From Side Hustle to Joyful Brand: A Behind-the-Scenes Look

Over the past few months, I've had the amazing opportunity to update my branding, thanks in part to the creative genius and infectious joy of Kayleigh Lloyd from Lloyd Creative. Today, I want to give you a peek behind the curtain and share what it's like to embark on a branding project.

When I first launched Joyfully Dressed as a side hustle alongside my full-time job, I poured my heart into the concept. I trained, crafted the membership program, and realized… I needed a logo.

So, I did what many do – I scoured Pinterest for colours I liked and spent some time trying to put together a logo in Canva. I’ve used it for the last year and pIt’s served its purpose, but it didn't resonate with the vibrant, professional, welcoming brand I was building.

I then put together other visual elements for my brand, trying to make them all fit together, and while I give myself an A* for effort, the final results, weren’t exactly the coherent brand I was dreaming about.

Finding the Perfect Fit

Knowing I needed a professional hand, I searched for a designer who could capture the essence of Joyfully Dressed. There are so many talented designers out there, but finding one who aligns perfectly with you, your business, and your customers can be overwhelming.

Many established style brands I found had a distinct, "cool and chic" vibe. While admirable, it simply wasn't me or the joyful, approachable brand I was creating. Pared-back colors and minimalistic logos just didn't represent the energy and personality I wanted to convey.

Enter Kayleigh, the Branding Expert

My search for the perfect branding partner led me to Kayleigh Lloyd from Lloyd Creative. After countless dead ends, I knew the moment I saw her design work for another band that she was the perfect fit. Then on our first call, I could feel her enthusiasm for Joyfully Dressed and its core values and I knew she could bring the brand to life.

Kayleigh’s mission as a designer is to pack more personality into your brand through colourful and creative design. Her ethos is to help female founders stand out, and to create a brand that’s uniquely, authentically you, which is so aligned with my own vision for Joyfully Dressed.

The Fun Stuff: Inspiration and Exploration

One of my favorite parts of the process was scouring Pinterest for visually inspiring elements. I spent hours happily collecting patterns, colors, other branding examples, and artwork to share with Kayleigh – her creative magic would weave these into the final brand identity.

In addition to the Pinterest hunt, I filled out a detailed questionnaire Kayleigh provided. It was designed to understand me and my brand on a deeper level.

Here are some fun highlights:

⚡️What Attributes And/Or Emotions Do You Want Associated With Your Brand? Joy ;) Motivational, supportive, friendly, trustworthy, kind, confident...

⚡️What Is Unique About You And Your Business? The membership itself is pretty unique, there isn't really anything else like it, a low cost membership that helps transform your wardrobe, with a huge focus on the joy that dressing in a way that feels good for you and the life you love. The value you get is MUCH higher than the amount that people pay.

The Curated Wardrobe as a concept is unique, and I don't think anyone else offers it, or I certainly haven't seen it- where clothes are curated for you dependent on your body shape and colour season.

I like to think the energy and positivity I bring is unique as well, I believe that everyone deserves to look and feel good, and that we can do that by just living the life we live i.e you don't have to wear heels or dresses everyday, when your running after kids and want to just look nice on the school run. I like to think I offer a practical and sensible approach to dressing in a joyful way.m

⚡️If Your Brand Had A Favourite Song, What Would It Be? Either Taylor 'shake it off', or something like Pinks 'so what' basically just a loud, fun song, about feeling confident in yourself, and like you can take on anything!

⚡️If Your Brand Had A Flavour, What Would It Taste Like? A whippy ice cream, with a flake and sprinkles. Like its just a lovely treat on a hot sunny day, that you get when your kids get one, because you deserve lovely things too! Also its pretty simple really, but made special with a flake and sprinkles . You know what you're going to get and that it's going to be really good when you have it, so its lovely consistent, friendly and delicious!

The joyful branding reveal

A few weeks later, I was sent these incredible set of branding images. With all the information I had given her, Kayleigh had captured so much of my brand in the images she had designed. From the subtle smile in the Joyfully Dressed logo (conveying how you feel when you're Joyfully Dressed) to the confident patterns and colours that are conveyed in the illustrations she had peppered around the branding suite.

It’s an absolute joy to behold!

Kayleigh masterfully crafted a unique and distinctive brand identity for Joyfully Dressed. You'll see it popping up everywhere – on the revamped website (check out the new homepage!), on Instagram, within the membership program, and even in emails you receive from me.

So, the big question: what do you think? I'm absolutely thrilled with the results, and I can't wait to share more glimpses of the new branding over the coming weeks. For me, it perfectly captures the joy and vibrancy of Joyfully Dressed!

Want to know more about my Joyfully Dressed membership click here

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