Andrea Barras - Branding & Design

31/12/2022

I don't spend a lot of time on Facebook these days but wanted to share one last post for 2022! A little showcase of some of the branding work I've done recently, and a big cheers to the year gone by 🥂 Here's to a happy, healthy and fulfilling New Year wherever you are in the world 🖤

19/12/2022

One week to go until Christmas 🎉 I know most of us are winding down and probably just trying to get through the rest of the month, but I thought I'd plant the seed if anyone is thinking ahead work- / business-wise for 2023...

If you're looking at onboarding a designer (retainer, contract, part time) or if you're looking at starting up a new business (or refreshing the branding for your existing business) PLEASE KEEP ME IN MIND:

✔ if you want custom branding / design that not only looks great, but is thoughtful and meaningful too 🥰

✔ if you want to work with someone experienced and savvy, who can guide and help you to figure out what will be best for you and your business ❤️

✔ if you want to collaborate with someone who is detail oriented and strategic - everything is thought through and has a purpose 🙌

✔ if you want to partner with someone who GETS IT and who cares about YOUR success 💯

I have experience in brand design and consulting, print + digital design and more! I also have experience in running both product and service based businesses; I've worked within corporate teams, and within retail environments; and I've partnered with many different clients on their own journeys, having learnt so much along the way - I love to share knowledge and bring as much value as possible to everything I do.

Website link in comments - feel free to reach out via the contact form on my site or you can also follow and DM me on Instagram () - always happy to chat and discuss YOUR specific needs 😘

14/10/2022

Design is definitely about making things look good, BUT it's also about finding creative solutions to real problems in your business - here's what I mean:

✓ CONFIDENCE - good design gives you the confidence you may need to feel 'official' and to put yourself out there when you are just starting out and it feels a bit scary (equally important, when you are more established and ready to kick it up a notch!) You can rest easy in the knowledge that your brand is being perceived by your ideal clients / customers in the way that you intended.

✓ STANDING OUT - it's crowded out there and not always easy to get noticed! Professional design will help you to stand out and shine if you're a service provider; and if your business is product based, as consumers ourselves, we already know that beautiful, relevant and functional packaging is super important in making that sale!

✓ CLARITY - a strategic and thoughtful process will help you to think about your brand in new ways, and explore it on new levels. You'll get clear on what you're offering, who you're offering it to, and what makes you / your biz / your products the obvious choice. It's so much easier to talk about these things and put yourself out there when you have clear messaging to rely on.

✓ GROWTH - professional design / branding will make it possible for you to launch new offerings or products easily, to pivot quickly if needed, and to scale when you want to.

✓ TRUST - this is an oldie but a goodie - most of us already understand that thoughtful design fosters trust in how professional your brand appears to potential clients / customers. When you've taken the time and made the investment to create something meaningful and considered - something that reflects the level of service / product you're putting out into the world - your potential clients and customers WILL take notice, appreciate it, and buy into it.

✓ PROFIT - simply put, there is higher perceived value where there is good design. Having a cohesive and memorable client experience / customer journey, and/or products with packaging that elevates them and makes them stand out = more sales and the ability to charge more because the perceived value is higher.

>> There's so much more to all this, and YES, hiring a professional creative IS an investment, but, the return (if you're partnering with the right person) is usually more than you'll ever expect 🥳

I love chatting to people about all this in the context of their own businesses - if you're interested in hearing more about how we can potentially work together, let's connect ❤️ (website link in comments)

08/07/2022

Amusing - always love a good response to current affairs by clever brands...

UK prime minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce his resignation today after losing the support of ministers and MPs. Johnson’s exit comes after his leadership became mired in controversies, including the now infamous ‘partygate’ saga.

04/03/2022

This week I signed up as a partner/member and joined the 🥚egg online directory 🎉 egg are doing really cool things in the female-led biz space so I’m looking forward to connecting with more fab local brands and ladies in the greater Edinburgh region soon 👏

I also popped into the newly opened egg & co shopping space on George Street recently - I LOVE how their visual branding has been carried through to the decor of the building, with the front door painted red to match their main brand colour - little touches like these create big impact 🙌❤️

02/11/2021

Always a pleasure to work with Hannah from The Ruby Orchard - these planners and list pads were so much fun to create, and my best part was that when I sent over two design concepts for Hannah to review, she couldn't decide between them and ended up printing both sets!

For those with a more simplistic preference, the type-focused planners are just for you, while the minimalistic floral is for anyone on the hunt for something pretty, practical and subtle. Everything is in black and white, in keeping with The Ruby Orchard vibe and made to look good on any desk setting 😍

Thanks Hannah for bringing me in on this, and shout out to Nadia Jonker for the pretty styling and pics 👏

30/09/2021

I'm seeing this question popping up A LOT in a some of the FB groups I'm part of >> How do you find the perfect designer and what do you need to look at before you hire someone?

As a brand designer myself, finding someone who is the right fit is equally as important to me as it should be for the client (and something I think really plays into the success of the project too!) I'm going to touch on a few things here that you should definitely consider:

01/ Look at their work: does it appeal to you, does it look refined, is it displayed nicely, have they done work for businesses similar to your own (doesn't have to be in the exact same industry but if you are a freelance Copywriter for example, you might not want to work with a designer who niches in branding for giant corporates)

02/ What do their portfolios/case studies say about how they created solutions for their clients - how they created meaningful and relevant branding? This is important because it demonstrates an ability to design strategically and with brand fundamentals in mind (e.g. target market, positioning etc) - if there’s not enough strategy involved, boxes are left un-ticked and goals cannot be met sufficiently.

03/ Do you like how they express themselves, who they are, what they champion, their values etc (read their About page + Insta stalking opportunity!)

04/ Consider pricing - what value do you expect and what are you willing to pay? It might even be worth disclosing your budget upfront (it's much easier for me personally to tailor the solutions I can offer a client to be within their budget, and this way there is no time wasted.) Talking about money openly and honestly makes things much easier (also a green flag for an experienced service provider!)

05/ A good designer will want to know about your biz goals, plans and basically everything they can about your biz so they can propose an informed solution for you.

Helpful? Got something to add?

28/09/2021

In putting together the portfolio for my new website, I got to revisit so many past projects that I still adore 🖤

Here’s a look at the branding and some of the packaging work I’ve done for the wonderful Kerry from Myrrh & Moksha Botanical Alchemy, a natural perfumery brand where each product (from solid perfumes to parfum to scented candles and more!) is lovingly created any carefully mixed by hand, using the finest sustainably sourced botanicals.

The best part is that we still get to work together on the Rev and there have been some exciting new things in the pipeline that Kerry will be launching soon, can’t wait 🎉

- - - - - - - - - -

“I love working with Andrea because she communicates with me in a way that prompts me to give her effective briefing at the beginning (as well as feedback during) by posing the right questions – never shutting down ideas – and knowing where to carve out the useful bits. Andrea’s recommendations on other professionals to work with has also been helpful in the past.”

Kerry-Leigh Snel, Myrrh & Moksha

21/09/2021

** Long Post Alert ** Good morning friends and followers - it's been a while! In late 2020 my family and I decided to make a big move, back to the UK! We arrived almost six months ago and it's been a big adjustment but we're enjoying so many new adventures. A few of you have been following me here since I last lived in London so you could say I have come full circle 😅

This page started as a place for me to share blog posts from my previous blog. It played a big part in helping me to connect with others and to get my freelance branding and design business going in SA (some of my first clients were fellow bloggers!) I no longer blog sadly, preferring short form content creation over on Instagram where I mostly hang out these days (and Facebook also makes it really hard for posts to get seen so many of you probably wont even see this one!)

I have since transitioned the page into a business focused one (hence the name changes over the years) and I (irregularly!) share more work / design / entrepreneurial related posts here now. As such, if this content is no longer relevant to you, or you have no interest in following my business after having initially signed up to follow a blogger instead, THIS IS YOUR OUT! I gratefully invite you to unfollow and thank you for your past support, no hard feelings 💛

And now for the main news that prompted a post after so much time (I promise to try and be more consistent) - MY NEW WEBSITE IS LIVE!

I specialise in branding and design and work with clients all over the globe so feel free to share with anyone you know who might need my services and who you think I'd be a good fit for (popping the link in the comments to hopefully allow this post more reach!)

Thanks everyone,
Andrea x

31/10/2020

Just finished up this beautiul branding for The Groves Venue 🌸

Heres the funny part - we actually started off this project with a completely different creative direction (a concept I had pitched and thought could work) but as it progressed, my gut kept saying 'this isn't right, it's not elevated enough for the elegant, pretty vibe we're trying to achieve...'

Fortunately my lovely client was open to a pivot midway through (because we've worked together before and there's already a high level of trust which I'm so grateful for) and I'm SO GLAD I listened to my instinct because there was way more ease and flow after we focused on a new direction and let go of my previous idea.

I just love the softness and femininity of the end result - sometimes the ideas we begin with aren't the ones we're meant to end with 💕

29/10/2020

My clever friend Nicola Tweed - Web Development has just launched this amazing course 🥳

I’m so excited, the doors to my signature course Sell with WooCommerce are officially open!!!🎉🎉🎉

This course is for you if:

✅ You want to save money by not having to outsource the design and tasks of your online store
✅ You want the freedom of working for yourself
✅ You want to feel confident you've created a solid, well built online store
✅ You want to ditch the overwhelm, stress and late nights trying to find the answers on Google.

Here’s what you’ll get when you join today:

✅ Over 40 step by step tutorial guides
✅ Weekly check-ins and access to me via email
✅ Access to the private Facebook Group
✅ The best vetted resources

And these ALL these bonuses:
✅ Life time access
✅ Copy scripts to help you write the content for your pages, Privacy Policy, Terms & Conditions and a basic refund policy
✅ Creating a coming soon page
✅ Creating professional email addresses
✅ MailChimp Masterclass
✅ Linking Facebook to your online store

It is LITERALLY everything you need to create and launch an online store!

Join today and save R500 when you pay in full 💥

https://sellwithwoocommerce.com/

06/08/2020

It's not always easy but it's usually worth it - the inner work is where it's all at 🙌