My pride turned to shame as my design professor criticized my website & portfolio in front of our entire graduating class. My brand was apparently "too sorority."

Embarrassed and ashamed, I quickly changed my branding from "Lauren Ashley Design" to "Rendition Graphics" and swapped pink for black and dainty fonts for bold. For years I fought against my natural design style because of those two words.

When I started Legacy Loft, whose main service was wedding invitations, I dreaded posting my work online in fear of judgement from that same teacher. I pulled inspiration from random popular sources, which caused my brand to be cluttered, inconsistent and just not me.

Four years later, I knew I needed a more professional and personalized brand as I launched my business full time. As I rebranded Legacy Loft, I dug into the core of who I was and what I wanted my brand to exemplify. I studied my personality and how I connect with clients. I built a brand foundation that represented my values, then translated that into visuals that were so me!  I finally stopped caring what my old teacher thought and created a brand I was confident in and proud of.

I've heard so many similar stories from entrepreneurs like you. Rather than confidently expressing who you are with a brand that's tailored to you, you get distracted by other design styles or conform to the expectations of some outsider. Or perhaps you just couldn't afford to have a designer create your entire brand, leaving you with piecemeal brand elements that lacked cohesion. Take it from me, your brand (and livelihood) will be much better off when it's intentionally planned and packed with personality — your personality!