My special sauce: finding clarity.
What does creating a brand really mean for my business?
The word “brand” conjures up something mystical—you know you need it, but what is it really? There is a lot of advice out there, and it’s confusing! Let’s clarify.
Every experience a person has with your business is part of their perception of your “brand”: who you are, what you stand for, and how you make their life better. Part of this all-encompassing experience with your brand includes your visual branding. Your logo, colors, typography, photos, graphics (plus your website, promotional materials, and the tone of your marketing) are the essential building blocks of an overall brand that support your business and should resonate with your clients.
When done strategically, branding sets the stage, makes it easy for people to engage with you, and deepens their relationship with you in each interaction—ultimately building trust.
It’s important to me that your visual branding authentically represents you—and works to create that ongoing connection with your clients.
Strategy is our best friend.
Design coupled with strategy and stellar content works like a charm. It’s not about simply looking good—although looking good matters—it’s something more. Strategic design is about creating a connection and a user experience, all for a specific purpose.
In terms of marketing it starts with some questions: Why am I doing this? Why will this matter to my clients? Simply put, we keep the end result in mind when we’re at the beginning, and we use that desired result to guide our decisions along the way. Without a specific purpose, projects and people become confused. The results in this case? Less than amazing.
Often we want to dive right in and get to the end without figuring out the “why,” but no amount of decoration can make up for lack of substance and direction; gosh I wish it could sometimes! Research and a little soul searching are a part of the process, but it’s totally worth it. The happy result will be a brand/website that actually works for you.
Polish: you know it when you see it.
Polish is something that you can’t necessarily put your finger on—it just feels different, better. Polish sets you apart. It’s the refinement, the tweaking, the finesse—the special details that take your something from good to great, the cherry on top. These visual nuances create a feeling that can elevate your brand…in a way your clients will perceive (even if they can’t put their finger on exactly what it is).
Polish comes into play when combining and refining lots of little elements (from the strategy, and writing, to the visual and technical)—to result in something special. A polished website for you will look very different from a polished website for someone else. A unique approach and attention to detail will go a long way in helping you to create a better experience for your clients.
Almost there isn’t good enough. The last little bit of refining is liquid gold. In our work together, refinements and tweaks are part of the process.
Custom web design: the online wind beneath your wings, oh yes.
A website, your “storefront” online, is an extension of your brand. A really important one. Of course there are many ways to approach marketing, and you may not be able to do them all—but one area I don’t think anyone can afford to ignore is their website. When designed strategically and beautifully, it is the most cost-effective “advertising” you’ll ever do.
Even if you use a pre-designed template, it’s a shell. It cannot tell you what visuals, content or strategy to implement. It can’t do anything in particular on its own; it is just a starting point with some basic elements. A custom and strategic website is designed specifically for you, to help you accomplish specific goals.
While I care about good design for its own sake—design ultimately serves a bigger purpose: to create an experience that resonates with your clients and directs them to do something. Through on-point branding and content, your website can speak your clients’ language, anticipate their needs, and offer a clear solution—doing some heavy lifting for you. I’d love to help distill and translate your goals into a design that works simply and seamlessly to connect you with your clients.
Web Development: translating the design seamlessly online.
For a website to go from the design phase to being functional online, it needs to be developed. This is the behind-the-scenes process of translating the design into an actual WordPress website that lives online, works for your business, and can grow with you. It involves code, a lot of details, technical knowledge (HTML, PHP, CSS, etc.), styling, tweaking, testing, content organization and meta-data.
There is a right way—and a wrong way to do this! When the development phase is done properly, your site will load quickly (so people don’t click away). It will be responsive, meaning it will look great for every person who sees it, no matter what their device, screen size or operating system. It will incorporate best practices for SEO (Search Engine Optimization), which will help Google find you and rank you higher, meaning more visibility to potential clients. And it will ensure people have the best experience on your site: things flow properly throughout their experience whether that means social media integration, or utilizing services like MailChimp, scheduling apps, dynamic forms, and more advanced features depending on your needs.
These things don’t happen automatically; there are design, content, and back-end considerations and modifications needed, and a great site requires thorough testing—all of which we are well-equipped to handle.
Crafted Branding
This package is for you if you are a stallion and need to look like one. Brand visuals that will set the tone for all of your communication, from your website to marketing materials.Timeline 4-6 weeks.
- Kick-off Strategy Session
- Market Research
- Primary Logo/wordmark
- Supporting Brand Elements
- Business Card Design
- Letterhead (or similar)
- Social Media, LinkedIn & Email Signature Graphics
- Mini Brand Style Guide
- Brand Quick Reference Sheet
STARTING AT
$4500
(3 payments of $1500)
Custom Website
You’re unique, and your website will be too. A strategic online presence that will help you break free from the pack. Timeline 8-12 weeks.
- Kick-off Strategy Session
- Market Research
- Design/content Strategy
- Custom Website Design
- Responsive WordPress Development
- Personalized WordPress Training
STARTING AT
$7000
(3 payments of $2330)
Branding + Website
You want it all, and you’re going to get it. Plus a big hug from me. From all the visual details to each behind-the-scenes element, it will be crafted for you. Full cohesive branding and website. Timeline 12-14 weeks.
- Everything in the Crafted Branding package
- Everything in the Custom Website package
STARTING AT
$11,500
(3 payments of $3800)
Branding Add-ons
Now that you have your basic branding in place, let’s keep the mojo going and round out your brand:
- Promotional Piece Design
- Proposal or Presentation Template Design
- Signage or Environmental Graphics
- Blog or Social Media Post Style Template (define headline + image style)
- Custom Illustrations or Graphics
- Photo Art Direction
- Packaging
Prices vary by project.
Strategy Session
Not sure what to do with your branding or website? Need an objective view or someone to bounce ideas off of? This session is for you if you have some specific branding or website issues you’d like to discuss OR if you’re looking for insight about how to make small improvements. Even small incremental changes make an impact over time. My goal is to help you get a better vision for how to move forward and the steps to get there.
- 1.5 Hour Problem Solving Session
- Recommendations for improving your brand or website user experience
STARTING AT
$175
The strategy session fee can be applied to any of the packages above if you decide to work with me.
Content Marketing Add-ons
Content is anything you make for your audience to enjoy (articles, blog posts, videos, etc.) and it’s is a super way to keep an ongoing connection with prospective & current clients. Relevant content develops leads and sales. But don’t worry, it’s not swarmy—the goal is to offer something that your audience actually cares about and helps solve their problems, sound good?
- Email Newsletter Design– $750
Keep in touch with existing and potential clients, provide insight, and establish your expertise through valuable content. - Lead Generation Piece – $1200
A free report or guide is a great way to increase subscribers and build your contact list.
Website Maintenance
You put a lot of work into your site– we make sure updates keep it humming along, so your clients get the best experience. The security of your site is important, it needs to be monitored for threats and hackers (strangely enough this is a real problem). We’ll take care of those details so you can focus on your clients or enjoy some actual relaxation-time—imagine that?!
- Update WordPress, themes, plugins to the latest version
- Scan for malware + possible security issues
- Uptime monitoring (lets you know if your site is down or inaccessible because of a hosting problem)
- Confirm automatic backups are up and running
- Simple troubleshooting and fixes related to site maintenance
- Support within 2 business days (usually within a day)
- Visual check of the site to look for and resolve any new problems that may be caused by an update
$105/quarterly
Want someone else to take care of content updates for your website? Set up a monthly plan for $225 a month (includes up to 2 hours of content/design updates and regular website maintenance). If you just want the occasional design update, the hourly fee is $95.
FAQs
Is there anything I need to do before I reach out?
On our first (complimentary) phone call, these are the kind of questions I’m going to ask you:
-Who is your audience?
-What’s your special sauce?
-What are some of your specific goals?
No need to stress. If you’re not entirely sure, let’s talk it through together.
What does the process look like?
It starts with a conversation to see if we’re a good fit. If we are, the next step is a strategy call to talk about more specifics regarding your project. If you’ve seen my packages, you already have an idea of the pricing—but after the strategy call, you will receive a really specific estimate with pricing and timelines.
Each project is slightly different, but after we agree, the creative process looks something like this: 1) research & exploration, 2) sketches, 3) firmer direction, 4) rough design structure, 5) refinement and style, 6) production, 7) delivery & celebration!
I’m sold! What are the next steps?
I can’t wait to talk with you! Fill out my form to schedule a phone call.
How much time will my project take?
Branding normally takes 4-6 weeks while websites take 8-12. Smaller projects can take less time, and larger projects can take more; it really depends on what you need. After we talk, I can give you a more specific time frame.
Should I hire a writer?
Yes. If you are creating a website, I strongly recommend using a professional writer. Writing can influence design, and vice-versa—so having a writer involved from the beginning is ideal. Don’t know a great writer? I can recommend some. I can also include content-creation in your estimate to make things easier.
XOXO
“I love working with Sarah. She has created gorgeous marketing materials for my business, and has helped me establish my brand. I am always thrilled with her designs and impressed with her insight on ways I can improve my marketing.”
Let’s Chat
Set up a phone call and tell me a little bit about your project.
