The honest truth: Your brand is boring and no one wants to work with you.
Your brand is boring and no one wants to buy from you.
More sales = more money = more opportunities
Whether you’re making $10 or $10 million, it’s the same basic principles that determine financially profitable and sustainable businesses. But if your brand is boring, run of the mill, stock standard, then you’re not growing your business in the way that kinda matters.
And because of this boring freakin’ brand, you’re inspiring, well, no one. Not even yourself. And if you aren’t inspired by your own brand, then why would you expect your ideal audience to want to work with you or buy your product?
No need to answer, it’s rhetorical.
And because of your *shitty brand, you can’t show up because you hate how your brand looks. You get easily confused and overwhelmed by all the Pinterest inspo and then your socials and website end up this mismatched mess.
But a boring brand doesn’t cut in anymore — it never did. A great, inspiring brand is felt, not just seen. It is intentional, not just great to look at. It’s at the very heart of who you are, the very essence of your business. It’s more than looking pretty, it’s about solving a problem and standing out while you do it.
Working with a lot of creative businesses, it’s easy to fall into the trap of continuing to use your boring brand. Here’s my top four “boring flags” that are an instant ‘no’ from me (and should be from you too).
Your colour palette looks like literally every one else’s
(Umm, hello neutrals and beige) If you use any combination of beige, cream, off white, taupe and/or light brown as the only colours in your brand palette — it’s an immediate no. Lifeless, bland and downright safe, you clearly found other brands that were nailing the minimalist aesthetic and tried to recreate it, thinking that it was what your audience wanted because it worked for them.
…yeah no. There’s a reason it works for some brands.
When done correctly, a colour palette (even if it’s using neutrals!) should have depth, meaning and versatility. It should be aligned with your values and ethos, working to evoke emotions about your brand, attracting your ideal audience. It should say something, without needing to say something.
For the love of all things good, please don’t be afraid of colour!
There’s absolutely no personality
Your personality comes through in so many ways. Your personal brand, colour palette, fonts, logos, messaging, key words, tone of voice, your emails, captions, the list goes on! When you’ve got a plain ole brand, that uses the same words, the same tone, addresses the same pain points, has a been there done that kinda vibe, I can guarantee you that no one is inspired.
You want your audience to feel you come through your brand. Your audience is done with face value value-adds, stock standard approaches. They want fresh, exciting. They want unique and sometimes, a little bit weird. They want the quirks.
So don’t be afraid to try something new. See what works. Bring yourself out through videos and carousel dumps. Just show the fuck up, because perfection is not a prerequisite for purchase.
Your fonts are some basic bitch options you liked on Canva or Google Fonts
If I see one more basic font combo from the first 10 templates on Canva, I’m going to scream. Just stop. It’s literally so obvious. From someone who spends a lot of time consuming content (like your audience) it’s so obvious when your fonts are not unique. Think of the hundreds of other people using the same template, the same fonts. It’s giving absolutely nothing. It’s giving “couldn’t be bothered to invest in a brand”. It’s giving “I don’t know what I’m doing”. It’s giving “I haven’t invested in my business, so why should you invest in mine”. Harsh? Maybe. Feel like I’m going over the top? Probs, but trust me, I’ve been doing this a long time.
Believe it or not, the perfect font choice is a representation of your brand. It can take hours finding the perfect pairing that truly encapsulates your brand vibe. Then hours to customise it. There’s a reason why you love certain brand fonts — because they make you feel something. Enough said.
You’re not telling me a story.
You’re talking at your customers, instead of bringing them along the journey. You’re just spitting facts and hoping they land. You’re still saying ‘5 tips to…’. Brands that fail to weave a compelling narrative into their marketing, their products and services, will struggle to truly captivate and engage their audience. Telling stories adds depth and emotional appeal, making your brand more relatable and ultimately, more interesting to your ideal audience. Here’s how to tell yours.
If you’re just waiting around for a miracle to happen, then sorry pal but you’re going to be waiting a while, because great brands don’t happen overnight. People remember stories, they remember feelings and emotions that you’ve brought up because that’s how our brains work to understand new information.
Your stories can also transcend trends and face value content. A brand that uses storytelling continues to evolve and adapt, while maintaining a consistent narrative that consistently resonates with its audience.
In order to create emotional connections, increase memorability, stand out from competitors, build trust, foster engagement, and inspire action, you need a brand that will be interesting and engaging. A boring brand contributes to low sales and engagement due to a lack of emotional connection, forgettability, difficulty in differentiation, erosion of trust, low engagement levels, and decreased motivation among stakeholders.
Don’t be that brand.
Become that brand that others can’t forget.
Become undeniable.
I build brands to help you realise the power you had all along. I'm for the change makers, the game changers, the undeniable, the forces to be reckoned with. I design with soul, with passion and ambition, inspired by your story, your purpose and your future.
I work alongside creative women with ambitious brands, who are ready to go all in because they know that everything they desire is on the other side of standing out.