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âAnna,â she told me. âIâm tired of working with boring, unimaginative clients that arenât interested in seeing â let alone approving – my creative concepts. Why arenât I attracting the cool, open-minded clients?â
âNo worries,â I reassured her. âIâll investigate and see what the problem is. Leave it with me.â
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I clicked over to her website and instantly the issue was clear to me:
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She was using a corporate template for her site âŠ
when her unique point of difference rested in the quirky, one-of-a-kind illustrations she crafted.
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And she wondered why she was getting boring clients.
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When I asked her why she wasnât showcasing her illustrations and infusing more of herself into her site, she explained that she didnât want to put anyone off. Her illustrations werenât mainstream, she said, and she wanted to appeal to as many people as possible.
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The problem was that by trying to appeal to everyone, she ended up leaching her brand of personality. She attracted dull, boring clients because that was the brand image she had cultivated.
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Maybe youâre the same? Tell me if this sounds familiar.
- Youâre afraid to let your freak flag fly, in case it scares off high-paying clients.
- Youâve got a unique edge/skill/quirk ⊠but youâre worried about showcasing it in case it turns people off.
- Youâre trying to appeal to as many people as possible ⊠which means youâve had to soften your brandâs natural personality and edge.
- You feel like youâre stuck with the same old, boring, Dullsville, doomed to never have another original, innovative and creative concept approved again.
- Your brand doesnât even feel like you.
Youâre unintentionally coming across as a âvanillaâ designer.
Well, hereâs a little truth explosion for you: You donât need to soften your edges or dull your shine in order to run a successful graphic design business.
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In fact, youâre doing more harm than good by attempting to be a vanilla designer.
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By being unique, youâll nurture raving fans that adore your memorable, quirky brand. Youâll attract the right kind of clients because youâve portrayed the right brand image.
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Not sure where your brand stands? Worried youâre more vanilla than double chocolate-crunch?
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Three check-yourself-before-you-wreck-yourself questions you can ask yourself:
- Does your brand truly reflect where your talents lay and what you love working on?
- Does your business feel like you and have your personality in it? Â
- Is your brand distinct, easily recognizable and memorable?
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If youâve answered ânoâ to any of these questions, consider this your official Vanilla Alarm. Stop, drop, and let the vanilla-flavoured bubble pop.
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Embrace your inner double-chocolate crunch.
You â and your future cool af clients â deserve it.
Now, who feels like ice cream?
Anna xx
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PS. Need help extracting your brandâs personality? Want a mentor to guide on you the path to double-choc world domination? I mentor boss ladies like you to elevate their brand and take their business to the next level. Book in a FREE 15 min chat with me here.
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