The holiday season always sneaks up on me and this year is no exception. I spend most of November thinking that it’s still September and after nearly 4 years of business, I keep hoping that I’ve learn my lesson but every year I put off my Holiday to-do list until December… So if you’re like me and have left your holiday planning to the last minute (yet again!), here are three ways to prepare your business for the holiday season.

I’m so pleased to share that my design for The Horti House is being featured in the Designrush article “The Best Green Logo Designs”. The Horti House project has been so rewarding and this is just the cherry on top. We worked together on a modern and refined logo mark that combines the imagery of their eco-friendly greenhouses, plants and forward arrow to communicate the speed of their delivery. The brand was then paired with a rich set of colours that would compliment the green of the plants that they sell and be able to be used across all of their marketing materials and assets.

What are my thoughts on AI and design? There's been lots of buzz recently about new AI image generators, using ChatGPT for written content and platforms like Squarespace letting you use AI for website content. For me, AI is good fun. I'm really impressed with the designers who use it as a cool tool for creating illustrations and imagery. but can designers utilise AI in another way? and how should I be using AI as a designer?

When I work with clients, there’s always an element of problem solving. We take your brand values, where you want to be and how you want to communicate your business and create a strategy that hits all those notes (and that you love!). In this blog post, I’m sharing all my secrets on how to make your brand more fun, how to make your logos more high end and premium, and lastly how to make sure your brand is as clear as it can possibly be!

2022 was a great year for so many reasons. I worked with amazing clients on a range of lovely and rewarding projects. I worked with a wonderful design coach that really helped perfect my process. I was able to plant 64 trees on behalf of my clients. So, to celebrate such a lovely year, I wanted to pull together a blog post of highlights, things I’ve learnt and things I want to continue to do as we move into 2023.

What do all of these things have in common?

• Increase your client base

• Provide value to your existing customers

• Diversify your reach

• Increase your google search ranking

• Make income through affiliate marketing

It’s really simple and easy to blog on Squarespace, but there are a few things that unless you’ve used it for a while (or watched lots of youtube tutorials) you might not be aware of - and which will make a big difference to your ability to maximise all the benefits of blogging.

These are the things we’re covering today - the things to do before you press publish on your Squarespace blog.

Colour is a really satisfying part of the design process, but there’s a lot to consider when choosing your brand’s colour palette. Colour is usually the first thing a viewer notices about your brand so this means your colours need to be reflective of your business and communicate your values quickly. This blog talks about how to choose a colour palette for your business, My formula for choosing perfect, flexible colour palette and where to find inspiration.

• Putting your palette to the test

It will hopefully come as no surprise to you that although I love my business, love my clients and the work I do, I still need to find motivation on a day to day basis. I believe that our brains are wired to go down the easy path so when I arrive at my desk and write out my daily to-do list, I often choose the tasks that are the easiest to fulfill and the work that I’m enjoying the most first. Then everything else needs a bit of a push.

In part, this post will help me process this milestone and give me something to look back to on my next birthday - but I also hope that I can help you with your own businesses or help anyone that is looking to go Freelance. So, before I jump into my top lessons that I’ve learnt this year, I just wanted to say a quick thank you to every client who has trusted me with their business and continue to recommend me to their peers. I see you and I am so appreciative!

So what is artworking? Artworking is a hugely important part of the design process. When you artwork you take your design and perfect and finalise the design, outline to ensure that the design cannot be changed by accident and you take extra steps to ensure that designers who take a look at your work in the future can understand it…

The name comes from the manufacturing method ‘Batch Production’, where companies create similar products in batches in order to save time. Batch tasking works exactly the same. Choosing tasks that naturally go together and then dedicating a set time to them every week, similar to a school timetable…

My branding and logo design packages are a carefully designed three step process based on my experience as an agency designer.

I love this process as it allows structure and predictability, while also giving the client flexibility and the chance to really understand every step and how the brand will shape their business…

This year I’m going full steam ahead in gift giving - making sure that I connect with my family from all the way over here and making sure that I can get presents sent directly to them rather than sent internationally so I can keep my carbon footprint down…

In this blog post, I talk about taking time out to reset, create boundaries in your business, Learning hour and how learning something new can help your business. And finally, routines that I follow to keep my studio space and headspace clear…

It’s important to remember that it’s often the first time a customer gets to see your branding outside of the internet. So the moment when a customer unboxes your product is so crucial. In this blog post, I cover why packaging is important, how to create a connection and communicate your brand through packaging. Then finally, budget friendly tips to for your packaging design…

I recently rebranded Begin. What a ride! Here I’ll discuss what let me to rebrand my business. Why my previous branding wasn’t for me. The creative process that I go through whenever I work on a logo and branding project. And finally, how I came to a decision. What influenced me and how my new brand aligns with my vision…

To make your brand the very best it can be, I’ve pulled together a list of the essentials for any small business. Then make plans to continue growing your brand as you grow your business. I’ve broken this down into three key sections, brand building, brand design and brand assets…