Nela Dunato: Brand designer & multi-passionate creator

Short Biography

Nela Dunato is a visual communications designer from Croatia. She has 17 years of experience building brands and digital platforms. She’s the owner of a boutique branding consultancy Nela Dunato Art & Design that brings beauty, humanity, values-driven strategy, and resonant meaning into the brands of expert consultants and authentic leaders.

She’s the author of the book “The Human Centered Brand”, a practical guide that teaches service based business owners and creatives how to create an authentic brand and grow meaningful relationships with their clients.

Her imaginative surreal art has been exhibited across Europe and the United States, appeared on the covers of books and music albums, and received several awards. Currently she creates art for her own pleasure and well-being, and inspires people to embrace creative self-expression as a regular practice.

Note: Feel free to shorten my bio and cut out the last paragraph if it’s not relevant for your audience.

Social Media Links

Website: http://neladunato.com
Book website: https://humancenteredbrand.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NelaDunato
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neladunato/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nelchee
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/NelaDunato

Photos & Graphics

Name pronounciation: Listen to the audio recording

Topics

My core topics include branding, design, creative business, and personal creativity. I provided sample questions for each topic, and some of them lead to my articles where you can learn more.

Branding

What is branding, and what does it mean for a business or a person to have a brand?
What is a brand strategy?
What elements of brand strategy are a must for a small business?
How does branding affect pricing? Why are some brands able to charge more than others?
How can we differentiate and stand out from other businesses in our field?
How do you go about identifying your ideal clients and attracting them?
What is a brand identity? What does it consist of?
What is a brand style guide?
What does the process of working with a brand identity designer look like?
What can business owners do on their own, when they can’t yet afford to hire a branding professional?
When is the right time for rebranding a business, and what’s the best way to go about it?
Tell us about your book, “The Human Centered Brand”?

Design

How did you become a designer?
What kind of an impact does design have on companies and nonprofits?
What is a visual language?
Is design subjective or objective?
How do brands communicate their message through logo design?
What does your logo and brand identity design process look like?
How do you avoid clichés and come up with unique logo design ideas?
Do you show clients several logo design concepts to pick from, or just one? Why is that?
How can designers encourage constructive and useful feedback?

Creative business

How did you find your first clients as a designer and illustrator?
Is having multiple creative passions an advantage or a disadvantage in business?
Do you have a niche? How did you find it? Do creatives need a niche?
How do creative businesses benefit from having a clear and repeatable process?
What’s great about running your own creative business? What’s challenging about it?
What kind of impact did ADHD have on your career?
What are some common money mistakes that creative professionals make?
What do you say to clients who ask for a discount?
How do you keep yourself inspired so you can be creative on demand?
How do you balance your own self-expression with what your clients and customers want?
What does “success” look like for you?

Creativity

What did your creative journey up until this point look like?
What inspires you the most?
What is the relationship between art-making and mental health?
How can “ordinary” people discover their innate creativity?
Tell us about the book on creativity that you’re currently working on.
Why is it important to nurture a creative habit, and how can people start doing it?
How do you keep creating when life gets challenging?
What are the benefits of taking social media sabbaticals for one’s creativity?
Do you have any tips for dealing with perfectionism?
What does “living a creative life” mean for you?

My work has been featured in…

Media Appearances

Selected appearances from recent years that are available online in the English language:

Video: Creating an authentic brand for a small business with Nela Dunato on The Small Business Show
Video: Setting your core values for your business with Nela Dunato on Tips with Te
Human-centered freelancing with brand designer Nela Dunato on Being Freelance
Grow Meaningful Relationships with Clients Through Human Centered Branding with Nela Dunato on Awarepreneurs Podcast
Brand Strategy for Service-Based Businesses on The Gentle Business Revolution Show
Authentic Conversations on Human Centered Branding with Nela Dunato on Your Brand, Your Story
You can create your brand on Social Capital Podcast
The Secrets to Building a Powerful Brand on the Yeukai Business Show
You are Your Brand with Nela Dunato on Don’t Wait Til Pigs Fly Podcast
As a child she was nerdy and bullied, even by teachers. Now she helps others find and connect with their people – an interview with Nela Dunato at Live & Lead for Impact Podcast
Improving your Company Branding with Nela on The Solopreneur Grind Podcast
Finding Courage To Express Yourself As You Are on Sergey Ross Podcast
Cycle of Seasons + Nela Dunato on Wild Elixir Podcast
Recognizing that settling for what you’re offered just won’t cut it – #IMadeTheAsk with Nela Dunato on Devon Smiley
Build a human-centred brand: an interview with Nela Dunato on GoDaddy UK
How to create an elevator pitch that doesn’t sound cheesy on Fast Company

Promotion Agreement

I typically share interviews on my Facebook page, Twitter profile, LinkedIn profile, and regular newsletter. Newsletters are sent on a very loose schedule so it may take weeks or months for me to share a certain interview, but I will do it eventually.

If my contribution is shared as a part of a round-up of multiple experts, I can’t promise any promotion on my side – it depends on the article/video content. If there are opinions shared that I don’t endorse, or the quality of the curated content is not up to my standards, I may not want to share it with my audience.

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__utmz	neladunato.com	Google Analytics campaign and traffic source tracking cookie.	6 months	HTTP
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__utmb	neladunato.com	Google Analytics short-term functional cookie used to determine new users and sessions.	Session	HTTP