It’s our 20th episode, troupe!!
And what better way to celebrate this milestone than with a good ol’ fashioned Q&A, straight from you? This past week, I opened the virtual curtain and invited you to toss your boldest, most chaotic, and curiously specific brand questions into the ring… and let’s just say, you delivered.
In this solo episode, I’m answering everything from how to build a brand people remember, how to spot (and fix) invisible disconnects that are quietly repelling your dream clients, and what to do when your DMs are quiet but your to-do list is full.
Q: How can we show ourselves as an example of our offers to practice what we preach?
You've seen this advice everywhere, right? Use yourself as the transformation. Be your own case study. And sure, that works beautifully for some service providers — nutrition coaches, financial consultants, launching experts. But what if you can't be your own client?
Let's say you design custom jewelry. You can't exactly show a before-and-after of how your process transformed you. And that's okay. You don't need a rags-to-riches storyline to practice what you preach.
Instead, be the face of your brand. When we can associate a brand with a real person, we connect to it more deeply. We see someone who believes in the process, even if they're not the case study themselves.
If you can't show how you live your own process, lean on your clients. How do they show up during the transformation? What's their before and after? Share case studies, testimonials, different scenarios that show your offer working for different types of people.
And if you don't have clients yet? Talk about why your offer exists. Why did you create it this way? What transformation does it provide? Where is your client now, and where can they go? Your brand foundations — your messaging, values, content themes — will do a great deal here.
Show yourself as the face of the brand and speak to why the offer exists the way it does. That's proof enough.
Q: If haters are a sign of success and relevance, how can we build our brands to that level?
This one instantly reminded me of that Jessica Walsh quote: "If no one hates it, no one really loves it."
I get the sentiment. Your brand should evoke emotion. It should repel some people because you're not for everyone. But I don't think you need to actively seek out haters or go viral with hot takes to be taken seriously.
Visibility is crucial — you need eyes on your brand to make sales. But you don't need hate. You don't need to be polarising for the sake of it. Honestly, that strategy is getting boring. Everyone has a spicy opinion these days, and most of them aren't that spicy.
Instead of seeking external validation through haters, look inwards. Seek out the opinions you actually have. Figure out where you go against industry standards — not to be controversial, but to clarify your own positioning.
Instead of asking "What do I do differently from others in my industry?" (which makes you feel like you're not different at all), ask "Where do I go against my industry standards?" That negative framing helps you see the gaps more clearly.
Make peace with being not for everyone. Use that fuel to sharpen your brand messaging and work on your audience and positioning. But don't chase haters. Chase clarity!
Q: How does one think of a brand theme that lives rent-free in people's heads long after they've seen us?
I love this question because themes are kind of my thing. The whole circus ringleader situation is a theme, and it has nothing to do with design — yet it's woven through everything I do.
Themes work when they're visual, conceptual, and have legs. Meaning you can pull from them in multiple ways: your offers, your graphics, your language, your website details.
For me, I'm the Brand Designer & Ringleader. I use circus emojis everywhere. My website menu has scalloped graphics that nod to circus tents. My whole brand language blends design with circus terminology. What some might see as a constraint actually helps me be more creative because I have a filter for everything new I create.
Here's how to find your own theme: don't force it. Work backwards. Start with what you do differently, what you want to be known for. Then see if there's a theme that naturally connects.
I started with my passion for bold colour and worked backwards to the circus. My client Adrienne started with her love of brunch and Puerto Rican culture, and we built her summer brunch theme from there. Her core offer became the Sunny Side Launch. Her newsletter: Sounds Like Brunch.
The theme itself can only come together once you know what you want to be known for and you've nailed your brand personality. Then you bring it alive through visuals, naming, descriptions, and your brand language.
Q: I have to tweak my website, client forms and documents to align them with my brand. Where should I start?
After a rebrand, the implementation phase can feel overwhelming fast. You start listing all the assets and touchpoints that need updating and suddenly you're drowning.
Two approaches here:
My recommendation is to make the massive overwhelming list anyway (so you don't forget anything), then prioritise using one of those two approaches. You're always going to be adding to that list, and you don't want version 1 of your brand living on some things while version 2 lives everywhere else.
There will be a limbo period. That's normal. But use it as an opportunity to show behind-the-scenes content. Talk about what you're updating and why. When you're implementing your new brand on your newsletter, that's a chance to talk about your newsletter and get new signups.
Think of it not just as a to-do list, but as a chance to talk about your stuff in a new way.
Q: I'm very different from my industry, and it's been a month without sales. What am I doing wrong?
First: you're not alone. So many people come to me when they're experiencing a dip, stagnation, or zero sales. But I want to be clear — it's not you being different that's the issue.
No matter how different you are, a month without sales could be due to a lot of things. And it usually starts with foundational stuff: clarity, positioning, and trust.
Here's where to look:
Ask yourself:
Check for those disconnects. Sometimes I'll see someone mention a service on Stories, but then I go to their website and can't find a link. Or the service is named differently. Or the price doesn't match. That creates confusion, and confusion kills sales.
There is such a thing as being too different, but that's rarely the case. Usually, you're just not clear enough. And that's where the confusion comes from.
Being different when you're clear is actually where the richest sales come from.
Q: How can I create a world where everything communicates and reinforces what I do to my audience?
At first, I thought this was similar to brand theming. But actually, this is a really good definition of what branding is.
Creating a world where everything communicates and reinforces what you do — that's literally what building a brand is. It's aligned visuals, repeatable language, a consistent mood and tone, a cohesive client experience. It's looking at every single touchpoint and asking: am I being me here? Is my brand consistent across all pathways my clients take to get to know me?
Your brand identity plays a huge part in how people view and relate to your brand. But so does your language and messaging.
If you're starting from scratch, consider theming (but you don't have to). Start by creating a brand mood board — Pinterest is great for this. Ask yourself brand personality questions:
Try to envision your brand as a separate person that might be as close or as distant from you as you want. When you can visualise this, you can start building the world and associating your brand personality with a particular aesthetic.
But like, this is literally what I do as a brand designer. So if you want help, hit me up!
Q: I can't seem to find what's unique, relatable, or timeless about my brand. Any tips?
Okay, juicy one. Several thoughts here.
If you really can't find anything else, at the very least, what's unique about your brand is you. What's relatable about your brand is also you — your story, where you come from, the experiences you've had. That's why bringing the person back to your brand makes such a difference. It instantly creates connection points.
Now, the timeless piece is where I got hung up. Do we need all brands to be timeless? And do we even know when we create them if they'll be timeless or not?
Some brands aren't made to be timeless from the start. Pop-up shops have deadlines. They're designed to end. So ask yourself: do you actually want to be timeless?
If by timeless you mean the typical "timeless aesthetic," I'd beg to disagree. It's like the wedding photo argument — people want their wedding to look timeless so when they look back 40 years from now, it doesn't feel dated. But that's impossible. We're products of where and when we live.
You can't build a brand today and not touch it for 10-20 years. Even Coca-Cola and McDonald's have had to evolve their brands over the years. Their logos might stay recognisable, but everything else — their copy, signage, marketing strategy — has changed.
So here's what I know: there is something unique and relatable about your brand. To find it, don't poll your audience asking what words come to mind when they think of you. Instead, search for actual things previous clients and community members have said about you.
Look through DMs, client onboarding and off-boarding forms, testimonials. How are they talking about your brand? What did they like most? Why did they choose you over someone else?
Look for recurring patterns and themes in your work, your stories, the type of people who always come back to you. It might be a personality trait in the people you work with, or language you naturally use that others don't.
It's hard to answer "what makes me different?" So flip it: where do you not relate to what everybody else is doing? Or let your audience's exact words show you what makes you special. That's gold when you're working out your brand.
That's all the questions for this milestone episode. My brain got a workout in the best way possible, and I'm thinking I might do this again at episode 50. What do you think?
Until then, remember: every Tuesday on my Stories, I open a question box called Your Big Top Questions where you can ask me literally anything about branding, design, content creation, website design, running a business, or what I had for lunch. Everything's fair game.
See you at the next show!
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This episode was co-produced with Adrienne Cruz.
Over the last 5 years as a Brand & Marketing Designer, I’ve helped freaks like us design their unconventional brands so they can step onto the main stage & own their weird. Because if you wanted to be, look or sound like everyone else, you wouldn’t be where you are today. Now it’s your turn.
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