So you’re done with the whole boss-beige “soulpreneur” look... Now what?

Why rebranding works differently for edge cases

If you’re an edge case, the traditional “brand identity package” might not be a great fit for you.

You’ve never gone along to get along in any other aspect of your life… so you’re not going to settle for defaults or trending templates.

Maybe you built a successful business on them, but they aren’t going to get you where you want to go — because your goal is to set the trends.

The normal standards of “good design” (invisible, minimal, digestible) won’t get you there, because that’s not really your deal, is it?

You’re not here to look like everyone else. I bet you couldn’t be like everyone else if you tried. I bet that you have tried, and it felt like a slow and suffocating death for your soul.1

So, what’s a little freak like you to do? What do “best practices” look like for the edge cases?

This is what I’ve learned over about 17 years in the branding and advertising industry, after formally studying design at Pratt Institute, watching trends come and go (including boss beige), and helping the clients who are willing to swim against the current actually stand out.

STEP 1: Work from the inside out.

Define exactly what makes your work/approach/perspective different than anyone else in your industry — your particular “edge.”

That is where an original point of view, look, and feel comes from. Not from what your audience already likes, or what your competitors are already doing. Should that be a factor? Yes. But it can’t be in the driver’s seat as you make decisions for your brand.

Leaning into your existing audience’s preferences means compromising your vision for “what seems like it will do best.” At best, it’s playing it safe, which you’re not good at. At worst, that audience isn’t actually a good fit for you anymore, and then you’re stuck accumulating more people that you don’t want to work with.

Instead, let your “edge” lead every aspect of your visual brand. That’s how you set trends.

When I begin a rebrand, the first thing we do is get everything on the table about your business, your origin story, and where you want to go, in one session. This process in itself brings up wild aha moments.

That may sound intense, but in my experience, it works better than drawing it out over months. Being psychic, I'm able to go extremely deep extremely quickly, instead of having to drag clients through a months-long process.2

One client exclaimed during our session: “your mind is like a little snake!” I relish grabbing clients’ scattered thoughts and vibes out of the air and compressing them into concise gold nuggets that feel so clear and obvious when reflected back to them.

It’s efficient, effective, and defies any sort of “brand architecture / archetypes / story / pillars” that you’ve attempted to squish yourself into before. There’s value to all of these, but our goal with a visual brand is vibes, and that requires immediate resonance, not extra explanation.

STEP 2: Don’t bury your own taste — use it.

Get extremely clear on the aesthetic vision, and don’t skimp on personality. You’re not for everyone, and that’s the whole point.

Edge cases don’t make it far without getting creative. You know how to make the most of your particular (and likely unconventional) strengths. You stretch your resources to make new ideas work. You need to be committed to your own vision in order to go out on a limb and make it real.

You’ve probably already developed very specific taste and high standards for the aesthetics you surround yourself with in your personal life. You’ve learned that aesthetics and vibes are load-bearing in your life, not a nice-to-have.

You’re probably not executing a rebrand yourself because your own skills or resources are not up to your own level of taste.3 But when you outsource it, do not surrender to whatever The Market Says Is Best. We need your visionary brain and incredible taste on board for this rebrand.

There is no need to lean into an aesthetic or color that you personally can’t stand. What a great way to ensure that you resent creating or publishing any kind of collateral for your business!

So, I get your sign-off on an extremely specific visual direction for each rebrand before touching design — then you get to be hands-off for the rest of the process.

If you’re worried that your taste is too specific, don’t be. I went to a prestigious art school and worked at luxury branding agencies in NYC. One client wanted her brand to look like a "$1000 flannel shirt" and I think we nailed it.

STEP 3: Your brand needs to inspire you — it should never feel limiting.

Create and collect a wide range of brand elements to play with.

Edge cases do not like to feel boxed in (and I’ve had many clients who put off their rebrand as long as possible to avoid the possibility.)

That’s why I give you lots of accents and assets beyond just some colors, fonts, and a logo. Your new brand needs to excite you. We don’t want this to feel like the “practical” capsule wardrobe you abandoned after two weeks.

Range is everything. You like to have seasonal color palettes? Let’s do it. You always get sick of the same stock photos? We’ll put together a library and spec that help you select new photos with the right look. You don’t want a bland Helvetica or divine-feminine-thin-serifs logo? Perfect, I don’t wanna make one.

Luxury isn’t a specific look — it’s in the details. It’s in craftsmanship. It’s in the subtle textures and experiences that you may not even consciously notice, but round out a truly immersive experience.

I’ve had more than one client’s web designer say that the brand I created was one of the most thorough and helpful brand setups they’d ever seen.

We build out a full universe that your audience can immerse themselves in. A universe doesn’t exist in color palettes — it holds full spectrums of light. People remember how you make them feel. Which brings me to…

STEP 4: Total sensory immersion.

You need thorough examples of how to use your brand to its fullest potential so you can create the most memorable and distinctive experience for your people.

I have had well-meaning mentors and peers tell me that I’m giving my clients too much. Too many colors, too many logos in the logo system, too many patterns and doodads. There is some wisdom here: too many options can create paralysis when it comes to making design decisions. But in order to sustain a cool and — dare I say — edgy brand, you need both variety and specificity.

You want a one-page brand guide? They work. But they don’t help you make the hundreds of tiny decisions that go into design work. You need specific and thorough examples of how to use everything. With wide variety comes wide capacity to hold and use it well.

Whether you are personally designing assets yourself or your team is designing them for you, my goal is for you to not have to play internal Creative Director for every piece of marketing that comes through your inbox for approval.

I make sure you leave the rebrand with extremely clear and detailed guidelines that apply to any situation and can be understood by even the least design-savvy VA. And that’s the bare minimum.

I also offer implementation support after the rebrand, so you can keep me on to actually apply it and/or lead your team through applying it as needed. Have a website redesign coming up that you need eyes on? CC me. Need to design a book cover that you’re afraid to fuck up? I’ve got you.

Edge cases are used to being misunderstood.

You’ve probably been through a rebrand before that wasn’t quite right, but you got stuck with 500 of those business cards anyway, and it didn’t feel good.

You’ve probably settled on an over-simplified aesthetic because it meant you didn’t have to triple-check every asset your team designed… and now die a little every time an absolutely wrong-fit client says it’s “soooo me.”

Your next rebrand doesn’t have to end that way. You don’t need to sand down your rough edges for the most risk-averse common denominator when your best clients already love you for them.

If reading this felt like a breath of fresh air, breathe deep. Do you need to talk through your own experience? I’m available.