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Most of my job as a brand strategist is asking the right questions. So let’s kick off the new year with this question: what brought you here? Not to this newsletter or my corner of the internet, not to your inbox, and not to that cup of coffee I see juuust off to the side […]

You guys. My favorite topic. Design software and all the fun designy things.

Below is a comprehensive list of what I currently use, have used, tried, and love for creating everything from simple social media graphics and newsletters to logos and full visual identities for brands.

Personally, I’m a nerd about trying out different tools for running my business. One could make the argument that I spent a year or two just playing with tools and not actually running a business, but we don’t need to go there in this post. The experimentation has given me a broad look at what’s available for entrepreneurs to use, and for that I am glad. Here are the tools I’ve settled on as I’ve engaged more deeply with my design business over the last couple of years.

The essential question that every brand answers is “Who are we to our customer?”

Each aspect of your brand, from your mission and vision, core values, and products or services to your visual assets, website, social media style, etc. should help answer that question.

You are in business because you want to make an impact on someone, right? It doesn’t matter whether the impact is large or small — any transformation you’re offering in the life of your customer is a big deal. And ultimately, you want the visual expression of your brand to truly represent what that transformation looks like and feels like to your customer.

So, how do we craft a brand to communicate that impact?

Surprisingly enough, with the plan outlined in Part One (if you haven’t read part one, go do that quickly or this post won’t make much sense!), you now have a system for creation.

But I’m creative, you say. I don’t need a ‘system to create’, you claim. My creativity comes and goes – there’s no possible way I could use a ‘system’ for my creative genius, you declare.

Oh my friend, do we ever understand each other.

Let me give you a quick peek into my last decade as a testimonial for the necessity of having some kind of creation system.

For a long time, I operated under the assumption that clarity is something I find outside of myself. Like, I need to scour Pinterest and Instagram for the most quote-worthy, mind-blowing sentiments that will suddenly provide a burst of clarity.

As I get older, I’m learning that for the most part, we have everything we need. Outside sources like strangers on the internet, coaches, or therapists can help guide us in our quest, but ultimately, what we seek is already within us. Sometimes we just need the right structure to help us uncover it.

I’ll kick this off with a quick personal story: When I first started brand design, I was working on my music duo’s brand, The OK Factor. We had zero strategies for our designs — in all honesty, we just wanted them to look professional so people would take us seriously. The result was a brand that was focused on us and who we were, rather than speaking to our audience and inviting them into a musical relationship.

We didn’t know there’s a difference between design that works and design that converts. Our designs ‘worked’ in that they looked fine and convinced people we were ‘professionals,’ but people always asked, but, like, who are you? What do you sound like?

Embarking on a rebrand or establishing your brand identity for the first time can feel like a daunting process, but my job as your designer is to provide encouragement and support through the design process as we craft this new identity together.