Rebranding Recap

Over the past year, I've rebranded this little space of the internet that I call Sweet Stella's. I am so happy to finally have found a designer that totally gets my vision, and a printer who gets super excited when I send them new designs.

This time last year, my branding was along this vein

Pretty but to be honest, I wasn't really sure it was reflective of me, my design style or where I was going in my career.

My branding this year?

I wanted to make sure that my branding materials matched my space here on the blog. I wanted to make sure that my face and unique style were featured, and that people could see into my art studio. I wanted to make sure that my authentic voice was shining through.

A huge huge thank you to my designer, Tiffany Kuehl, and my printer, The Printing House, for supporting this dream of mine.

While there will be seasonal changes, I am so happy to say that I finally have found a chic and professional look that reflects who I am and where I am in my career.

Branding with TPH Canada - Digital Quality Printing

Want to stand out from the pack and have your branding pack a punch? Then you need digital printing!

TPH Canada offers only the best digital printing, and personally I feel that it has taken my business to the next level. Previously, my promotional material was pixelated and mediocre. The quality just wasn't there, and if you're trying to present yourself as a professional in your field, that's just not going to cut it.



A big thing for me in my branding is colour. I want my artwork to speak for itself, and by using a printer that offers digital printing, I can ensure that my promotional materials have the same vivid colours as my actual artwork does.

TPH can handle print jobs of all size, whether you need a postcards for a conference that speak to your brand, or you need eye catching reports for a shareholders meeting, all with the same quality that digital printing offers.

It has made a huge difference in how my brand is viewed, and I would seriously encourage you to consider digital printing for your next set of business cards, reports, and promotional material!

* Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. While the views and opinions expressed are my own, I do receive my promotional materials from TPH Canada as compensation.

The Mompreneur Conference: Recap 2

Two people that I was very excited to meet at The Mompreneur Conference and Gala were CJ and Brittany from TPH Canada.

These ladies are nothing short of witty and amazing. They conducted a dynamic presentation about branding and the #notsooldschool print media that they are able to offer. As small businesses, and bloggers, we have the ability to be fluid in our printing choices and think outside of the box when it comes to printed materials.

This is one of the things that I have always loved about TPH; I can email them with a crazy layout idea or wanting something fresh and new, and they always deliver {shipped within a couple of days!} exceptional quality.

It was fantastic to hear new ideas about video books, memorable ways to stand out, and about their sustainability program. As small business owners, making your marketing dollars stretch is something that is very important, which is why digital printing and small batches are great. Sure, everyone needs a business card, but does everyone really need 5000 brochures with information that is bound to change within a couple of weeks of being printed? No.

You need a way to stand out, something that is different and outside of the box. You need TPH Canada.

Branding with Business Cards

It's a new year, which means to some that you need a new look to freshen up your business and present yourself in the best possible light. Thankfully, I have a fantastic design team with my graphic designer, Tiffany Kuehl Designs, and my amazing printer, The Printing House!

After attending BlogHer last summer, I took a long hard look at my blog and the brand that I was starting to establish. Where did I want it to go? Did I want to work with some larger companies in my field? Was I ready to elevate my game?

Business Card front {before}

The answer to those questions was a resounding YES I wanted to work with larger companies {and thankfully have been able to!}, and I wanted to elevate my game as a professional home decor blogger. So why was a business card so important for me?

Well, it's the first impression of my brand that anyone will get when they meet me in person. Does it look the way I want my brand to look?

Previously, it was okay. It was professional, but pixelated, and could have been better. This is where you are better served leaving it to the professional graphic designers, like Tiffany Kuehl Designs. After she overhauled my blog in September, I asked her about a business card to match.

Business Card front {after}

After getting the design that reflected my blog and brand, I sent it of to The Printing House - even they loved the design! The printing options through TPH are fantastic - folded business cards, rounded corners, little cut outs to set you above the fold and make you stand out. Remember, you want your business cards to be unforgettable!

Business Card back {after}

 We chose to put a UV coating on the cover of my cards, and I have received so many compliments on them. They are a thicker cardstock than what I've seen other companies use, and they're something I am proud to hand out, knowing that they accurately reflect my blog and brand!

completed cards

Need new cards or a design overhaul? Contact Tiffany Kuehl Designs and The Printing House!

*Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links. I was not compensated by Tiffany Kuehl Designs for this post, but do receive my business cards as a form of sponsorship from The Printing House.

What's in a Brand?

January is full of new things, and one of them is a monthly branding series, brought to you by my branding specialists at TPH Canada and featuring my new branding from designer Tiffany Kuehl Designs.

Mapping out what you want your brand to say can be a really difficult thing. Are you...

Artsy
Elegant
Creative
Trendy

None of the above?

How you position your brand visually has everything to do with how you want to be perceived in the market place, and how you want people to view you as the face of your brand.

Take my BlogHer12 cards, for example. front and back, I wanted my branding to scream artistic.

I wanted the cards to represent who I am as an artist, with all of the blogging information on the back, as well as a photo of myself to jog peoples memory.

So, look at your current branding. What does it say? Does it portray an accurate reflection of your brand and who you are as an entrepreneur?

No? Then it's time to consider rebranding, and getting new materials printed with the experts at TPH Canada! Their experts can ensure consistent branding across all your printed promotional materials, and the quality is out of this world.

Next month, we'll talk about leaving your mark with your business cards and the many awesome options at TPH Canada!

BlogHer Sponsor Love: The Printing House

You may have noticed that one thing that I am big on is branding. My Etsy shop banner is the same as my Facebook profile picture is the same as my blog header.


It's also the cover art for my *new* gorgeous to the n'th degree business cards that I just got from TPH Canada!

Do you have a brand that is slightly all-over-the-place? Graphics not matching up? What do you want your brand or blog to say about you?

Let TPH Canada help! Check out their new video about branding and the importance of {gorgeous} business cards!

BlogHer Sponsor Love: Hanlon Lain Photography...getting messy!

Last month, I had the great pleasure of working with my BlogHer sponsor Hanlon Lain Photography  on a fantastic photo shoot. 

I had a vision of me in one of her fields with my canvases, paint and easel…just being me and being inspired by the space around me. 

The messier part of the vision was that I would end up covered in paint….head to toe {not hair to toe…} in paint. My feet were an absolute mess by the end of the shoot since I was literally standing in the drippings off the paintings and my easel, and my hands were blue by the time everything dried and I got home {and I still had to go to the grocery store!}

 

I would never in a million years have thought to capture what Laina did. Her use of angles, the way she captures the light that no one else can see, and the way she caught my expression was incredible. I was able to just paint, do my thing and have her capture who I am as a true artist.

The entire experience was amazing. It made this whole artist thing seem...real. Like this is what I was meant to do and who I was meant to be. What an amazing feeling!

I am absolutely thrilled to feature one of her photos on the bio-side of my media cards that will be passed out at BlogHer this year!

WAHM Wednesday: Call For Sponsors!

So in the past few weeks, my roomies Shannon, Melissa and I have been busy with booking hotels, flights, conference tickets, looking at accessories and talking to possible sponsors about our journey to BlogHer'12!

It's so exciting to me. The day that we booked out hotel and when I booked my flight...I just felt...felt like it was Christmas {almost}.

Exciting

Nerve-wracking

Thrilling, to say the least!

I'm busily working on Spring photo shoots with Atutudes and Hanlon Lain Photography for my media kits, and you know what would look awesome on them? Your logo!

That's right! This is my official call for sponsors!

I have three awesome packages, and would absolutely love to take your brand to BlogHer'12!




If you're interested in collaborating with Sweet Stella's, I'd love to hear from you! Email me at shannon@sweetstellas.com

Talk-To-Me Tuesday...with Ashley!

Good morning everyone! You are certainly in for a treat today!

I am pleased to introduce you to Ashley, the mastermind and creative genius behind Fancy Designs...yes the same one that design my spiffy new logo and who I consulted in rebranding Sweet Stella's just prior to the holidays. She has a wealth of knowledge in branding and logo design, and I strongly encourage you to take a read...and contact her should you be needing her services or contemplating a rebranding!

Hey y'all! I'm Ashley, an almost 23 year old graphic designer from Louisiana. I own Fancy Designs, an online shop specializing in invitations, stationery, business cards, and custom gifts. Before Fancy Designs I worked for an advertising agency, working specifically on logo design. I was recently pulled back into the logo design field by my dear friend Stephanie from Bleue Moon Web Design. As a business owner myself, I've learned the importance of branding and seen plenty of mistakes, and I'd like to share a little of what I've learned along the way with you guys :)

As a designer, it's in my blood to check out branding. I check out branding like other girls shop for shoes. It's not uncommon to see me purchase things based solely on the brand and packaging. Some people just REALLY know how to sell it with their branding, and that's what ANYONE building a brand should want to do. Whether you're looking to build your own company, a small online shop, or just want to build up a blog and have people see your badge/logo and recognize you, branding is important! All great businesses have a strong brand that supports their products, services, or message.

Building your brand is a lot like starting a very complex puzzle. The brand you put together is like putting together those corner pieces. It sets you up for all the pieces to come. A lot of people are under the assumption that fancy text and clipart is all it takes to put together a brand. Sure, that's the meat of the brand, but the "brand" goes so much deeper. Your brand should speak to your clients/viewers. It should send out your message clearly. A good brand doesn't have to be complex and it doesn't have to be over the top. If anything, we've learned that even the simplest logos can be the most memorable (Golden Arches anyone?) The whole idea is that you want people to see your logo and REMEMBER it. I know we all live in the over the top, Lady Gaga, world but sometimes less is more. That's not to say that there aren't some pretty spiffy, wild logos out there! If you've got an idea that seems a little wild and out there, sometimes you just have to go for it.

Plenty of people completely skip the branding process of their business. In my opinion, this is a risky step, a step even myself took. My eyes were opened when a client I worked with a few months back told me she couldn't remember which designer I was but she remembered my cards had a chevron pattern. Did I want to be remembered as "the chevron designer?" As much as I love those fancy chevron patterns, I want Fancy Designs to stand alone, in a simplistic way. It was the final straw. I already had the building blocks together, I just had to put it all together and stop changing it, and I put it together within a few seconds. If you know anything about me or my work, you know that these 3 elements, 2 fonts, and a little bird have shown up as my "logo" more times than I can count, but never put together so well. It took me 3 seconds to go from "chevron designer" back to FANCY DESIGNS. Branding really is important, you don't want to be forgotten.

Of course, skipping branding altogether probably seems like the biggest offense, I think it pales in comparison to BAD BRANDING. I've had people ask me to "make me a brand like hers." That has to be the biggest mistake. Building YOUR brand based off someone else's. Just because their brand is successful for them, does not guarantee it is going to be the same for you. It works for them because it's THEIRS. I think the second thing would be BUTTERFLIES. I must get 3 logos a month where their only concern is, "Can there be a butterfly." I have no idea what happened or how butterflies became the butter on the bread of a logo, but butterflies have got to go. (If you have a butterfly logo, I'm not trying to be a bully, I'm sure it's lovely, I'm 3 parts serious to my every 10 parts full of the sillies.) Colors are also an issue for a lot of people. I either get a lot of, "I don't know, you pick." or "Can it be red, green, orange, purple, and black? And make it pretty." I think sticking with simple but eye catching colors is a good way to go whether you are clueless as to what color you want or you just can't pick and want to use them all. You can always look at ideas to how you plan to package/sell your goods, services, etc. and choose colors accordingly. If you sell a lot of colorful fabric, then a lot of colors will fit you. If you're selling a lot of neutral toned products, less is more.
Want to get 15% off your graphic design needs? Mention that you found Fancy Designs through Sweet Stella's and get a friendly face discount!

Email Ashley at ashley@fancy-designs.net