Building your Brand

It's an episode in the wild today as I record on the go with my roving microphones from OFFF Barcelona with freelance illustrator Carina Lindmeier.   I was really excited to chat to Carina all about how people can use illustration in their branding, which I think is often really overlooked way to add creativity and consistency to your brand. We chat about the versatility and emotional depth illustrations add to branding, particularly how it conveys brand personality, connects across languages, and engage audiences, Don't worry if that all sounds overwhelming because we also explain the practicalities, like working with illustrators, the impact of using icons or mascots, and unique ways to use illustrations beyond websites to surprise and delight your audience!  Episode highlights:  01:45 The Emotional Connection of Illustration 03:18 Illustration: A Tool for Brand Personality and Accessibility 06:37 Diving Into the Creative Process and Tools 10:43 Finding and Working with the Right Illustrator Thanks to Marketing Magic for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget to check out Carina online and follow her on Instagram! If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you. This episode was written and produced by me and edited by Lucy Lucraft. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!   

Without veering into toxic positivity, todays episode is all about the power of being kind! I chat with my pal watercolour illustrator Imogen Partridge about how kindness and support have helped her become a cheerleader of small businesses.  Among many juicy tangents we chat about the impact and repercussions of comparisons and negativity online, the challenges that come with showing up online and the importance of aligning with your values and intentions. Episode highlights:  01:54 The Impact of Kindness and Support 06:38 Dealing with Comparison and Jealousy 15:04 The Dilemma of Free vs Paid Content  20:59 Building a Supportive Community 25:57 The Role of Kindness in Business Decisions  Thanks to Penfold for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget to check out Imogen online and follow her on Instagram! If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you. This episode was written by me and produced by Lucy Lucraft. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!   

Sometimes I get to dive into some really deep conversations on this podcast and today I'm chatting about about the personal growth and inner work essential for running a creative business with illustrator and designer Emily Wylde. We talked about Emily's journey of starting her own business during the pandemic, the importance of having honest conversations with ourselves, and the impact of therapy and coaching on personal and business growth. And we touched on the challenges of putting work online, dealing with red flag clients, and the significance of authenticity (beyond the buzzword!) I really hope that you enjoy this more introspective chat and take on building brands today. Episode highlights:  05:58 Embracing Authenticity and Vulnerability in Brand Building  09:27 Navigating Client Relationships and Building Resilience  13:01 The Healing Journey of Embracing Your Inner Child 15:26 Authenticity in Business: Beyond the Buzzword 20:20 Finding Your Unique Path and Defining Success on Your Own Terms 33:40 The Impact of Comparison and Cultivating a Mindset of Experimentation  Thanks to Marketing Magic for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget to check out Emily online and follow her on Instagram! If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you. This episode was written and produced by me and edited by Lucy Lucraft. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!   

I've talked a lot about values  and brand values on this podcast. And recently I've had some situations in my business where my values have been put to the test, leading me to make decisions that others might disagree with.  And so, when I asked who would be the best person to talk to me about this, everyone told me to talk to Keri Jarvis. Keri is a developmental coach, intersectional feminist, charity co-founder and community activist and through her work she's helped lots of people to imagine a world where they can run their business with integrity. This was such a rich conversation and, for me personally, it was a really helpful one to have. Episode highlights:  02:56 The Consequences of Misalignment with Brand Values 05:52 The Journey of Self-Awareness and Value Alignment 11:17 The Impact of Social Media on Business Values 16:59 The Role of Change and Growth in Business Values  22:16 The Challenge of Balancing Personal Passion and Business Needs Thanks to Penfold for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget to check out Keri online and follow her on Instagram! If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you. This episode was written and produced by me and edited by Lucy Lucraft. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!     

One of the best things about having my own podcast is having an excuse to talk to my design and illustration heroes. Remember that rejection challenge that I've been wanging on about Well, Jessica Hish has been at the top of my dream guest list ever since I started the podcast three years ago, and last year I plucked up the courage to ask her. Jessica has always been so open and transparent about her career, from her creative process, to pricing work, to running businesses with three kids, to the highs and lows of running two retail shops in her hometown, and she very generously shares a lot of that reality with us in this episode today, too. I hope you enjopy the episode as much as we loved recording it. Episode highlights:  00:00 Meet Jessica Hische: A Design and Illustration Icon 01:38 The Power of Procrastiworking and Passion Projects 05:39 Redefining Work-Life Balance and Creative Fulfillment 10:05 Navigating Parenthood and Creative Pursuits 14:18 Achieving Success and Finding Satisfaction in Work 25:05 The Unique Challenges and Joys of Running Retail Stores Thanks to Marketing Magic for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget to check out Jessica online and follow her on Instagram! If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you. This episode was written and produced by me and edited by Lucy Lucraft. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!   

It's the return of friend of the podcast and newly published aurthor Hannah Isted!  As her friend, I am so proud and as a podcast host I can't wait to talk about the process of writing a book because it's something I know lots of you want to do too. In this episode we talk all about how Hannah applied her inimitable style of breaking big things into small, manageable chunks and how she used that to write a book AND deliver it to the piublishers early! It's not all about writing a book though because we talked about how marketing your business can be done in a way that truly works for you (in ten minutes a day, of course!) Episode highlights:  03:44 Realistic Expectations: Strategies for Achievable Consistency 18:25 Accountability and Mindset: Finding Support and Overcoming Blocks 25:41 The Power of 10-Minute Marketing 32:22 Leveraging Challenges for Skill Improvement 34:15 The Journey to Becoming a Published Author   Mentioned in the episode: Join The Best 90 Days Ever membership (aff link) Buy The Best 90 Days Ever book Alison Jones 10-Day Book Proposal Challenge (aff link)  Thanks to Adobe Express for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget to check out Hannah online and follow her on Instagram! If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you. This episode was written and produced by me and edited by Lucy Lucraft. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!   

Today on the podcast, my guest is the Senior Director of Creative for EMEA at Getty Images and iStock Jacqueline Bourke. Alongside her team of researchers, art directors and curators Jacqueline is responsible for producing visual insights and imagery and video creation that's been used in award winning, advertising, design, and editorial.  We chatted all about how small business owners can make the most of stock images and videos to tell stories that are really important for them. Jacqueline gave great tips for finding the right images and videos, and we talked about why video is such an important medium for marketing. If you need a great reminder of how to use imagery for your brand, this episode's for you. Episode highlights: 02:44 The Power of Video in Marketing 13:49 Creating Authentic Video Content for Your Brand 17:33 Navigating the World of Stock Imagery and Video 22:28 Addressing Bias and Embracing Diversity in Visuals 27:11 Innovative Strategies for Standing Out in Marketing See how your brand can use iStock photos and videos.  Check out Getty Images and iStock’s Creative Insights page Here's the link to Irish Pub Christmas campaign mentioned If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you. This episode was written and produced by me and edited by Lucy Lucraft. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!     

You might remember that back in January on Building Your Brand I shared my 2024 goals, one of which was to be able work with my close friend Lois more, as outsourcing a part of my business to her in 2023 worked so well for us both. Well, today you can hear from multi-disciplinary artist and designer Lois Seco about how she thinks it's all going! Outsourcing is something a lot of small business owners have to navigate and it's not always the easiest so we thought that we would chat about our experience and what we've learned working together over the last year. Episode highlights: 02:00 The Art of Delegation and Overcoming Bottlenecks 07:03 The Importance of Communication and Boundaries in Business 07:38 The Value of Trust and Mutual Respect in a Working Relationship  21:57 Setting Boundaries  24:41 The Role of Clarity in Relationships 27:32 Choosing the Right People to Work With 42:06 Embracing Rejection and Failure Referenced in the episode: 2024 Goal Setting with Hannah Isted Culture is your brands cornerstone with Katie Elliott  Don't forget to check out Lois online and follow her on Instagram. And while you're at it, come and say hello to me on my Instagram page as well! Can't wait to connect with you. This episode was written and produced by me and edited by Lucy Lucraft. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review! 

Something I'm guilty of neglecting is my website copy, even though I know it's such an integral part of my branding. So I was thrilled to pick Website Messaging Strategist + Copywriter Alice Brown's brains on how to improve my website copy (and all of yours too!)  In today's episode Alice shares the reason why your website copy might feel 'off' and what to do about it in simple, practical terms. We talk about the significance of having an authentic and unique brand voice to sound more human and relatable.  Ultimately, this episode will encourage you to experiment with your web copy and write it in a way that feels good for your brand.  Episode highlights: 01:10 The Impact of Website Copy on Business 03:37 The Challenges of Writing Website Copy 17:56 The Power of Personal Branding in Copywriting 38:17 Understanding Different Types of Decision Makers 40:33 Improving Your Website Copy: Practical Tips Mentioned in the episode:  Alice's free guide for collecting customer feedback: https://www.alicewritescopy.com/liz Don't forget to check out Alice online and follow her on Instagram. And while you're at it, come and say hello to me on my Instagram page as well! Can't wait to connect with you. This episode was written and produced by me and edited by Lucy Lucraft. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!     

A theme of this podcast is how to build a brand in a way that feels good to you and true to your personality, and that always encapsulates more than just designing a great logo. Today I'm excited to chat to client experience expert Fran Smith about how to elevate your client experience to grow a community of loyal fans (who'll ultimately do your marketing for you!) We had such a great chat and I was particularly excited about all the amazing tips Fran shared. So have a listen, come and let us know what you think, and I hope you enjoy hearing about a different aspect of branding. Episode highlights:  03:30 The Impact of Communication Style on Brand Perception  14:42 Creating a Consistent Brand Across All Touchpoints 16:36 Surprise and Delight: Elevating the Client Experience  25:56 The Art of Handling Customer Complaints  41:53 The Importance of Setting Expectations in Client Experience  Thanks to iStock for sponsoring this episode. Don't forget to check out Fran online and follow her on Instagram! If you'd like to have a chat come find me on Instagram. Can't wait to connect with you. This episode was written and produced by me and edited by Lucy Lucraft. If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!