It’s also how those posts look and feel like.
It’s how the social media profiles, landing pages, websites, email newsletters, freebies… (those posts should lead to) look and feel like.
You’re interested in what someone has to offer, and…
You go from one of their posts
👇
To their social media profile
👇
To their website
…
But each step of the way, they surprise you with a new vibe, look and feel. What ends up happening?
Don’t let it happen with you ⤵️
To create a consistent, cohesive brand experience that gets more people to contact you, you need to know:
🎨 What colors represent you.
💻 What fonts match your voice and personality.
📸 How to get photos of you that grab attention.
And how to use all this in every touch point between you and your audience.
That’s exactly what The DIY Brand Kit will help you start working on.
That’s exactly why I’ve created The DIY Brand Kit ⤵️
⚠️ Nothing will ever replace working with a designer, but The DIY Brand Kit will help you start thinking like one ⤵️
🎨 Know what colors, fonts, and photos to use (and why).
📱 Revamp your social media profiles and content with personality-infused visuals.
💙 Emotionally connect with your audience with a visual identity that shows YOU.
So, with The DIY Brand Kit I’m going to show you two quick, and highly effective brand strategy exercises that I use in my Brand DNA process with my Branded to Life clients to help you start making purposeful design and branding decisions.
With easy, and quick to follow exercises.
The DIY Brand Kit is built on Notion and walks you through the 4 core parts of a brand’s visual identity (and how to use them):
Color palette that sets the vibe and emotions you want your audience to feel.
💻
Typography that shows your voice and personality.
✏️
Word-mark logo that looks better than any Canva template.
📸
Photography that you’ll confidently shoot yourself.
With these 4 core parts of your brand’s visual identity you’ll be able to design what your business needs in a cohesive manner. Creating the consistent brand experience you need to get more people to contact you.
After you get The DIY Brand Kit, you will:
🎨 Never stare at a blank Canva template ever again.
😎 Confidently design what your business needs.
✏️ Create a consistent and cohesive visual experience.
💙 Emotionally connect with your audience.
© 2025 GrowingDesign. All rights reserved. Disclaimer | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy
Brand Strategy & Identity
Judy Bigham
Massachussets, USA
Judy was going through a transformation in her business. Her web studio had grown into offering more than just websites.
While those stay a pillar in what Judy offers, they’re now complemented with marketing strategies that drive traffic to them, helping her clients make the most of their investment.
“One-size-fits-all solutions do not work. Small businesses need to implement digital marketing efforts (even when they don’t know what that looks like) that best work for them and their day-to-day, their industry, and goals.
Judy.B creates tailored websites for small businesses and partners with them to grow with digital marketing strategies.“
– Judy
— USP and onliness statement.
— Brand name and story.
— Brand voice and values.
— Transformation statement.
— Slogans and tagline.
— Vision and mission.
Paired with a confident word-mark that is complemented by numerous visual assets that revert us to architecture and home decoration.
While also bringing to life the metaphors in Judy’s brand messaging, between our homes and our business’s homes, our websites.
Judy now has a brand identity that makes her stand out, matches her personality, embodies her brand messaging, and allows her to grow.
She is now able to create new marketing materials entirely on her own knowing they’ll always be on-brand, consistent, and eye-catching.
Joel is a go-to for brand strategy. I worked with him to rebrand my web design business and after every session, felt the energy from the insights that I think only Joel could have provided for me. He guided me through his process, which is clear, simple and straightforward, making the strategy work seem easy (while it’s not) and fun (which it should be!).
– Judy Bigham
© 2025 GrowingDesign
brand strategy & identity
Carina & Marco Machado
lisbon, pt
Studies show that the intensive monoculture model is unsustainable and detrimental to our health, farmers, and the environment.
The answer?
To adopt and promote syntropic and regenerative agriculture.
This model can be a more profitable and less risky alternative to intensive monoculture. It produces more nutritious and healthier food for people, preserves the soil, restores biodiversity, and is more resilient to climate change.
At Fazenda Machado, we combine different species of fruit trees, aromatic herbs, and native plants to create a balanced, self-sustaining ecosystem.
By eliminating the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, syntropic farming produces healthier, more nutritious, and higher-quality food.
One being: the Rocha Pear.
Native to the west region, the Rocha Pear is the star ingredient in our range of healthy, chemical-free products.
For a healthier future.
The Brand DNA is what we get from our custom-made brand strategy process. This was the first step to solve Carina and Marco’s disconnect with their own brand.
Through several in-depth sessions, we worked on core concepts for the brand, Fazenda Machado.
We focused on the Portuguese western region, the concept of regeneration, and the Pêra Rocha as the starting point for the design direction. We brainstormed a few ideas:
The logomark features a stylized Pêra Rocha.
Its lower half is formed by two flowing, interlocking shapes as a visual nod to regenerative farming and nature’s inherent balance.
As for the typography, some letterforms were modified to add an organic and earthy feel, reinforcing the connection to the land and nature.
Custom letters, based on the pear’s shape
Modular mosaic containing 8 elements, each representing a key aspect of Fazenda Machado’s identity: the Portuguese western region, farming, their roots, and the practices employed in their daily work.
The Montejunto Mountain Range and the region’s climate are essential to the production of Pêra Rocha.
Based on that, we used the topographic map lines of the mountain range as a graphic element.
Inspired by the texture of Pêra Rocha skin, this natural detail serves as a secondary graphic element.
Fazenda Machado now has a brand identity that’s true to its roots, helping it stand out not just in the farming world but also in the consumable goods space.
Their products now feature thoughtful packaging design, from jam and juice labels to tart boxes. Beyond that, we created a wide range of brand assets ready to be used across social media, their website, and print.
Brand Strategy & Identity
Angi Milano
Chicago, USA
Earlier this year (2025) Angi felt a growing disconnect from her brand. “Nothing really feels like… me.”
As it’s far too common with solo-business owners, the problem ran deeper.
After a first call, we quickly realized that the Maven Advisory’s design aesthetic, messaging, and overall online presence was not aligned with Angi’s vision, who she is, and what she wants to achieve.
She had been following (and showing) what she thought she “had to”, instead of what’s true to her, and what Maven Advisory truly is.
What’s Maven Advisory?
Most fintech startups have inconsistent sales which lead to uncontrollable growth, jeopardizing the entire business. We solve this issue with a clear and intentional collaboration between sales and marketing efforts.
Maven’s mission is to guide early-stage FinTech startups in building sustainable growth. Through educational content and go-to-market strategies, Angi will help founders establish their sales and marketing foundations and stop making the most common mistakes.
The Brand DNA is what we get from our custom-made brand strategy process. This was the first step to solve Angi’s disconnect with her own brand.
Through several in-depth sessions, we worked on 9 core concepts for Angi’s brand, Maven Advisory.
— USP and onliness statement.
— Brand name and story.
— Brand voice and values.
— Transformation statement.
— Slogans and tagline.
— Vision and mission.
Angi now has a brand identity that makes her stand out in the FinTech space, which also matches her personality, and allows her to grow.
She is now able to create new marketing materials entirely on her own knowing they’ll always be on-brand, consistent, and eye-catching.
Working with Joel was the best decision I made for my brand. He doesn’t just design. He listens. His approach is mindful, intentional, and rooted in truly understanding you and your business.
The result? A brand and website that feel like me. Beautiful, professional, and effective.
No fluff, no ego, no BS. Just real partnership and work that delivers. If you want someone who gets it and knows how to bring your vision to life, Joel’s your guy.
– Angi Milano
© 2025 GrowingDesign
I craft standout brand identities, packaging, and custom illustrations that turn your brand’s essence into visuals customers remember.
We’ll go beyond the logo and create a visual identity that reflects your values and speaks to your people.
No flashy visuals just for the sake of it, because design should feel like it belongs. It should connect.
This is where I do best:
✏️ Custom logo design
✏️ Brand color palettes, typography, and design elements
✏️ Illustration and brand collateral that brings everything together
Tell me what you’re building! I’d love to hear about it and chat about how we can bring it all together in a way that feels right 😁
Brand Strategy & Identity
Russell Smiley
Ontario, Canada
“Late last year (2022) I was increasingly aware that I needed help with marketing as this was an area of business that I had not been exposed to previously in my career, and I wanted help to be more purposeful about how I was using social media. Fortunately I came across Joel’s activity on LinkedIn and decided to make contact.”
Russell is a veteran in his industry, now that he was flying solo he needed to grow an online presence that matched his expertise.
Byting Chipmunk is a software management business that helps businesses transition to automated software delivery, ensuring effective processes and better results.
“We aim to provide software integration and delivery automation services to businesses and to supply industry peers with resources, and off-the-shelf tooling that will make their work easier.”
— USP and onliness statement.
— Brand name and story.
— Brand voice and values.
— Transformation statement.
— Slogans and tagline.
— Vision and mission.
That’s how we visually represent Russell’s tech-related brand, Byting Chipmunk.
With his new LinkedIn profile, Russell got a set of social media post templates built in his Canva account. The total collection extended to 15+ templates.
“I really valued the regular meetings with Joel and will miss the opportunity to chat with someone about business, social media and marketing. Joel was candid with his remarks and delivered useful criticism and suggestions about how I have been “doing social media”. I am super happy with the logos, social media templates and colour palette that Joel designed – it is now much easier to quickly put together posts with a consistent look.
I think any business, but particularly a solopreneur such as myself, will benefit from working through the branding exercises with Joel. I learned so many unexpected things.
Thanks Joel!”
– Russell Smiley
Brand Strategy & Identity
Anna Burgess Yang
Chicago, USA
Anna Burgess Yang stands for a better relationship between your work and your life. We know how traditional work settings don’t value their workers enough, often putting them through stressful and uncertain situations and career paths.
As a result, solopreneurship has become a much appealing option to a fulfilling work life.
Anna Burgess Yang is the go-to solopreneur educator for back-end business operations and management.
— USP and onliness statement.
— Brand name and story.
— Brand voice and values.
— Transformation statement.
— Slogans and tagline.
— Vision and mission.
That’s how we visually represent Anna’s personal brand.
Anna helps others pursue to better their ideas, while providing better ideas on how to do so.
Anna motivates light-bulb moments.
Complete social media support was provided from the writing of the profiles to the design of all the necessary imagery paired with a diverse set of post templates.
You can meet Anna on LinkedIn!
From any kind of social media post, to in-depth workbooks and presentations, she knows she can count on her brand assets to create beautiful designs that represent her fully and resonate with her audience.
Brand Strategy & Identity
Sarah Duran
Colorado, USA
Sarah was at crossroads in her business. Fruition Initiatives had grown into multiple active avenues all sharing her big vision: to make business owners never settle for less. But it all felt disjointed.
Our rebranding project was how we aligned every initiative under the same brand, Fruition Initiatives. No more looking like she was running a few side-hustles stapled together, it all now aligns towards the same goal.
Fruition Initiatives offers business owners a strategic partnership tailored to their challenges by following an agile method.
Unlike most business coaches, Sarah’s support focuses on business strategy and operations without following a fixed program, ensuring her clients get the help they truly need, not a fixed-step program.
— USP and onliness statement.
— Brand name and story.
— Brand voice and values.
— Transformation statement.
— Slogans and tagline.
— Vision and mission.
We want to represent movement, as business is never a stagnant journey. We want to guide our audience towards the center, where the 3 pillars overlap, where we find fulfillment.
Fruition Initiatives’ brand identity is versatile to both include the 3 sub-brands and stay open to new initiatives that will soon come.
Sarah’s online presence fuels the Fruitive Initiatives’ brand. You can meet her on LinkedIn.
Brand Strategy & Identity
Laura Timm
Tenerife, Canary Islands
“Initially, I contacted Joel for a re-do of my LinkedIn profile to reach more clients for my translation and copywriting business. After our first call, I decided to take the whole branding package.”
We realised that Laura needed to work on her brand and business foundations before investing in a new LinkedIn profile. And that’s what we did. Out of our first phase, WordPotential was born.
“WordPotential is the go-to partner for those who need to leverage the cultural and language nuances of the German market to stand out with their unique story, increase their brand awareness, and build strong relationships with their customers.
— USP and onliness statement.
— Brand name and story.
— Brand voice and values.
— Transformation statement.
— Slogans and tagline.
— Vision and mission.
That’s how we visually represent Laura’s dynamic brand, WordPotential.
We show potential with a growing flower, in a deep blue tone that is inspired by Tenerife’s ocean water. And of course, the hidden “w” as it’s the brand’s initial.
For different collateral, like the business card and website seen above we created a set of icons to support the brand’s message and content.
“Joel and I worked together to lay the foundations of my business, which, at the time, were anything but clear. We went through the Who?, What?, How?, over to my vision, mission, and USP. We even did a full competitor analysis to identify aspects of my business that I could improve to make it stand out of the crowd.
And, of course, I also got the most beautiful logo, colour palette and fonts ever, along with useful social media templates.
I wholeheartedly recommend Joel to anyone who not only wants a fantastic brand identity, but also a solid foundation and direction for their business.
Joel is not just a design professional; he’s also a wonderful person who’s ready to go the extra mile to turn your vision into reality.”
brand identity
Justice Is Now Organization
manchester, uk
Justice Is Now is a non-profit organization that aims to combat the use of rape myths as defense tactics in courtrooms and increase the conviction rate for rape cases. The organization was created in honor of sexual assault victims and aims to end the practice of victim blaming and educate the public about the realities of sexual assault. Their goal is to ensure that future victims do not have to endure the injustice of rape myths being used in court.
The conviction rate for rape has gone from 6.5% to 3.5% in the UK. Research shows that too many people believe rape myths and victim blame, and these people are the same people who end up on juries.
The only person responsible for sexual violence is the person who commits the offense.
Our goal is to create a world where justice for victims of sexual violence is not the exception but the norm.
We intend to get there by:
We focused on creating visuals that pass on a strong sense of urgency, aligning with the core goals of the organization: speaking up, protesting, and raising awareness through powerful voices.
To convey this message, we explored protest symbols like exclamation points, megaphones, raised fists, and a mix of undercase and capitalized words to create visual contrast and emphasize strength and conviction.
Inspired by the handwritten signs often seen at protests, we embraced this raw, expressive aesthetic to reflect the movement’s authenticity and passion.
To reinforce the message, we incorporated expressive symbols like the exclamation point (!) into the logomark, effectively conveying urgency, authority, and the assertiveness of our shared beliefs.
illustration
Canopie
virginia, usa
Ann & Anne support expecting women and new mothers through common motherhood challenges.
Together, they launched Canopie—a free, evidence-based app designed to improve maternal mental health and address the significant gap in care. Canopie provides clinically effective, flexible care through short, personalized audio programs that offer a humanizing approach to maternal wellness.
Our goal is to create effective, compassionate care for new moms. This means rethinking prenatal and postpartum care to fully address mothers’ emotional health.
It’s about caring for every mom, no matter where she is or her access to resources—high-quality care for everyone.
We’re offering a maternal mental health solution that’s impactful because it reaches moms at scale, right in their homes, at their convenience—especially during a time when traveling or scheduling isn’t an option. It’s critical, as 85% of new moms struggling with anxiety and depression aren’t receiving the treatment they need.
– Ann & Anne
The name “Canopie” is inspired by the idea of a “canopy” that provides warmth, strength, and resilience, creating a sense of protection and support as mothers grow through their journey.
We expanded the logo’s aesthetic into a series of nature-inspired illustrations, emphasizing growth and transformation in a calm, nurturing environment – all of them are drawn with a limited number of geometric shapes, giving us unlimited composition options.
Natural elements like birds, flowers, and mountains were chosen to evoke freedom, lightness, and calm, coming together like a peaceful landscape.
We also included mama and baby characters with restful expressions to emphasize the desired mood and human connection.
When we met, Canopie’s visuals didn’t fully convey the message or energy it deserved. Lacking graphic cohesion, the visuals were created in-house using clipart-based images without structure or visual thinking.
Now, Ann & Anne have a refined app interface featuring cohesive, on-brand illustrations that radiate the right energy. Each element is thoughtfully arranged, creating an enjoyable and intuitive user experience.
brand identity
Sandra Malho
lisbon, portugal
Gira Sonhos is dedicated to the important people in our lives — those we should cherish most.
It helps people to give with intention, putting an end to unnecessary gifts and empty gestures. While combating unconscious consumerism, Gira Sonhos gives us the chance to show genuine appreciation.
As a person who has difficulty expressing what goes in my soul, art is my way of saying “I like you”, “you’re important to me” or even a simple “thank you”.
I like to offer something that makes the other person feel special and loved.
Something different.
– Sandra Malho
The name Gira Sonhos is inspired by two Portuguese words: girassol (sunflower) and sonhos (dreams).
Sandra feels a deep connection with sunflowers and wanted this to be part of her brand identity. Since this is a personal project, it only made sense to reflect Sandra’s personality and ethic values in the design.
In the draft phase, we explored several sunflower variations, as well as typography that would align with Sandra’s vision.
Key attributes we highlighted:
The logomark features a hand-drawn sunflower, symbolizing the artisanal and handcrafted techniques Sandra uses in her figurines.
To highlight the sunflower’s unique characteristic—its natural tendency to turn toward the sun—we created multiple logo iterations, each showing the sunflower in a different position, as if it were following its light.
Thanks to the Brand DNA and brand identity process, Sandra now understands her audience, competitors, and how she wants to be perceived.
She’s confident in her online presence, knowing exactly what to post, how to post it, and how to use these tools strategically. With a brand identity that reflects who she is and connects with the right audience, she’s growing her presence effectively — and with real results, including orders from abroad within 2 months after launch.
know the project: @girasonhos.pt
brand identity
view from 32 firm
los angeles, usa
View From 32 was founded by Gabriella, Cassie, and Lindsay — three women with a passion for beauty. With a strong industry background from their time at Sephora’s headquarters in San Francisco, they bring both expertise and friendship into their work.
Their services include strategy, consulting, and expert advice to help beauty brands achieve their business goals. As thought partners, they guide clients through the competitive beauty market, empowering them to succeed.
A bit of their story:
A nod to the famed 32nd floor of the iconic retailer that gave the trio an unparalleled perspective of the industry as well as access to some of its most important leaders, executives, founders, investors and creatives, the name View from 32 pays homage to their combined time of over 25 years at Sephora.
It wasn’t until a summer trip to Portugal in 2022 when Cassie, Gaby and Lindsay officially decided to join forces and continue to steer brands towards success—this time, as a powerhouse of three. Over verdejos at the beach, they toasted to friendship, passion and continuing to leave their mark on the beauty industry as View from 32.
When we started working together, their vision was to create a logo mark that combined elements of beauty products and a building, symbolizing their origin story.
While buildings are often associated with construction companies, real estate agencies, or architecture firms, we wanted to challenge that convention. How intriguing would it be to design a construction-inspired logo with a chic and feminine touch?
After exploring various drafts, we ultimately decided to take a different direction, opting for a modern, feminine eye shape inspired by Greek motifs, which directly ties into the company name.
The chosen typography is bold yet chic, reminiscent of boutique brands and contemporary, welcoming hotels.
This eye shape is simple and elegant, effectively conveying the concept of ‘view,’ while the typography adds a professional yet stylish touch, making the logo both visually impactful and memorable.
illustration
Ann Don Bosco
london, uk
Usually people wait until they are ‘bad enough’ to get support but we believe that almost everyone could benefit from learning evidence based mental health techniques.
The name “Eggshells” symbolises breaking free from the constraints of walking on eggshells, encouraging open conversation about feelings while maintaining a lighthearted tone.
The illustrations feature the cracked egg as the main element, accompanied by simple human figures in various positions and interactions. These illustrations aim to convey the concept of acknowledging our feelings, accepting our mental state, and working on our mental health.
The human figures are depicted hugging the eggs, juggling them, climbing on them, jumping over them, and examining them.
These actions symbolise the different ways we engage with our emotions and challenges. The size variations of the eggs, with some smaller than the human figures and others larger, represent the varying sizes and complexities of our personal issues.
By embracing our vulnerabilities and actively working towards improvement, we can foster a positive and supportive approach to our mental health journey.
We decided to tweak their logo to match the illustrations’ look and feel.
brand identity
Patricia DePietto
new york, usa
At the heart of Not What Defines Us is a commitment to empowering survivors to heal, grow, and reclaim control over their lives. We recognize the strength within every survivor and believe that sharing experiences and insights can be a powerful catalyst for healing.
By manipulating the letters, we challenge the status quo, showing that no one is defined by convention, but by conviction; Just as the letters in the logo can be rearranged and transformed, survivors have the power to redefine their own narratives;
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Brand strategist and designer for solopreneurs who want to stand out, be seen, and get hired(!) as the experts that they are.