A new logo won’t win you new clients. Sorry!
But a new brand identity, aligned to your vision will give you the confidence to go and find them.
As a small business owner myself, it’s been fascinating to discover how my clients have found me over the years - for me, it’s been a mix of recommendations from past colleagues and clients, connecting through face-to-face and online networking and sharing my work on social media, topped with a sprinkling of successful pitches. Sometimes we might interact in a mix of these scenarios for a few years before we end up working together. I think what is key for me is that at every interaction, my personality and offering is consistent - people who follow me on social media aren’t surprised when they meet me in person, and when someone lands on my website they recognise my work from my proposal etc…
As a brand identity designer working with small business owners, I’ve seen the shift that happens in my clients, who make the decision to invest in a considered brand identity that genuinely reflects who they are and what they do. They don’t just look better. They gain clarity, and most importantly confidence. I see them stop second-guessing who they are, and who they are for, and start attracting exactly the kind of clients they actually want to work with.
But a new logo isn’t the change. It is everything else that is built behind it. Think of your logo as a reminder of the brand work you have done, a badge you can wear with pride.
It’s possibly a harsh reality, that as a brand identity designer I am admitting that my logo doesn’t win me clients. Quite a bold statement, right? But my logo is just the tip of the iceberg - the bit you can see, along with my choice of colour palette, the fonts I use, my words, language, and images I share, but ultimately my approach and values that form a feeling, an idea or an opinion that will mean something to the right people.
So how does having a comprehensive, strong brand impact the every day life of sustaining and maybe even growing a business?
I’ve listed the top 5 areas I focus on, where brand identity work I’ve applied to my own business has helped to find clients, and keep my business going:
1- Recommendations and referrals*
My favourite way of finding new clients has to be from my existing network! Not just because it takes the least effort on my part(!!), but because for me it has the best conversion for enquiries. People LOVE a recommendation, it takes out so much of the guess-work out of looking for new services. And luckily, people love to give recommendations too.
And a strong brand identity makes that easier. When your brand is distinctive and consistent, people remember you. When your positioning is clear, they know exactly what to refer you for. There’s no awkward ‘she does sort of…design-y things’, it’s a confident, specific recommendation, backed by a brand that proves the point the moment your perspective client does look you up.
Having a visually coherent brand plays a big part in looking genuine and professional, but also being clear on what I do, and what projects someone might refer me for is equally important. It’s no good being referred for a skillset I don’t actually have.
*for the record, I’m personally not really into referrals…anything obligated feels a bit forced, and I would personally never recommend a peer for anything other than their own merit. But, if it is your bag, the same applies - being known for something makes a referral a no-brainer!
2- Networking
As terrifying as it can be to walk into a room full of un-knowns, I do think it is the greatest way to make a new, genuine connection. That magical first impression, built by your body language, how you dress, the questions you ask…You can tell people who you are and what you do in your own words. It’s the best way to build trust - there is no hiding behind well-thought out, laboured social posts here!
Having my own, human version of an ‘elevator pitch’ of what I do/want to do has been a game changer. It actually allowed me to step back a little and talk about what I do as my business versus just me. For some reason, slightly less cringe!? Having a smart business card to leave with them as a reminder is neat, but more realistically, a coherent social account to connect with, that tells the same brand story, and a website that instantly builds on that with recognisable cues.
It’s given me the confidence to be in those rooms, to be able to talk about what I do - not to sell my services even, but to be comfortable with who I am, walking into that space. And not feel like I need to be anyone else. Sometimes that room is full of mind-blowing creatives of varying skillsets, some of whom may even be my ‘competitors’ or sometimes it’s being the only creative in the room, which weirdly I tend to find more intimidating and this used to rocket me straight into imposter-syndrome mode (what if they expect ‘business chat’?!) but either way, feeling equipped and prepared, has made these situations bearable, sometimes even enjoyable.
3- Sharing the work I love on social media
When your brand identity is unclear, it’s easy to include everything, because you’re not sure what story you’re telling. Once you’ve done the work of defining what you stand for and who you’re for, your content almost edits itself. The stuff that doesn’t fit the direction falls away. The things that do fit start to come together into something with a point of view.
I see my social media page as a filter, not a showcase. It’s not a live-stream of the my working week (as if I post that much). I consciously share the work I am most proud of, and genuinely loved working on - ie. the work I want more of. My aim is that every piece I include sends a signal to say this is what I do, this is the level I work at, the people I collaborate with…this is the kind of brief I am looking for.
And the kind of clients I want to work with. Knowing this makes it easy to edit my projects. (It probably means that I over-think my posts, and don’t post enough, but I have come to terms with the fact that my instagram is more of a portfolio with a smattering of branded thoughts and opinions, for potential clients to check my validity and personality, rather than an AI-fuelled outreach channel of exponential growth.)
4- Pitching
Yikes - this is one what I could really do with being better at! Cold leads, where you need to sell what you do, with no prior contact, no warming up, no recommendations - ‘I am good, honestly!’ is tough. Being pitched against similar businesses with only a few pages to define your USP, having the same few words to play with as all your competitors - who isn’t ‘passionate’ ‘creative’ and has ‘good attention to detail’?!
But how to fill those pages with a consistent, professional feel, that is well-laid out, easy-to-read, and feels ownable, and memberable? This is where a full brand kit comes into play. Not just a logo plopped in the corner of each page, and some borrowed Canva graphics to fill up blank spaces.
Having a clear set of fonts, and well-thought out page layout design with icons, patterns, backgrounds, imagery and image treatment makes the whole process of making something memorable, much, much easier. And a well-laid out document makes the whole thing easier to read, keeping your perspective client engaged right through to the last page. Or at the very least catches their eye, whilst they skip through to the cost page!! It can also save soooooo much time too - the level of deliberation when each page is a fresh start is next level - even for a designer.
5- Do the work, and do it well.
Anthony Burrill said it best: work hard and be nice to people.
It WILL pay off. A brand is about reputation, built from the quality of your work and how you make people feel. A rebrand doesn’t change that - its not about smoke and mirrors to try and be something you are not. For me, its about amplifying what makes you unique.The best clients aren’t looking for a generic service. They’re looking for you - your thinking, your eye, your approach. But they can only find you if you’re consistently, recognisably yourself across every interaction.
A strong brand gives your reputation a visual home. It makes the impression you leave consistent with the work you do and the experience you deliver. It speaks for you when you are not in the room.
This is the quiet gift of proper brand alignment. Not just that you look more professional (although you will). Not just that you attract better briefs (although you might). It’s that you stop questioning whether you’re presenting yourself correctly and just…get on with it.
And this is why I don’t offer just logo design. It’s not that logos aren’t great. They are! They do some wonderful things for brand recognition, and a good one really can stop your ideal audience in their tracks. Its just that they just aren’t enough to build a brand on.
But if you are ready to make the day-to-day life of you business a little more streamlined, it might just be time to look at your branding? If your logo just isn’t cutting it anymore, why not get in touch to see if we can work together, to create some something more substantial that can speak for you when you are not in the room?