Branding articles, resources, tips and how-tos
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What makes a brand premium? What does premium even mean? Premium brands have value propositions that are so different from other products or services in the market, that the comparisons don’t make sense. This enables premium brands to charge 10 times or a 100 times more than their competitors, because they offer something that competitors can’t match. While it may seem like creating a premium brand would be more expensive, it actually doesn’t have to be. Read more...
Creating beautiful blog post illustrations can be time consuming. Sometimes, creating the perfect feature image for a post takes just as much time as writing it.
In my search for the perfect solution – blog post images that are both visually appealing and easy to make – I tested many different techniques, and in this post I share some of my tips with you. Read more...
In over a decade of my design career, no one has ever asked me this question. Yet, I know it must be the #1 question going through my clients’ minds when we set out to work together. Luckily, I’ve spent years perfecting my process to make sure that my clients get exactly what they need, and not only feel pleased, but amazed with the results I provide. Here's what I learned, and how you can make sure you get exactly what you need as a client in your collaborations with designers. Read more...
Marketing coaches are constantly urging small business owners to “show your personality”, because that’s how you can gain people's trust. This advice is a bit vague, and perhaps you've been wondering how to practically implement it? I’ve compiled a list of different ways you can do it. Read more...
I want to share a story of a recent experience I’ve had that really helped me drive home the fact that showing up in my business with the full intensity of my creative voice brings more benefits than drawbacks.
Of course, I have many stories about clients who chose to work with me specifically because of my “dark side”, but this one is interesting because the client’s didn’t even consciously realize it. Read more...
Your core values are a compass that guides you throughout your life, and they’ve been lurking in the background of all the decisions you’ve been making, no matter how big or small. In this post, I explain the role of our personal values in our business, and give you a process to discover your core values. Read more...
Have you ever stopped to analyze your brand objectively? And if so, what have you found?
Most business owners have no idea what their brand actually means for their bottom line. Nobody told them how people respond to design, and about the power of the first impression. In this article I wrote what I want business owners to know, and hope that with this knowledge, you will be equipped to make a decision that's best for you and your business (whether that means working with a brand designer or not). Read more...
There is a term in the online business worlds called “website shame”. Many of us are very familiar with it. Perhaps you too have felt ashamed over how woefully inadequate your website was. Perhaps you cringed every time you gave the link to a potential client, because you were afraid it will ruin the great first impression they just had with you.
You wouldn’t believe it, but designers can feel the same way. I certainly felt like my website was not doing a good enough job of presenting my work for a loooong time.
Here’s an overview of my redesign process and the reasoning behind it. Read more...
Logo redesign is something most business owners would like to avoid, because it means having to change all your graphics and documents, and let's face it – it's a headache.
In this post I share my own experience of going through this process, and 6 very compelling reasons why you might want to consider it as well. Read more...
New business owners get overwhelmed with all the options when it comes to professional presentation. Additionally, each type of design service is a special beast with its own science behind it, and people often specialize in one area. In this guide I give an overview of the most common visual design services for small businesses, and you'll be able to tell if you need it right now or may need it later, and how much to budget for it. Read more...
Often when I'm talking with new clients about their goals for the branding or website design project, they half-apologetically say something along the lines of 'I'm not sure what I want in terms of design'. What they really wonder is, how do I convey my ideas to a designer if I'm not a visual type? I'm telling you that you don't need to worry about that. Read more...
Rikon is a sci-fi and fantasy convention held annually in Rijeka, Croatia. Even though it has a longstanding tradition (since 1997), it never had a logo. I set out on a task to create the logo design and branding guidelines for this convention that caters to a variety of interests and age groups. See my hand lettered logo design process from sketch to finish! Read more...
When I asked people what they would like to know about logo design so I can write about it, most of them were confused about the process itself, and they didn't know if it's bad if they have no idea what they'd want their logo to look like. In this post I share the entire logo design process for one of my clients, so you can get all the inside info about what goes into making a logo, from sketch to finish. Read more...
If you're just launching your new business or creative venture, you're probably on a tight budget. Designers (myself included) insist that you should not be skimping on the quality of your presentation, but I understand that it's difficult to invest upfront in something that you aren't even sure will take off. So let's skip the preaching how you should absolutely let a professional do your branding and visual identity (it kind of goes without saying). I'll give you some tips how to handle it if you absolutely can't afford it right now, or at least not all of it. Read more...
When I started my website, I wrote about my branding and how it came to be. I wanted NelaDunato.com to embody all my creative work and hobbies, so that people may see the entirety of who I am, and not just one facet. However the homepage image was bugging me a bit. The image I wanted to portray was 'I do all these different things, and I'm managing it well! No reason to specialize, you can trust me even though I claim I can do the job that normally takes 3 people to accomplish!' I'm not sure if that's what came through. All I know is that I did some heavy soul-searching in the past 6 months... Read more...
inobscuro.com has been my homepage since 2005 and we went through a lot of changes together. I decided to infuse new life into my website and I started with creating a hand-lettered logo for it. See my entire process from conceptualization and sketch phase, to the finished design! Read more...
Komfor is a band that plays mostly acoustic, ambiental music. Their music is very authentic, and nature is an important influence in their music and texts. These are all the qualities I wanted the logo to portray in appearance, but also in execution, so I decided to make a hand-lettered logo using traditional tools. See my entire process from sketch to finish! Read more...
For a long time I had a separate art portfolio on one domain, and commercial design work on the other. I did it because I wanted my portfolio to be more professional but after I while I realized that it was difficult to maintain.
My two domains only illustrated what was evident in my life as well. I was leading a double life — being a proper designer with a day job, and in my free time I was as an independent artist with illustration aspirations. Finally I decided it was time for change... Read more...
