Lately, I’ve been starting each episode by saying “There is more than one path to the same destination.” In a small business community with so much great information available, we want our fellow creative small business owners to know there is so much they are doing well. It’s OK, and even encouraged, if what you’re doing — or the approach you bring to your business — looks different from what your fellow business owners are doing.

As I reflect upon our past 6 years in business, I wholeheartedly believe that one of the reasons we’ve been able to maintain and grow With Grace and Gold is because, sometimes, we approach our business in unconventional ways. So, if there’s a unique way you approach your business, serve your clients, or market your business — so long as it’s creating a seamless workflow, serving your clients well, and truly working for you and your business… embrace it and celebrate it.

Today, I want to share one unconventional approach we have to brand and web design. At With Grace and Gold, we do not offer what are called brand or web design “refreshes” — the process of making adjustments to an existing brand and web design to meet a client’s needs. Instead, we offer only our full Custom Design Experiences, through which we create a complete brand — or brand and web design — from scratch. In today’s episode, I’m going to share the heart behind our decision!

We hope today’s episode inspires you to create a business you love and believe in — and to embrace the creative, one-of-a-kind approach you bring to your business and your clients.

Why We Don’t Offer Brand or Website “Refreshes”

At With Grace and Gold, we know — and love — that every design business is unique. So, if today’s episode is in contradiction with your approach to design business ownership, we want you to know today’s episode is simply to share our personal philosophy and to perhaps provide a new approach.

Put simply, a brand or website “refresh” is when a brand or web designer makes adjustments to an existing brand or website to help meet a client’s needs and vision. In other words, based upon your updated vision and goals, a designer would rework your existing brand and website design to better align with your vision.

Since the start of our small business journey, we’ve chosen not to offer brand or website “refreshes” — and to only offer our full Custom Design Experiences, through which we create a complete brand — or brand and web design — from scratch. Here’s why:

• First, we begin our design process by asking our clients to complete a Brand Discovery Questionnaire. We ask our clients to share about their business, their Ideal Client, and their goals — both in the short-term and long-term. Their responses to their Brand Discovery Questionnaire allow us to create a solid foundation for our upcoming design process, with an agreed-upon strategy and approach. Our design process doesn’t truly begin until we’ve established a solid foundation through our agreed-upon Brand Proposal. This “pre-design work” allows us to ensure every soon-to-be-designed detail is purposeful and created with our clients’ preferences and success in mind.
  • If we were to offer a brand or website refresh, we may have to overlook or prioritize only certain details explored within our clients’ questionnaire. In other words, because their design wouldn’t be created as new or from scratch, we’d have to determine which goals and preferences we could factor in — meaning not all of our client’s preferences and goals would play a role in their refreshed brand or website.
• Next, and similarly, we want to ensure each and every detail has been created to align with our clients’ preferences and goals. Once we have agreed upon the foundation and strategy for our client’s design through a Brand Proposal, we begin our design process. By starting our design process from a completely blank slate, we are able to ensure each and every detail we design has been uniquely and intentionally created with our client’s success in mind.
  • If we were to offer a brand or website refresh, we may instead move certain details around or piece details together from one design to another. In this way, our clients’ brand and web design could be a blend of their “old business” and their “new business.” Because we want our clients to begin a fresh, new season in their business, we’ve discovered it’s essential for us to leave behind the details that did not serve their business — and each and every new detail is designed with our client’s future success in mind.
• Lastly, we want our clients to be successful in the months and years ahead. When serving our clients, we sincerely hope each and every client will be successful not only in the months ahead, but also in the years ahead. We wholeheartedly believe starting from scratch allows our clients to come away with a fresh, new one-of-a-kind design — uniquely-designed for their success.
  • If we were to offer a brand or website refresh, our clients may find themselves in need of a new or updated brand or website sooner than later — investing more in their brand or website than they ever intended. Chances are, as your business grows and changes, you will want a brand and website created to grow with you. Again, this can save both time and money — and ensure the brand and website you have all along is designed connect you with your Ideal Client and elevate your business as a whole.

In the end, we’ve found starting from scratch allows us to create a one-of-a-kind brand and web design for each client we serve, ensuring every detail has been carefully and intentionally designed with their unique goals and vision in mind.

Again, we know every design business works differently and serves clients in its own one-of-a-kind way — and we believe this is what makes creative business ownership so wonderful! Today, we simply wanted to share a behind-the-scenes look at how and why we do what we do — and hopefully encourage you to embrace a strategy you love and believe in, even if it looks different from the norm!

Since 2014, With Grace and Gold has provided brand and web design for creative small business owners. Hire With Grace and Gold or shop With Grace and Gold’s pre-made designs and Showit website templates – and come away with an elevated brand and web design for your small business!

About Brand It, Build It Podcast, Hosted by Kelly Zugay

Hosted by Kelly Zugay, co-founder of With Grace and Gold, The Brand It, Build It Podcast is a leading small business marketing podcast for small business owners, creatives, founders and entrepreneurs. Enjoy weekly, actionable episodes to build a successful, sustainable small business from the inside out.