Sloan Studio, Richmond, VA (2026)

12/19/2023

Congratulations to Chelsea Schmidt Photography on the launch of her new branding!

Chelsea prides herself on getting to know her couples on a personal level to build trust leading up to their special day. This allows her to capture the real and genuine moments throughout their wedding day that honor each unique love story.

My favorite aspects of this beautiful brand include:

🕊️ Cursive “s” and “i” in the logos which bring in some asymmetrical flair

🕊️ The hand drawn Sampaguita flower nodding to her Filipino heritage

🕊️ A pop of yellow in the color palette to highlight Chelsea’s bubbly and cheerful personality

🕊️ The daintiness and femininity of the lowercase letters in the logos

For her new look, Chelsea sought for her brand to be perceived as elegant yet approachable, inclusive and warm-hearted, all while representing her "keeping it real" attitude.

How did we do?

10/18/2023

What is the last non-essential purchase you made?

(For me, I bought a handmade ceramic mug in Denmark and a trench coat and striped sweater in Poland)

Why did you buy that product or service?

(I wanted to support a small business, have beautiful and useful mementos that remind me of my travels, and feel stylish)

I’m curious if you noticed any common themes in the reasons behind your investments.

Because oftentimes, we make our buying decisions based on feelings. Not the actual product or service.

*insert jaw drop here*

Investing in experiences, lifestyles, and a sense of community makes our hearts happy. That means your brand needs to make an emotional connection with your audience.

How can you achieve that?

Great question!

Start by thinking about how you want your dream clients to feel when they see and interact with your brand. Do you want them to feel: Calm? Jubilant? Secure?

Create a list of 5-7 adjectives that encapsulate the emotions you want to evoke in your audience. Then consider how you can convey those through your:

🎨 Color palette

🗣️ Tone of voice

🛍️ Brand experience and touchpoints

Keeping all of that in mind, you’ll also want to take a deep dive into understanding your audience and their goals, desires, fears, and pain points so you can design products and services that meet their emotional needs.

If you’re ready to build a memorable brand that makes people feel something but don’t want to go at it alone, you’re in the right place! I’m ready to be your partner in creativity.

Let’s tell your story with compelling visuals that set your business apart in a saturated market.

I only have two branding and website design spots left for 2023, so inquire today to secure yours: https://sloanstudio.biz/inquire

08/15/2023

Sending a huge congratulations to Kristy Sweetland on the launch of her rebrand of Coaching to Come Alive! Kristy is a transformational alchemist who helps Highly Sensitive People (HSP’s) become more resilient through the modalities of transpersonal psychology and earth medicine so that they can achieve their wildest dreams and live a meaningful and purpose-driven life.

We sought to capture the blend of science and spirit that encourages the life-changing transformations that her clients undergo after their work together and the influence of her surroundings of New Mexico in the final brand design.

The typographic customizations represent moon phases to incorporate celestial elements and the semi-circles in the design weave in the concept of sunrises and sunsets to represent new beginnings.

We captured her audience’s sensitivity, courage, and adventurous spirit through a color palette that combines soft pastel corals with a dark blue and turquoise which represent healing and trust. The brand’s typesuite captures not only the energy that Kristy brings into her work but also the energies of the ecosystems that she taps into to help her clients reconnect with their true selves.

Working with Kristy to bring her vision to life was such a joy! I loved learning about how she encourages Highly Sensitive People to use their sensitivity and intuition as a superpower rather than viewing it as a burden – especially as a sensitive person myself. The knowledge, compassion, and spirit that she brings into her work is truly inspiring. I’m so thankful that Kristy trusted me to get to know her and her business on such a personal level. I can’t wait to continue to cheer her on!

06/02/2023

Some inspiration and moments from life off-screen lately 🌞

I’ve been cultivating a better sense of balance this year.

And that’s looked like closing my laptop and fully disconnecting from work so I can enjoy places that light me up, spend time with people who energize me, and take time to just rest (which has been a very novel concept for me who has been used to living life at full speed since the ripe age of 15 lol.)

All of the time spent away from my business has actually helped me come back to do even better work — as I’ve felt more creative, motivated, and inspired. Funny how that works!

So I’d like to encourage you to do the same. Close your laptop (even if it’s just for a few hours) this weekend and appreciate all of the off-screen beauty around you. I bet you’ll come back to work on Monday feeling energized to dive right in.

What has places, activities, or things have inspired you lately?

05/16/2023

Minimal doesn’t mean simple or easy…

…it’s really quite far from that, actually.

Minimalism relies on communicating essential information with as few elements as possible – which means that every piece of the design must serve a powerful purpose.

And that comes from having a deep understanding of the brand’s mission, core values, dream clients, and the competitive landscape of the industry.

With In Gate Goods, for example, Kate sought to bridge the gap in the current equestrian paper goods and office supplies market that only appeals to rainbow unicorn loving little girls or the macho-man Western cowboy.

She wanted her stationery to speak to the horse girls of all ages who find themselves in the middle of that spectrum. The ones who are brought together by their pure, unadulterated love of horses and the absolute joy of riding. And want to bring a pretty and purposeful notebook that reminds them of their favorite place (the barn, duh!) with them wherever else life takes them.

As a creative herself, Kate brought a bunch of different ideas and thoughts on the visual direction for this branding project. Ultimately, we distilled these down through our strategy work and decided to go in the direction of building a playful and outdoorsy identity that captures the fun of the horse world while still remaining tasteful.

And every element of this minimalist brand has a role to play in achieving that aesthetic which speaks to her dream clients and differentiates the company from other equestrian brands:

From the fonts that bring in some texture and add a subtle nod to writing with script lettering and typewriter characters.

To the hand-drawn illustrations that represent iconic elements of the equestrian world.

Unleash your brand’s full potential with minimalist design and transcendent strategy. Book your project today: https://sloanstudio.biz/inquire

05/03/2023

I walked into the mall a few weeks ago, for the first time in forever, and saw my brand colors EVERYWHERE.

Creams, tans, and olive greens/teals lined the shelves in Madewell, Banana Republic, and American Eagle.

My first reaction?

Wow! The fashion industry wants to use MY brand colors?! I felt like a trend forecaster. How cool!

But that got me thinking…

Trends come and go. And when they go, they’re forgotten about and become obsolete.

Sure, they might reemerge 5-10 years later (like wide leg jeans) or disappear forever because who the heck decided that looked good in the first place (cue: gaucho pants.)

Which is exactly why I don’t think brands should design for or around them. Because you don’t want your relevance to be dictated by what’s in style today and could be deemed “ugly” tomorrow.

That’s not to say that you can’t experiment with trends, but that should only happen once you have an intentional visual identity that translates your brand strategy into visual assets.

Because when your brand is designed with your mission, values, dream clients, and competitors in mind, you’ll create a timeless brand.

One that will speak to your dream clients and encourage action long after trends fade away.

Ready to craft a strategic brand that will withstand the test of time? I’m now booking branding projects for June and beyond! Inquire now: https://sloanstudio.biz/inquire

04/19/2023

Sharing the final moodboard for a recent branding project 🌟

Kristy is a transformational alchemist and we wanted to capture the importance of nature and energy work in her process while tapping into some New Mexican desert influences.

I can’t wait to share more of this energizing project once we finish it up!

Did we nail this spirited, adventurous, and editorial vibe?

04/12/2023

I don’t know who needs to hear this but…operating your business in a saturated market shouldn’t feel intimidating.

It should actually be empowering!

And that shift happens when you know where you stand in relation to your competitors, what makes your business unique, and how you communicate that – both visually and in your messaging.

Branding will give your business a competitive edge through:

1. Differentiation: Stand out from your competitors and differentiate yourself in a saturated market. Your business can become top of mind for your unique visuals, values, client experience, and/or products/services you offer.

2. Recognition: Clients will recognize your business quickly and easily. They’ll remember you when it comes time to make that purchase they’ve been considering as a result of your consistent image and messaging across marketing channels.

3. Trust and credibility: Build long-term relationships with followers and garner repeat business from customers since they can easily understand the value your business provides. They’ll feel confident in choosing your products or services over others.

4. Emotional connection: People will feel something as soon as they come in contact with your brand. That feeling of connection has the potential to turn potential clients into raving fans who are willing to pay premium prices for your high quality product or service.

5. Professionalism: Showcase the value of your products and services with high-quality visuals to demonstrate your professionalism so you can charge your worth, feel proud of your image, and show up more confidently in your marketing.

Are you ready to take your business to the next level? It's time to tell your story with compelling visuals rooted in strategy that will set your business apart and give you that competitive edge.

Let's talk about how we can transform your business with transcendent strategy and minimalist design. I’m now booking May 2023 and beyond, so be sure to secure your spot: https://sloanstudio.biz/inquire

03/28/2023

Can you tell that all of these designs are part of the same brand?

I imagine you’d say yes…probably because of the calming neutral color palette, elegant fonts, soft imagery, and delicate hand-drawn line elements that work together to evoke feelings – of elegance, approachability, relaxation, luxury, authenticity, comfort.

Now, would you be surprised if I told you that the actual logo design only appears once throughout these images?

You might be. Especially if the impact of everything involved in the brand strategy and design process is new to you.

I’ve been asked if I would design one-off logos before. And I always say no. Not because I don’t love designing beautiful and intentional logos (don’t get me wrong, I do adore that) but because your logos are only meaningful when they’re backed by brand strategy and paired with other (dare I say) more important visual elements of your brand.

If you didn’t believe in the importance of investing in an entire branding package before, I hope these visuals give you some more insight now. A logo can’t capture your mission, vision, and values, elicit an emotional connection from your dream clients, or differentiate you from your competitors by itself. But a brand can do all of that and more.

Do you want your brand to stand out as memorable and be magnetic for your dream clients?

Let’s talk about how transcendent strategy and minimalist design can transform your business so you can reach your goals! Get your free discovery call on the calendar today: https://sloanstudio.biz/inquire

03/22/2023

If you’ve been in business long enough you’ve likely experienced a slow season…or two.

They don’t discriminate by age, industry, experience, or skill level. But they do take a major toll on your mindset and unfortunately your bank account (especially if your business is your main source of income), too.

Slow seasons are trying times that really put us to the test as business owners. I’ve been there. I get it. I feel your pain.

I recently experienced my first ever slow season in business. And it made me question everything: my work, my process, and my abilities. Safe to say that confidence took a pretty big hit.

But I also believe that everything happens for a reason.

That same slow season also allowed me to:

- Travel far and wide without feeling pressured to work or worrying about meeting deadlines
- Update my website portfolio
- Restructure my social media strategy
- Spend extra time with the people I love most
- REST (which looked like taking the damn nap and binge watching Outer Banks on Netflix)

I was able to fill my cup (since you certainly can’t pour from an empty one – learned that the hard way.) I was able to work on my business instead of just in it and tackle some internal projects I haven’t had time to prioritize. I was able to listen to my body and take time to rest.

All of this has helped me work on shifting my mindset when inquiries or bookings are lower than they’ve been in the past. This down time has given me space to work on areas of my business (or myself!) that I’ve had to put off when business was booming.

Swipe through to see my favorite mindset shifts and share them with a friend who could use a little extra encouragement. We’ve got this! 🤍

03/14/2023

Wondering what it’s like to start your own business? Or the reasons why the entrepreneurial journey is so rewarding?

Sloan Studio was recently featured in two articles where I received the opportunity to share my story and inspire others who might be thinking about taking the leap to starting a small business.

Check out the full articles here: https://gosolo.subkit.com/sloan-studio/ & https://canvasrebel.com/meet-courtney-sloan/

03/06/2023

Potential clients stumble across your website and social media profile every day.

How does that make you feel?

Delighted that they’ll find a cohesive brand that accurately represents the value of your business? Or ashamed of a presence that makes your prized business look like a hobby?

Cringing at the thought of sharing your brand with people is a telltale sign that it’s time to breathe new life into your business with a rebrand 🕊️

Some other signs to consider:

– You’re not attracting the right clients

– You’re lacking confidence and clarity

– You’re fitting in instead of standing out

– You’re growing and developing

Rebranding will take your business to the next level by ensuring your visual identity is backed with strategy. So you can step into the digital and physical space with pride and turn your lofty goals into reality.

Consider this as a sign that your business is ready for a transformation – to go from having potential to being a powerhouse. I only have two branding spots left for spring, so reserve yours today: https://sloanstudio.biz/inquire

Sloan Studio

12/19/2023

10/18/2023

08/15/2023

06/02/2023

05/16/2023

05/03/2023

04/19/2023

04/12/2023

03/28/2023

03/22/2023

03/14/2023

03/06/2023

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