As many of you know we are in the process of moving from South Carolina to Maryland (with an extended layover in Virginia). Through this process of preparing to relaunch my business in a new state I have decided that I needed to do some re-branding. In the past I haven’t really had a “brand” for my business, but that is all changing!

I have taken the advice of some other photographers and have decided to try to and really streamline the look of my business. This is going to include everything print related as well as how things look digitally. This is a very exciting time for me as I will not be taking on many sessions at all this summer and it rally gives me time to take my branding to where I want it to be.

I started with a complete overhaul of my website which launched not too long ago, and y’all, I couldn’t be happier with the look of it. I also switched from giving discs to every client from their Portrait session to delivering images digitally via PASS. This private gallery has really allowed me to continue my branding with how my images are delivered even though they are delivered digitally.

Finally this re-branding process has allowed me to figure out how I wanted to physically deliver products to my clients, primarily Wedding and Birth clients.  I have been able to pick pieces that blended modern aspects I liked with the delicate and rustic pieces I loved so much.  I have decided to keep the colors and feel of this branding process fairly simple.   I knew I wanted to blend a softer color like pink with the more rustic and modern touches of burlap, lace, galvanized metal and crisp whites.  I pulled inspiration from Pinterest and some of my favorite pieces in my home and when resulted is a brand look that I love!

I have always leaned more toward the DIY way of doing things so I decided to buy a lot of my supplies and then hand stamp and letter my stationary. I also like to make each one of my packages personal, whether that be with a custom piece or with a monogram.

If you are looking into branding your small business I have a couple tips, that I used myself, to help make the process a little more streamline.  First, look at Pinterest.  Make a board, mine is a secret board, dedicated to your brand aesthetic. Pin thinks from home decor, fashion, florals and other things that inspire you or that you are drawn to.  I began to see a theme and pattern within my pins.  Once you have that pick your favorite 15-20 pins and look to see what colors from those most appeal to you, you will probably see a theme and your colors will most likely naturally look good together.  Once you have decided on your colors you can then decide which you want to be your main color (mine was a darker pink) and which to be your accent colors (for me this was the browns, white and metals).  I also found a designer on Etsy that make my logo for me.

The end result is a brand Aesthetic that I think suits my style very well.  I lean more toward the modern-rustic look within my home so it naturally carried over into my business. If you are looking to do your own branding I encourage you to jump in and take the plunge, you never know where you will find your inspiration!

Stamps- www.rubberstamps.net

Paperclips and Doilies- Hobby Lobby

Burlap Bags- Hobby Lobby

Business Cards- www.zazzle.com