baristas who are ready to brighten everyone’s morning. You’re good to go, right?  Well, what if I told you that all your signage is written in Comic Sans, your brand colors are all over the place (and a little hard to read), and your logo is made up of pixelated clip art icons?  People might peek inside, unsure if they should walk in. They might even judge your coffee and food based on the first impressions they get from your branding. It’s sad to think about, isn’t it? YOU know your café is incredible. You know your coffee is gonna change lives (okay, maybe just mornings). ☕️ But the problem isn’t your product — it’s the impression your brand is making about your product. This is exactly what happens when businesses don’t invest in strong, strategic brand identity design. No matter how amazing you are at what you do, if your visual identity is all over the place, potential clients are going to hesitate. They might even choose to go with a competitor that looks like it has its act together, even if you offer the better product or service!  How strong brand design fuels business growth When your brand identity is cohesive, polished, and aligned with your values, it has the power to influence how people perceive and engage with your business. Let’s break down four ways a well-designed brand can fuel your growth and set you apart: It Builds Instant Trust - Just like a beautifully designed café makes people feel confident about ordering a $7 oat milk latte and a pastry, polished branding tells your audience, “Yes, you’re in the right place.” Customers trust brands that look put together, and we know that trust = sales. It Attracts the Right People - Ever walk into a restaurant expecting something casual, only to realize it’s way fancier than you thought? Awkward. 😳 The same thing happens when your branding doesn’t match your business. A clear, cohesive brand identity helps your dream clients instantly recognize that you are the person they need. It Lets You Charge More - Luxury brands never have to explain why they cost more. They just look expensive. When your branding is aligned with the high-value work you do, people expect to pay premium prices — without you having to justify it. It Makes You Unforgettable - Think about your favorite local shop, the place with the vibe you love. It isn’t just about the products they have. It’s the feeling that the brand gives you. A scattered, inconsistent brand is forgettable. A well-designed brand sticks with people, making it easier for them to refer and return to you. Ready to make your brand unforgettable? I’m hosting a free workshop on April 28th at 1 pm called Trust at First Sight: The #1 secret to instantly build trust and spark connection in your brand. I’ll be sharing some of the common branding mistakes that might be holding you back and how to fix them. 🤩 It’s the perfect place to start if you’re looking to elevate your brand this year! Click here to reserve your spot for the workshop. I hope to see you there! 💗 karlapamanes.com/trust
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As a professional brand identity designer, it might surprise you to hear me say this, but here’s something I truly believe in my heart: it’s okay to start your business journey with a cheap logo from a place like Fiverr, Upwork, or Canva.  When you’re just starting out, your priority really should be just getting your business off the ground and generating some income. You might not know who your target audience is, or you may need to make some minor adjustments based on the feedback you receive.
A high-end logo or brand identity design doesn’t make a lot of sense right out the gate if you still have some uncertainty about the who, what, and why of your business or offering. Don’t get me wrong. I love working with new business owners and helping them navigate the early stages of branding. However, my passion truly lies in collaborating with established entrepreneurs who have proven their concept and are ready to elevate their brand identity. Some Good Reasons to Start Cheap I talked a little bit about why starting with an inexpensive logo might make more sense, but let’s go over the three biggest reasons in a little more detail: You Need to Have Financial Flexibility - Starting a business requires capital. Choosing to start with a more affordable logo means you can allocate more of your resources to things like marketing, product development, and customer experience. You Need a Solid Proof of Concept - Before you seriously invest in your branding, you need to really make sure that your business idea works. Take time to validate your concept, gain a little bit of traction, and understand your target audience better. You Need a Little Room for Growth - Your brand will naturally evolve as your business grows. What you need from a brand identity now might be very different from what you need six months or a year from now. You can always rebrand, but waiting a little bit might save you from having to do something like that during your first year of business. Start Smart, Grow Smarter The world of entrepreneurship is a marathon, not a sprint… I can tell you that from my own personal experience! 😅 The best thing you can do is to start with what you can afford, focus on growing your business, and when the time is right, invest strategically in your branding. A cheap logo does not have to be a reflection of the quality of your business. It can just be a stepping stone in your entrepreneurial journey. Start making money first, then reinvest that money into a professional brand identity that hits all the right notes. What do you think? Do you agree or disagree? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments! And of course, if you want to discuss a brand design identity for your business, I would be thrilled to work with you! Just reach out to me via my contact page to get started. When I went full-time in my brand identity design business in 2021, I made a commitment to email my list once a month. And I am so proud to say that I have kept that commitment, every single month, even 4+ years later. Of course, there are some months where I have to bribe myself with a “little treat” to sit down and write out my email (especially when I have a lot of design project deadlines approaching) but the time and effort (and my chocolate treat) is always worth it. 🍫 The connections that I make through email marketing are so valuable to me personally and also as an entrepreneur. I receive a handful of replies whenever I send out a monthly email, so I know people are actually reading them and enjoying them enough to reach out when something resonates. It’s like social media, but without the algorithm working against you!  Flodesk is my email marketing not-so-secret weapon One thing that really helps make the email marketing process super easy for me each month is Flodesk. I have been using this platform for years and as a designer, I love how clean and simple and “pretty” it is. 💗 Those things really matter to me! Flodesk is built for creatives, small business owners, and entrepreneurs who want to connect with their audience quickly. I don’t have time to mess around with nitpicky formatting tools or worse, learn code. Flodesk is sleek, simple, and it makes your emails look like they were put together by a professional designer. Which, as a professional designer, is huge. 😄  Here are a few other reasons I’m obsessed: ✨ Gorgeous templates – No design skills? No problem. Flodesk gives you stunning templates to choose from that you can customize in just a few clicks. 🚀 Simple automations – I love that I can set up welcome sequences, sales funnels, and nurture emails for people who sign up for my courses and other offers. 🎨 Creative freedom – Unlike some other email marketing platforms, Flodesk lets you customize fonts, layouts, and colors so you can match your brand perfectly. 💰 Flat-rate pricing – This is the biggest reason I love Flodesk. I know I won’t have to suddenly pay more each month because I added new email subscribers to my list. If you’ve been looking for a simple and stress-free way to send emails, I can’t recommend Flodesk enough! It has made the entire email marketing process effortless for me, which means I can continue to send those monthly emails and connect with my people. Whether you're a creative, entrepreneur, or small business owner, Flodesk helps you send beautiful emails in just a few minutes. 💌 Want to give it a try? Use my link to get started for free and see why I am so obsessed with it! 👇🏼 Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means if you buy something through them, I earn a small commission—aka snack money for my son and kitty treats! But don’t worry, I only share things from companies I truly believe in. Let’s talk about something that can make or break your business in 2025: a personal brand. No, it’s not just about having a cute logo with your name or a catchy tagline (although let’s be honest, those things are fun). It’s really about how people perceive you — the vibes you give off, the stories you tell, and the trust you build along the way. If you’re a business owner, you might wonder, “Do I really need a personal brand? Isn’t my professional brand identity enough?” 🤔 The short answer? 👉🏼 Nope. The longer answer? 👉🏼 While your professional brand builds credibility, your personal brand builds connections. And in a world where people crave authenticity, those connections are everything. Because at the end of the day, people connect with people. I have been fortunate enough to work with some badass clients on personal brand identities (which I will share with you in a moment) and I would love to do even more! The digital world is getting a little bit louder every day, but the key to standing out isn’t shouting; it’s showing up authentically so you can attract your people. You do this by creating a relatable personal brand that speaks to your values and sparks meaningful connections. Some recent personal brand identity projects I love I want to share some of the personal brand identities I’ve worked on recently. I chose projects that showcase the distinct personalities of the women behind the brands to hopefully inspire you to start thinking about your own!  Laura Khalil is the powerhouse behind the Elevate Mastermind (which I have the privilege to be part of) and the host of the Big Deal Energy Podcast. She’s a sales and marketing advisor who helps solo service providers land consistent $20k+ months without the hustle or grind. For Laura’s brand, I wanted to create something bold to reflect her dynamic and approachable personality. Her personal brand identity is a true reflection of her expertise, energy, and unwavering commitment to helping solopreneurs thrive!  Carmen Smith is a mindset, productivity, and well-being coach who is all about infusing life with magic, joy, and a touch of enchantment. She provides personalized holistic coaching to help people unlock their potential and create a life that aligns with their deepest values. Working with Carmen on her personal brand identity was a beautiful experience. She makes you feel seen, heard, and loved. She sees the light in you and helps you see it in yourself. I chose design elements that really showcase the warmth and whimsy that make her so unique!  Nicole Gallo is a brand strategist and copywriter who helps entrepreneurs and leaders connect with their audience through authentic marketing strategies and human-centric copy. She’s an introvert who is passionate about making marketing less painful for fellow introverts. As an introvert myself, I can attest to her talents in this area! For Nicole’s personal brand identity, I wanted to create something that felt both approachable and modern that communicates her expertise and connects with her ideal clients. Every element was designed to reflect Nicole’s ability to create marketing that resonates, builds trust, and delivers results—while positioning her as the expert she is.  When my friend Robin Kramer told me about Susan Harbourt and all of the amazing things she does, I knew I just had to meet her! Not only does she make GORGEOUS handcrafted jewelry inspired by nature and her travels, she also hosts creative classes, workshops, and retreats — sometimes in the 150+ year-old lighthouse she is restoring with her family! ⚓️😍 As a brand designer, it was so fun to work on Susan’s rebrand. I got to create something that encompasses all the things she’s passionate about. Whenever I’m working on a project like this, I start choosing three words to describe the client’s vibe. For Susan, I chose the words explore, create, and curiosity. This helped give me direction as I started the brand identity! A professional brand identity represents what you do. A personal brand identity represents who you are. And when you align the two, you create some real magic. 💫 2025 is the year to build a personal brand that’s magnetic, memorable, and uniquely yours. I’d love to help you make it happen! Let’s craft a brand identity that helps you show up confidently and connect with your people.  I had lunch with my younger self today. She looked nervous. I felt excited to get to know her more.
She was wearing leggings and a kimono. I was in a maxi dress and a vest. We both complimented each other on our outfits—turns out, our style hasn’t changed much. Same with food. We both ordered the Cajun chicken sandwich, blackened, of course. I could tell she was holding back tears. She told me she might lose her job of 10 years because of a merger—the only one she’d ever had since college. On top of that, she is in the middle of her green card process, the breadwinner of her family with a five-year-old, and a mortgage. She smirked politely when I told her things would work out, but I could see she didn’t fully believe me. She said she dreams of going out on her own but has no idea where to even start. I told her that once she decides to go for it, things will work out even better than she imagined. She told me about a moment with her dad—how he once worried about her career choice but later said, "I’m proud of you for sticking with design. You proved me wrong, and I’m so happy to see you thriving." It meant the world to her. I told her I was sure that moment would be her anchor to move forward with her dreams. She tried to pay the bill, even though every financial decision feels terrifying at the moment. I told her it was my treat and that feeling scared was normal. Being an adult is hard, but she would come out of this even stronger. If you could meet your younger self, what would you tell them? |