A good rebrand is a return to who you've always been.
Rebranding is a return to who you've always been.
A re-integration of why you started in the first place.
A return to who you were before you started compromising on your highest vision for a higher conversion rate.
As a client put it in a testimonial I received literally while writing this email: "What came through was more than just a brand, it was a soul retrieval."
I committed to a rebrand and to put myself through my own process — and to share it with you. So today we begin with my Firestarter: the first step for all of my clients, and where I do the heavy lifting as a "psychic director."
There have been revelations...
To keep it as true to my process as possible, I enlisted Nova to be "me" for the 90-minute interview — the only witch I trust to, ahem, deeply penetrate in a 1:1 session as well as I can (and she's booking!)
I handed over my list of questions, refined over many years and hundreds of clients, and found some fascinating surprises on the other side of the table.
I had an experience that many clients tell me about, but I didn't really get the impact of until I felt it myself.
In recounting how, exactly, I got here, I remembered some old pieces of myself and my work that I thought I'd evolved beyond in some way, or simply didn't think were relevant anymore — and realized that they were actually key to growing into the next era of Swail Studio.
It led me back to 2012 Pinterest boards from when I was an atheist fascinated by witch hunts and herbal remedies during the black plague (haven't we all been there??)
It led me back to Victorian mourning stationery, marbled paper, scraps of typewritten ephemera — which has an obvious through-line to some of my latest work that I'm most proud of — and is the obvious piece I've been missing in my own brand.
Most critically, in helped me tap into exactly what my new brand has to say and do, quickly and cleanly — the whole point of a Firestarter — and reaffirmed why I set up my process this way in the first place.
A few pages from the final PDF:
YOUR SPARK is the backbone of my process: the 3-4 specific things that make your work yours and distinguish you from anyone else doing something similar. This is THE checklist of what your brand has to say visually before anyone can process a word of copy.
KEYWORDS are one of my clients' favorite parts of this document: a clear delineation of "is" and "is nots" to pinpoint the exact vibe and tone that needs to come across not just in the visuals, but in copy, marketing, and the overall experience of your business.
THE VISION is where it all translates into a plan, based on actual visual impressions that I have while interviewing a client and while contemplating afterward. I always link in the keywords to "crosscheck" what comes through. Additional pages break down the details of color, type, accents, and imagery chose to ensure everything nothing is lost in translation. Colors are pulled and applied throughout the document to help you really sink into the vibe.
The whole Firestarter peppered throughout with imagery from secret Pinterest boards and Unsplash collections I make for every one of my clients. Here's a little taste of mine, before refining it down to the final imagery above:
If this makes you curious about what a Firestarter of your own could look like...
If you think this might make you feel something that you've been missing...
Or maybe you're wondering what you've forgotten that's actually ripe to re-integrate into your vision and re-invigorate your work next year...
This is the last month that I am offering Firestarters for $1500. The price will increase next year to $1950.
Book your vibe check to find out if this is the right next step and secure your spot for January.
