Blog
Branding, explained
in plain words.
Which logo file goes to the printer, why your brand color has three codes, what a brand guide is for. Answers from the questions clients ask me mid-project, written for people who aren’t designers.
Color
Can people actually read your brand colors?
Some brand color pairs look great and can't be read. What contrast ratio means, the WCAG numbers to aim for, and how a brand guide settles it.
How many colors does a brand need?
Two colors run out by the third week of posts. How a palette is built from main colors, supporting colors, tints and neutrals, and how many is enough.
Why your brand color has three codes: HEX, RGB and CMYK
RGB and HEX are for screens, CMYK is for print. What each code does, when RGB alone is enough, and why the printed color can come back duller.
Logo
Logo variations: what they are and why you need more than one
One logo can't fit a profile picture, a wide banner and an embroidered shirt. The standard logo variations, what each is for, and which ones you need.
What a logo can hide: details only your business would have
A butterfly that's also a pelvis, a speech bubble dipped in coffee. Where a logo's details come from, and why a specific mark is easier to remember.
Which logo goes on which background?
How to pick the right logo version for light, dark, colored and photo backgrounds, and the mistakes that make a logo hard to see.
Files and guides
Logo file formats explained: PNG, JPG, SVG, PDF and EPS
Which logo file goes to the printer, the embroidery shop, Canva or a developer. What PNG, JPG, SVG, PDF and EPS each do, and why a JPG has a white box.
Vector vs. pixel: why your logo needs to scale
Why a vector logo stays sharp from a favicon to a billboard, why a pixel logo goes blurry, and what "can you send it bigger?" really means.
What goes in a brand guide, and who it's really for
A brand guide isn't a rulebook for the owner. It's for the freelancer, the printer and the new assistant. What goes in one, and how it gets used.
Type and photos
Free fonts vs. licensed fonts: what a small business should know
Why a team making its own posts often does better with a free Google font, what a font license covers, and what to ask before you pick a typeface.
Your photos are part of your brand
A post can look off because of the photo alone. How to choose or shoot photos that sit with your palette, and what stock photo licenses allow.
Working together
Brand Kit vs. Media Kit: which one do you need first?
A Brand Kit is your logo, colors, type and guide. A Media Kit is Canva templates built on them. What each includes and which one comes first.
What the brand questionnaire is for
Every branding project starts with a questionnaire. What it asks, why the answers set the visual direction rather than a designer's taste.
Why every logo starts as a sketch
Sketch first, vector last. Why hand-drawing is the fastest way to find a logo idea, how a sketch becomes a vector file, and what AI and stock marks skip.
Templates
How many social media templates does a small business need?
Fewer than a template shop suggests. Count the kinds of posts you put out, not the sizes Instagram offers, and build one template for each.
What is a design grid, and why do templates need one?
A design grid fixes where the logo, type and photos go, so a post can change its words and still look like the brand. What a grid holds and leaves open.
Have a project in mind?
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