58: Behind The Scenes of My Rebrand
Rebranding is a labor of love. When done right, it can propel your image and your confidence. When done wrong, it can confuse your audience and send the wrong message about your business. This episode is dedicated to my experience rebranding over the past seven months with my highly talented and wonderfully attentive designer, Shauna Haider.
On this episode, Shauna and I discuss:
- Her nontraditional path to graphic design,
- How Shauna knew I was ready to embark on a rebrand at this level,
- The reason Shauna believes she’s never had to market her business,
- Why I was shocked at the feedback people were giving me about my new visual identity, and
- What made investing with Shauna was some of the best money I’ve spent as a business owner.
MEET SHAUNA HAIDER
Shauna Haider is the founder and creative director of We Are Branch boutique graphic design studio based in Palm Springs, California. We Are Branch specializes in a mix of brand design and web design, with some print and editorial design thrown in.
On a personal level, she is part of a multi-passionate, talented couple. Married to Joey (who built her an entire office studio in their backyard!), she enjoys walks with their dog Rocky, reading magazines, traveling, obsessing over the mid century modern architecture of the place that she calls home.
With her beautiful designs and significant online presence, it’s hard to believe that Shauna has not always been a graphic designer. Growing up, she always wanted to be an artist, but she decided that going to school for business was a more practical decision upon seeing the cost of art school. After earning a degree in business, she knew that graphic design was the way to go, and utilized her local community college so that she could expand her skill set while still working.
Shauna overcame imposter syndrome caused by comparing herself to other graphic designers her age and built her business to the point where it is today. She is truly amazing and I am so happy that I decided to partner with her for my rebrand.
DESIGN AS A LONG-TERM INVESTMENT
When we think about investing in our business, we rarely think of the concept of design as an investment. However, through my work and conversations with Shauna, I began to realize that design and aesthetic are very important investments to make, as they affect the way others see and feel about your business.
I was initially drawn to Shauna’s design on her Instagram because of it’s clean, sleek, and modern aesthetic. In this sense, her social media- and social media in general- can be compared to a quick coffee date. You can see what someone is like, and get to know them a bit, but the experience that someone has when they visit a web site is what can be the start of an actual relationship.
If you’re going to charge a luxury price for a boutique service, then you need to invest in your website so that potential clients have a top-of-the-line experience when they visit. Having a polished web site, service guide, or business card shows your potential clients that you have made an investment in your business, and that you take it seriously.
Your branding shouldn’t distract from the content of what you are trying to deliver. The format that proposals and client work are delivered in can be distracting from what you are trying to convey. Investing in your branding and design reduces that chance of this happening.
Think about the image all the pieces of your business convey- your web site, your print materials, everything that your potential clients might see and consider if it’s time to make a greater investment into your design.
RELATIONSHIP BUILDING IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE MARKETING
Relationships are such an important part of business. Great relationships can benefit you through an increased number of clients and by collaboration with other business owners. When you have a relationship with other people in business, it’s a win-win situation!
When it comes to attracting new clients, word of mouth is stronger than any social media platform or Google. When your friends or colleagues give a personal recommendation, you are more likely to trust them than an Instagram ad or other marketing.
When I started working with Shauna, I had just gotten my style guide and was so happy with it that I showed several other business owners when we went out to dinner. One of the women whom I had just met was so impressed that she wound up hiring Shauna, too.
When you do good work for just one person, their personal recommendation can go a long way to getting you other referrals.
When collaborating with other business owners, open communication is a must. I was impressed by Shauna’s communication on several different levels.
To begin, her written communication let me know what to expect and when payments were due. She made me feel like I was her only client! Another way she impressed me was the way that she took feedback. In the past, I have not expressed my opinion when working with others, and have been unhappy with the end result. I had emailed Shauna, giving her feedback about something, and she responded that she totally understood where I was coming from. What a great response.
ARE YOU READY TO REBRAND?
So how do you know if you’re ready for a rebrand? Through my work with Shauna, I have found several questions to ask yourself before investing in new design and a full rebrand for your business.
- Are you driven in your business?
- Do you want to present a cohesive image?
- Do you want to have a streamlined onboarding process with all of your documents ready to go?
- Are you comfortable launching a new brand or service?
When I decided to rebrand, I wanted to go for the best. It was important to me that my designer “got” me, and once I found Shauna, I knew that I was going to hire her, no matter what the cost.
If you decide that you are ready to rebrand and find a designer who can give you exactly what you want, be willing to make that investment into your business for yourself and your potential clients.
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