I’ve always been a bit of a rebel. I like things a bit weird, a bit different. Maybe it’s my creative brain shining through, or maybe I’m just stubborn. Either way, there’s one thing I know for sure: Brand Archetypes are seriously limiting the creative potential of your brand. Your brand has SO. MUCH. POTENTIAL. But when you rely on brand archetypes, you’re boxing that potential in, and that’s where the magic gets lost. Insert sad emoji face here.

Before I dive too deep into my rant, let’s have a quick crash course on Brand Archetypes.

What Are Brand Archetypes?

Brand archetypes are essentially a set of 12 profiles that brands supposedly fit into. These profiles—like the Hero, the Outlaw, the Caregiver—are used by many brand designers as a (in my opinion) lazy way to categorise your brand. They slap on an archetype, tick a few boxes, spit out some generic guidelines, and send you on your way. Bob’s your uncle, pay your...

The fastest way to self-sabotage is to believe everything you tell yourself.

I learned this the hard way (and, honestly, I’m still learning). Recently, as I navigated a business funk (read all about it and how I fixed it here), I let a bunch of negative thoughts take over my usually hopeful and optimistic attitude.

It happened slowly… slowly… slowly… until suddenly, I was telling myself my work sucked, my business sucked, I had no time for anything, and I might as well just give up altogether. My habits and rituals changed, and I felt like I was living in the depths of despair (probably a bit dramatic, but hey, I love a good excuse to quote Anne of Green Gables). I threw myself a massive pity-party for one. Even though I was going through the motions in my business, internally, I have to admit…

I stopped trying.

Until I got so sick of hearing myself (in my head)…

Words and Thoughts Hold Power

I’m no expert, but I’m pretty sure we...

Facing the Seven Year Itch + how I got my business motivation back

It hit me like a pungent waft of bourbon and coke. I had itchy feet.

For months I’d been feeling so lost in my business. Oh-so-befuddlingly-lost. It’s happened before, so I wasn’t in panic mode yet. But usually I can pinpoint the exact reason I’ve lost momentum, motivation or energy for all running my branding studio entails. And once I’ve done that, the fog clears and the pathway is illuminated once more. Peace is restored and my very patient husband can breathe a sigh of relief.

This time was different. It felt eerie, and disconcerting. And it went on for months.

Just between us, for the first time in 14 years, I tentatively dipped my toe into “job hunting” (I use quote marks here because really, who was I kidding?). Now obviously, there are always going to be external factors that influence our overall business experience, such as market changes, the doom-and-gloom...

I was completely fed up with Instagram and Facebook by the end of June this year. Any sniff of promotion resulted in IG restricting my reach, with a grand total of roughly two interactions per post. Facebook is basically dead to me these days, apart from a few kind-hearted family friends (even with a following of 1.2k!).

I know this is common, but it doesn’t do much for the ol’ ego, nor help the bottom line (heck, we are in business – it’s ok to talk about money!). I have a family of six who have a healthy sport obsession and large appetites. In short, they are an expensive bunch. I don’t have buckets of cash lying around to throw at Meta ads all the time.

I was exhausted, tired of trying to please the algorithm (spoiler alert: I never have), and after seven years of being on the Content Creation Train, my motivation was wearing thin. We were also entering a hugely busy personal season, with client projects layered in and school holidays looming. It...

My 10 year old daughter grew an avocado tree from a seed of a bulk pack of avocadoes I bought from Aldi.

That sounds absurd, right?!

First of all, whatever would possess a child to spend their time doing such a thing?

What made her believe it would actually work?

How did she know what steps to take? 

I remember attempting a similar feat as a child. I stuck a seed in a pot of water for about two months. Guess what happened? Unsurprisingly, it turned a vomit-worthy hue of green, slimy and stinky, and I distinctly remember the shriek of my mother finding such a tragic specimen in my bedroom.

But back to my green-thumbed daughters’ propagation success.

The process of propagating Benny

During the final few weeks of the school term last year, she randomly asked me, “Mum, can I please use an avocado seed to try and grow a tree?” (internally high-fiving myself at this point for her impeccable manners). Remembering my own such experiments as a child, I thought,...

I’m here to sprinkle a little sunshine on your day. Although there is so much uncertainty, unease and upheaval circulating our business community at the moment, it’s not ALL doom and gloom. Even if your business is temporarily stalled, you CAN keep your brand healthy through uncertain times.

Some businesses are temporarily closing for the greater good, and the amazing people behind those businesses have my heartfelt gratitude for their selflessness and sacrifice.

Others have cut off their core service or product offering in favour of entirely different substitutes that still fill the needs of their customers, and these businesses deserve a medal for bravery!

There are some very brave souls who are pivoting quickly, adapting to the current climate either temporarily or for the long term. The inspiring owners of these businesses deserve our support and a massive pat on the back for thinking outside the box.

Some businesses are seemingly unaffected, but are perhaps feeling...

“What the heck is a sub-logo and why do you need one?”

Excellent question. I’m so glad you asked.

A sub-logo is a smaller, alternate version of your main logo. It borrows the graphical elements, fonts and colour palette, then fashions them into a version that can be used for different applications. Sub-logos can be any shape. They usually form a more succinct, compact version of the logo. Sub-logos are quite often round to allow flexibility of use for social media profile images, watermarks, favicons and packaging. 

Let’s take a look at an example. 

Lunchbox Mini’s branding identity features a horizontal shaped logo and custom illustrated icons forming the logo mark. In certain situations this may look out of place, be difficult to read, or simply not quite ‘fit’. Imagine trying to squeeze her into a narrow, vertically oriented blog advertisement! Eep! 

Still not quite sure why you need a sub logo? Read on my...

Three easy ways to instil trust in your brand

Let’s not beat about the bush. Investing in visual branding shows your audience that you have faith in your brand. But what can you do to instil trust in your brand if you’re not quite ready to overhaul your visual branding? Or you’ve got the basics sorted but want to step it up a knotch?

Here’s three easy ways to instil trust in your brand:

1. Up-level your printing finishes

Don’t automatically default to the cheapest options. Invest in a fancy card stock, some shiny gold foil or embossing. This shows your audience that you care about your brand. You believe in it so much that you’re willing to go the extra mile to differentiate your business cards or other printed marketing material. Trust me, a little bit of ‘fancy’ will not go unnoticed! 

2. Personal touches

Be purposeful in how you interact with your audience. Spend a little more time wooing a client or include a handwritten note in...

Ready to rebrand? Your questions answered.

Are you ready to rebrand? Not sure? Does the word ‘rebrand’ trigger a racing heart, sweaty palms, a dizzy sense of overwhelm and the desire to run for the hills? Deep in your heart, if this is your response then you probably know that rebranding is on the cards. If your business is growing into more than a hobby, and you know that you’ve outgrown your DIY or budget-friendly visual branding, then rebranding is most likely inevitable. I’ve asked my Hopscotch family what their questions and concerns are when it comes to knowing if they are ready to rebrand, and compiled the top ones here for you.

1. One of the hardest parts is that it takes time to get it right, particularly if you’re picky. It’s hard to know how honest to be in the feedback process because sometimes designers miss the mark.
   
   If you find a visual branding designer who truly understands your brand, what you’re aiming to achieve and who you...