“You might be too fancy, I don’t know if I can hang out with you anymore,” joked my partner’s stepdad after I pulled up to his back shop in my new-to-me “designer” car.

In fact, since buying my dad’s old car off him last week, I’ve gotten a lot of similar reactions.

Which is funny to me, considering it’s a 17-year-old car with 150k miles on it.

But the brand blinds people to that.

(And I'm not telling you this to brag - but because there is a HUGE lesson in branding here).

Branding determines and communicates perceived value. It’s the difference between Stickley and Ikea. The name alone is recognized and associated with how that brand looks and the value it communicates.

You can control the perceived value of your brand (which is why people rebrand). But that works both ways.

On one hand, You have to maintain the value of your brand by adding to, evolving, and maintaining the brand you already have.

Just like my dad, a total tech car guy who took great care of my car when it was his and even added upgrades over time (thanks for the backup cam and Apple CarPlay!) - you can maintain the value of your brand.

On the other hand, you can also decrease the perceived value of your brand when it's time to take it out of your designer's hands and into Canva.

The reality is that most self-employed entrepreneurs are in one of two boats:

1. You’ve gotten some help with your brand, but it’s up to you to manage and maintain it day-to-day, including creating social media designs (either with your DIY brand or a professionally designed one).
2. You have help with your brand, such as from a VA or Social Media Manager, but it’s up to you to maintain the creative direction and brand identity.

And sure, there are a select few in boat #3 where they have a designer like me on retainer to design all their social graphics, update their website, and design their newsletter for them (side note: I just opened a spot in my retainer offer Brand Bestie if this is the boat you’re trying to be in).

Butttttt…

There is a large majority of business owners like you who have been “figuring out” the design part of maintaining their brand’s perceived value on their own. One 3-hour-long carousel design at a time.

And my K-12 Art Education degree can promise you that no one ever taught you how to create conversion-friendly designs for social media in Canva.

Much less, how to utilize the brand someone else designed for you and create graphics that look like a designer did them.

So naturally, you risk taking value away from your brand if you’re creating sub-par designs that don’t look as professional as you want them to.

Maybe you’re wasting so much time trying to design for your brand that you never actually get around to finishing your content in the first place.

Or maybe you’ve got the basics of Canva down, but you want to get more creative with your designs and have your brand besties asking who you put on retainer (when really it’s just you).

Either way, this newsletter (and my 2D masterclass) is for you.

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3 Ways to Increase Your Brand's Perceived Value, Without a Total Rebrand

Brand positioning is what people think about your brand - a big part of that is its perceived value. This is where design and strategy overlap and support each other.

It's why people invest in brand identities, professional logos, and website designs. So you and your brand can be taken more seriously, look more legitimate, and ensure your online presence aligns with your pricing.

Value is a visual communication.

But what happens when your brand identity is handed over from the designer to you (or your VA or social media manager)?

Does what you design look "as good" as what your designer did? Do your social media graphics match the look of your website? Do you spend way too much time trying to get your branding to look right on carousels, newsletters, and DIY website pages? (You might as well ghost IG and brew that second—or third—cup of coffee right now 😵‍💫)

The difference between online business owners with a fine art & design background and those without comes down to understanding the principles of art & design.

It's honestly that simple.

These principles are the visual equivalent to grammar or copywriting formulas. And just as you can develop your brand voice to create more effective messaging and tell better stories, you can develop your brand's identity to communicate that same value.

HERE ARE THREE WAYS YOU CAN INCREASE YOUR BRAND’S PERCEIVED VALUE WITH HELP FROM THE ELEMENTS OF ART & DESIGN

1. Depth

We've all heard the "scroll-stopping" spiel. But what actually makes someone stop scrolling?

It comes down to neuroscience and how your brain processes what your eye sees.

One of the most overlooked elements that catch people's attention is depth. Screens are two-dimensional flat surfaces. Designers naturally create depth through contrast, texture, and pattern because designs with depth are easier for our brains to process.

Our brains are designed to navigate the 3D world around us, and live in caves and eat berries, NOT to make friends on the internet through black mirrors!

2. Brand Photography

As a designer, I can confidently say it's not only way easier but also looks 10X more professional when you have great brand photography. Brand photography was the first "real" investment I made, and I've done several content days since then.

Having a library of photos makes creating marketing materials and maintaining your brand's perceived value easier because you already have a curated set of branded assets to use.

Images of you help people who meet you through a screen to connect with you as a real person.

They also serve a more tactile role of filling negative space. A website with 0 photos on it - isn’t engaging, much less does it feel like a personal experience. Brand photography also helps to create movement in your designs. Which brings us to the final point.

3. Movement

I'm not just talking about video (though that's part of it). Designers and artists are trained to create compositions that guide your eye through the content. As a designer, I know where and how to position elements to get people to swipe through carousels and read more of your words. It's also what gets people to keep scrolling down your sales page.

Your Role as Brand Manager

My goal as a brand designer is to help people create brands with long-lasting value that can grow and evolve with them. A big part of that—which isn't discussed enough—is that you have to step into the role of "brand manager" (in addition to your dozen other roles).

Your brand is not a week-long project you pay a designer for; it requires maintenance and ongoing development.

• Your brand strategy is just a PDF collecting digital dust if you aren't implementing it
• Your brand identity & website are useless if you don't know how to create professional, conversion-friendly designs with them.

I'm teaching you how to think like a designer...

This Friday at 12pm EST, I'll be teaching a 2D Design Masterclass that shows you exactly how to think like a designer and how the elements of art & design translate to both your brand's appearance AND its conversion rate.

You'll learn:

• The fundamental design principles that make your content look professional
• How to create depth and movement in your designs without advanced skills
• Simple tweaks to transform your current templates into scroll-stopping visuals
• A foolproof system for creating cohesive designs across all platforms

There's still time to register + enter the two-part giveaway!

REGISTER FOR FRIDAY'S 2D DESIGN MASTERCLASS

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FROM THE ARCHIVE Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist If you can understand the elements of art and design, you can make better, more conversion-friendly compositions without even really having to think about it. This means more people will engage with your content because they read that post, reel, or story in the first place. So, this newsletter is dedicated to helping you fix the design faux pas I see scrolling Instagram every single day. READ WEEKLY DROP IN #142

NOTE TO SELF Designing Crystal Smith Paul’s Brand: The Power of Visual Storytelling On May 2nd, Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? officially went on sale. The same day Crystal Smith Paul’s novel was announced as the May 2023 main pick for Book of The Month and the May 2023 pick for Reese’s Book Club. Of course, Crystal’s determination, discipline, and story helped to make that happen. But her work on building a brand that she Is proud of, that looks, feels, and sounds like her. – that gives her the confidence to promote her book in her aesthetic and show up on Instagram as the writer, creator (and, did I mention, amazing human) she is. PS. I NEED TO UPDATE THE IMAGES IN THIS BLOG BECAUSE WE DID A RECENT UPDATE TO CRYSTAL'S SITE THAT YOU CAN CHECK OUT HERE​ READ THE BLOG

PWYW TILL THE 30TH the cj brand color kit is going up in price soon Grab this Brand Color Kit and transform your DIY color scheme into a strategic foundation that works across every platform (no design degree required). → Color Theory 101 (But For Your Brand) Aka. the science behind what makes a color scheme "work" → A Customizable Canva Template Where you will build your color scheme + the guidelines for how to use it →A Step By Step Tutorial Where I walk you through how to use your Canva template and create your brand color scheme BONUS: Submit your color scheme for personalized feedback from me! GET THE CJ COLOR KIT

Another way to add more value to your brand, create depth, and movement is with custom illustrations.

And lucky for you, there's one beta spot left in my done-for-you illustration package, Brand Brushstrokes.

For just $500 (beta pricing), you'll get:

• 3 custom illustrations that capture your brand's personality
• 1 seamless pattern created from your illustrations
• Files in multiple formats and all your brand colors
• A guide showing you exactly how to use them everywhere
• (option to add on a brand identity *refresh*)

Only ONE beta spot remaining

ADD SOME BRUSHSTROKES TO YOUR BRAND

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