Why I’m rebranding (again)… and how to know it’s time
How do I know it’s time to rebrand?
It’s one of the questions I get asked the MOST often, and I happen to be deep in it right now — so here’s my process.
Do any of these thoughts sound familiar:
My content doesn’t feel fun/exciting anymore.
My brand feels limiting.
It’s time to enter a new phase of my business… and my brand feels OLD.
I’m reworking my core offers… they don’t really match my brand.
It’s just not ME anymore.
This summer, I hit a wall with my business. I was trying to do about 1000 different things. I also realized I was actually running two different businesses, since I started taking on extra freelance work outside of Swail Studio.
And it didn’t feel fun anymore. I like things heavy 🤘🏻 — but not stifling.
So, after a two-week break (my first *planned* break that wasn't around family since about.... 5 years ago??) and a LOT of coaching…
I couldn’t deny that after a year and a half of throwing shit at the wall, Swail Studio needed a ground-up restructuring — and a lot of fresh air.
That started with:
Completely stopping work on anything that wasn’t related to my existing 1:1 clients, and
Reworking my core custom design package to account for everything I've learned since starting Swail Studio, and better leverage my expertise (more on that soon!)
And given this major restart, I knew it was time to rethink the LOOK of the brand itself.
This is a creative business — so where IS the creativity? Excitement? Possibility? Joy?
While much of my work happens in the dark and heavy… that’s not actually the result that most of my clients get at the end of the day!
The spectrum of my work has widened — and it’s time for my brand to account for that.
Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to reflect that shift visually — but what does that LOOK like?
Some core elements of Swail Studio’s identity aren’t changing. For example: the name, the logo system, the fluorescent red, the black backgrounds.
But, I’ll be expanding on and evolving the rest of the brand elements to be more versatile and speak more clearly to that sense of creative possibility.
That might not make it sound like much is really changing — but I promise you’ll notice a MASSIVE difference when you see it!
You’ll also notice that I’m not just slapping a completely new look & personality onto Swail Studio and calling it a day.
I’m excavating an important part of my brand that I’d accidentally buried… and nudging it into the light.
It’s a common misconception among small business owners who are trying to stay true to themselves and their values that rebranding means becoming what someone else thinks you should be.
When done right, and for the right reasons, building out your brand means becoming more fully yourself.
And I hope that if you learn ANYTHING from me, it is THAT!
Meanwhile, I’ll keep you posted as I dive deeper into this self-rebranding process — and while I’m at it, I’d love to answer any of your questions about it! Email inbox@swail.studio.com.
