When entrepreneur Hannah Kates couldn’t find the clarity to build her brand, she knew she needed help. Searching and struggling to find words that communicated her vision for her new business felt difficult enough without any idea about how this would translate into a visual identity. Learn more about the branding process and how I helped Hannah express her vision clearly and build a brand that helped her feel more confident, excited, and proud of her new business.
A Woman With a Vision
Hannah Kates founded LoftHouse Publishing in an industry that men have long dominated. Her vision was to create a means to allow more women to share their stories with other women. “Women’s voices need to be celebrated. We’re connecting authors to readers – and readers to authors.” This is what sets Lofthouse apart from other publishing houses.
But, when Hannah and I first met through the Leading Ladies Ambassadors program, she had a very basic website that was not accurately representing her brand values. “We want our authors to feel special and held, and we needed a website that conveyed all of that.”
Traditional publishing can be a challenging way to go. As an unknown author, you don’t just knock on the door of one of the top five. You cannot even approach them unless you have a literary agent. “Their systems are outdated.”
Self-publishing has gained more popularity, but even this route is not a sure thing. Authors have to do everything themselves, including designing, formatting, and marketing their books.
This is where LoftHouse Publishing fills the void between traditional publishing and self-publishing.
With years of experience in the field, Hannah and her team make it easier for women to be published with lower barriers and thus pave the way for more female voices to be heard in the literary world.
Building a Publisher Brand
With years of experience in the field, Hannah and her team make it easier for women to be published with lower barriers and thus pave the way for more female voices to be heard in the literary world.
But the first LoftHouse website did not accurately reflect its brand vision or values. It was clunky, disorganized, and had a very masculine vibe. Hannah knew something was off but wasn’t sure what exactly needed to change.
She felt lost, unsure of what direction to take her business in and who she could hire to help. So when we met and started chatting, it became obvious to me that Hannah had skipped ahead like many other entrepreneurs do and took action without a clear plan. She had a vision for her business but no strategy of how to get there.
I told Hannah that she needed to take some time to think about what her brand stands for and why people should care about it. What problem does it solve? How will you reach your audience? What are their needs and wants?
Strategy Before Design
When we started The Brand Glow Up! process a month later, Hannah was still unsure how to articulate her vision. “There was a lot of back and forth, and I had no clear direction. Lena helped me understand that, as the visionary, I needed to give her direction.”
My true genius and expertise are in digging deep below the surface, and it’s essential to a successful outcome in the branding process. During our 90-minute Brand Radiance Activator strategy session, I prompted and walked her through questions that forced Hannah to verbalize her vision.
“Ultimately, she took my vision and made it into something above and beyond anything I could have imagined.”
This step in the brand development process is the foundation for everything else, so it’s crucial to get it right. Every step of the way, Lena asked the tough questions so that Hannah could feel increasingly confident in her role as the visionary of her business.
“From the moment I met her, I knew Lena was the professional I needed to bring my ideas to life. She asked the right questions, dove deep into the whys behind what I’d envisioned, and helped me pin down the mission and values of my message.”
The Brand Glow Up! Brand Development Process
Following our brainstorming and strategy session, I got to work. The first step was to build a mood board with photo inspiration to be sure I was on the right track because communication is a huge part of this process’s success. Before proceeding with the logo conceptualization, custom color palette, custom fonts, and, finally, the personalized style guide.
The resulting LoftHouse brand has a clean look that combines elements of old and new, feminine energy mixed with strength, and delicacy mixed with power. The logo is a strong, modern sans serif with a nod to the past with its vintage-inspired details. The LoftHouse brand color palette is delicate and soft with low contrast for a traditional feeling that fits well with the elegant script and covers of classic literary works and the typefaces are a perfect balance of traditional printing style meets modern elegance.
“I not only ended up with a beautiful branding package, I understood my own messaging and outreach on a deeper, more articulate level. That flowed into my website copy, social media, and advertising campaigns… The response and success I’ve seen working with Lena Designs Studio has been nothing short of incredible.”
Your Brand Transformation
Working together with a branding expert can bring tons of value to your business. When you’re ready to hire a designer, make sure that person understands your business and can help grow it with a strategic plan. If you approach rebranding in this way, your transformation will be a success.
Ready for your own transformation? Find out how to take the first steps here: www.lenadesigns.studio/how-it-works
