To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
If you talk to anyone close to me they would tell you that I’ve always been my own person. I’m eccentric, high-energy, humorous and an artist. But what they don’t know is that I’ve built up a persona for them to accept me. I’ve weighed what things will bring me more friends or success and the things that won’t and usually chose to go forward on that which would look good on the outside.
Here’s the thing…I’ve never felt whole because of it.
At times I might feel seen but I’m always worrying about what others would think, what they would say and so adjustments were made. Maybe not crazy ones, but enough to no longer feel authentic to who I am.
A great example of this has been my brand.
From the start, I thought I wanted to work in the adventure industry (doing photography and marketing for businesses like The North Face.) But what I learned was what I thought would make me look cool. What I actually love is female-based brands, working with the little guy, and creating art that inspires the imagination.
So I took my overly masculine brand and made it as feminine as I really am (who knew, I’m a total girly girl.)
Through months of self-work of getting back to the real me, I also started to take notice of what I did and didn’t like in my business and what was missing. So here we are, at the start of a new year, at the start of a new birth year (Yup, I just turned 30 last weekend), ready to be exactly who I was born to be.
The Rebrand
Modern Magic by Katie Leigh is a slow living lifestyle brand that shows you how to find the magic in the everyday. I offer this in 3 different ways.
Services
- Marketing Strategy: To all my amazing small businesses out there, I’m not leaving you hanging. With 1:1 strategy sessions (in three different package types) I’ll work with you to create a minimalist business with a simple marketing strategy that keeps you connected to your audience, provides value, and helps you have some work-life balance.
- Illustration: I’m formally trained as an artist having gone to art school, and self taught as a marketer. During my 5-months off of social media I came back to my art and realized that I was missing a lot. So now I’m building my online shop, setting up some art shows this next year, and even in the process of illustrating a children’s books. You can check out my online shop here or reach out for a custom illustration of your home, family, or something else magical!
- Heirloom Photography: I love capturing the stories of families. So I’m pulling back from commercial work and focusing on my community in Denver. These photos aren’t like your regular portrait sessions but are a lifestyle shoot that show off exactly who you are so that your story can be passed down for years to come.
New Look
Once I realized that I’d been pretending to be a tom-boy (for most of my life) I knew it was time to find a look and feel that aligned with the new me (or should I say old me?)
It started with the logo and brand feel. I reached out to my closest friends and asked them what colors they thought of when they thought of me. My husband, Clayton, was the one who said “orange like a sunset.” And from there, things just started to flow.
I knew that I wanted the moon to be a part of my logo as it represents feminine energy and just so happens to be something I’m always pointing out every time I’m out at night.
The name came from somewhere totally unexpected. I had been thinking about what I would name a product shop someday in the future. It was while I was driving through the mountains and just dreaming. I thought about an apothecary feel shop with artistic products, fair trade goods from around the world, and potentially some herbs or teas (something I love mixing myself.) I named that Modern Magic which had been a phrase on my mind for a few months before I even decided to rebrand.
Finally, with a new name, logo, and colors in hand, it was time to update the website. I quickly fell in love with Pix and Hue’s WordPress website designs and recreated the look and feel of my website over the course of two days. (When you have all the images + copy at the ready, it really doesn’t take all that long.)
The final result is a piece of the internet that feels like me. Artistic, healing, a little magical, with some great dad jokes (my favorite!)
The most important part of a rebreand
Here is the truth about a rebrand, it often doesn’t change much for your business. A new website, a beautiful logo, they won’t retain customers. An amazing experience is what builds a business. So while I’m making transitions in my offerings and updating my look and feel to be more aligned with me, I did those things for me. What I did for my customers is to continue to provide value to them in any way I can.
I want my website to be easy to navigate and answer as many questions as possible. I have a huge library of blog posts to help provide guidance, insight, and inspiration. My newsletter is always filled with powerful content that doesn’t overload you with calls to action or push you to buy things.
The best rebranding you can do is on your customer experience. How you make people feel, how easy the process to buy from you is, what education you can provide, all those things will do more for your brand than a fresh new logo and a beautiful website. Those things are more to give you confidence in telling to come to your small corner of the internet. Once they’re there, the value is what will keep them coming back for more.
