No. 4 — A sizzle not a bang
A hiatus after high expectations. What exactly you need to make your draft business a reality, a new brand and design news you might have missed.
Ever had one of those years that doesn't kick off as planned? You envision a high -energy start, but instead, it just... fizzles out. That's exactly how my new year began. I had grand plans, but life (and my body) had its own agenda, throwing in a few unexpected twists and turns. No matter how much you plan and schedule and get excited and hyped for that new year - it can all just turn into a sudden sizzle. My sizzle came unexpectedly (after what I thought was a good old regular flu episode). Cue a lovely few weeks out of commission, contemplating everything in my life and seeing my priorities completely shift.
Coming back after that felt (and still feels) a bit off. It also feels as if I have missed the boat? Missed that high-energy start of the year. That new kickoff energy you feed off for a couple of months when you are full of good intentions and excitement. You know what I mean? But after weeks of mulling, I am regrouping and getting out of my head.
Having all that time to think, I realised we put so much pressure on new starts, while every moment could be a new start. “I haven’t posted on social in months, now I need to reintroduce myself”, “I’ll start on Monday”, “Oh, I was going to start at 10 AM, but I missed it, so let’s wait until 11 AM” - so many excuses and so much pressure gets put on that new start. Waiting for the perfect moment? It doesn’t exist. Let me repeat: IT DOES NOT EXIST.
When you’re done waiting for the right moment: How design can kickstart your business.
Now, how can I bridge this topic into your business and design? There’s a couple of ways I can talk about it: “Future proofing your business” “Designing with adaptability in mind”, “When your brands launch sizzles out”. There are multiple angles I can pull this through, but I think I want to look at this from another one. The angle of: “If-my-life-were-to-be-turned-upside-down-and-my-priorities-shift-and-I’m-done-waiting-for-the-perfect-time-and-want-to-start-my-business-now” angle. I know, a mouthful. But this is where the ‘fork it’ spirit has moved me.
So, what if you’re done waiting for the perfect time and want to start that business you’ve been dreaming about, even if life feels all over the place right now? What if your priorities have shifted and you’re ready to go for it, not because everything’s perfectly aligned, but because you’re ready to make things happen despite the chaos?
Here’s your step-by-step guide on ‘How to get ready to take that leap and use design to kickstart that business that has been a draft in your head.’ (Working title)
Get out of your head. If you are like me, you want everything to be perfect before you get going. *Buzzer sound* wrong. Get out of your head. You are already more prepared than you think.
Find your focus
Get clear on your business. Ask yourself
Why? Yes you want to have your own business and be your own boss and make more money - those are all valid reasons - but why is it this business? Why do you want to start it now? Why is it people will come to you or work with you? What makes you excited about what you’re doing? Your why is more important than your what. (Simon Sinek has a great Ted Talk video on this).
What’s your product or service?
Who is it for? (Your ideal customer)
Write all of this down! It’s your foundation, and you’ll keep coming back to it as you refine and figure out exactly who your business is.
Create your brand basics: Look you might not have the budget to get your branding done by a designer - understood. Other things take priority - understood. But hear me out: branding doesn’t have to be complicated. Focus on the essentials:
Name & tagline: Choose something that feels right and captures the essence of your business. Hot tip: Your name does not need to refer to anything your business does.
Visual identity: Pick 2-3 colors and 1-2 fonts that reflect your business. Tools like Canva are great for this if you’re DIYing, and create a logo (not in Canva!) – even if it’s just a text-based one to start. Brands evolve and change over time, so it doesn’t need to be perfect to begin with.
Brand voice: Think about how you want to sound. Friendly? Expert? Down-to-earth? It all matters. See how I write these newsletters? They’re the same as my social posts and are more like a friend chatting over coffee than a teacher breaking down difficult topics or a finance bro selling his newest crypto scam.
Build your starter kit: Here’s where your design choices come to life. Whether you’re a service or product-based business, you need:
Social profiles: Set up Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn - wherever your audience is. Keep your visuals consistent with your brand basics.
A simple website or landing page: Even a one-page site that says who you are, what you do, and how to reach you is enough to start. And let’s be real, would you trust a business without a website?
Product visuals (for product-based businesses): Show your product in its best light. Think: simple packaging designs, labels, or mockups. Even quick product photos or prototypes will do. Got a product? Take it outside, snap photos in natural light, or get creative at home!
Marketing materials: Make a few social media templates (or just 1!) or visuals you can reuse. Consistency is key, but don’t overthink it.
Launch messy, refine later: You’re never going to feel totally ready. So just put yourself out there, even if it feels cringe (do the kids still say that?). Share your brand, get feedback, and adjust as you go. Progress over perfection.
Stay adaptable: As your business grows, your brand will need to grow with it. Which is a good thing! Keep refining, improving, and evolving. The most important thing? You started. And be honest, that’s the hardest part ;)
The truth is, there’s no perfect moment to launch a business or brand. It will always feel a little messy and unfinished. But taking action, even imperfect, is what makes the dream real. Get that idea out of your head and stop waiting until everything aligns! If you need someone to chat about it, I would LOVE to hear your idea!
What I’ve been doing
Except for recovering, I have not been up to much. I have been reading, slowly DIY’ing (I am so done with unfinished projects staring me in the face), taking myself on museum dates, and steadily getting back into designing.
New brand alert: Decoded Futures
Before I took my hiatus, I wrapped up a project with tech:NYC to create a brand for their new venture: Decoded Futures. It’s an amazing initiative focused on helping nonprofit organizations understand and use AI - because let’s be real, the nonprofit sector isn’t exactly known for keeping up with the latest tech. They’re offering cohorts, networks, and research reports to bridge that gap and make AI more accessible.
Now, about the branding. This was a fast-paced, all-hands-on-deck project (we’re talking a two-week turnaround). The goal was to create something modern and future-forward that actually stood out from the sea of accelerators and tech companies out there.
The custom wordmark was all about balancing sharpness and softness. The type is crisp and clean on the outside, but if you look closely, you’ll see rounded corners on the inside of some of the letters. That little detail? It’s all about combining the welcoming, community-focused mission with their forward-thinking goals.
We also wanted a subtle nod to the whole idea of decoding and making information clearer. What better way than to play with pixels to give that futuristic, “things are starting to make sense” feeling? The design is kept minimal and clean, but that pixel effect adds just the right amount of energy. Plus, it’s a super versatile visual asset for future marketing materials and merch. (Seriously, have you seen it on a tote bag? Chef’s kiss.)
But wait, there’s more! Decoded Futures was also publishing their report: ‘AI Adoption in NYC Education and Workforce Nonprofits: Challenges and Opportunities’ and needed the brand applied to that piece, too. And I have to say, working on this reminded me how much I love editorial design. Pulling through the branding in the document and making sure all the data and graphs felt cohesive and on-brand? Loved every minute of it.
You can check out the report here - it’s genuinely interesting and also looks pretty nice (I wonder who did the design 😉). I’ll upload the project to my folio soon so keep an eye out!
Branding news you need to know: Poppi & Pepsico
For my US readers, have you heard one of the biggest rebrand success stories of the month? Poppi, the prebiotic soda brand, just got bought by PepsiCo for a staggering $1.95 billion. Yes, BBBBBillion. And it’s quite the story.
Originally called 'Mother,' Poppi started as a health-focused soda brand with a mission to make gut health fun and approachable. But here’s the thing - their branding wasn’t quite hitting the mark. It was something they threw together just to get going, and it wasn’t legally protectable either. So, after their appearance on Shark Tank in 2018, co-founder Allison Ellsworth decided it was time for a rebrand.
She spent 8 months rethinking everything: their positioning, their tone of voice, their visuals - the entire brand identity. And when the refreshed Poppi launched in 2020, it came out swinging. The branding was playful, colorful, and completely different from the typical sterile health product look. The result? Poppi tripled their sales, became a bestseller on Amazon, outselling Pepsi and Coca-Cola. It’s proof that having a strong, memorable brand can be a game-changer for your business.
Here’s what Allison Ellsworth, Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer of Poppi, said about their rebrand and branding in general on the Female Startup Club podcast:
The lesson here? Maybe don’t look at branding as the last thing on your list. It’s an investment, but it does do a lot of the heavy lifting.
Want your own Poppi-style success story? It starts with building a brand that truly reflects your vision. And there’s no better time to start than now.
Inspiration & Creation
Some of the things that brought me joy & inspiration.
That was it for this month. Let me know if you like this format, would like to see something else or have any questions for me. See you next month, or let’s chat on Instagram!
Nice reflections on life's ratrace and how to escape it, good teaching on design and branding and why it is important