Welcome back to another episode of Aesthetically Speaking! In this episode, titled "H is for: How Branding Works, The Science, Psychology, and Artistry of Creating an Effective Brand," we dive into the fascinating world of branding and its multifaceted nature. 

 Branding is not just about visual elements like colors and fonts, but also about psychology, strategy, and aligning perception with reality. Today, we'll be expanding on the key takeaways from the episode and exploring the art and science of creating an effective brand identity.

This episode is taking you behind the scenes of Aesthetically Speaking to answer some questions that we get about the podcast, so we thought that we would talk about that in an episode. We want to show that we are listening to you, and want to provide you with the answers.

We always tell people that we want feedback, so this episode will answer some of those questions such as: how this podcast came to life, from how Rebecca spent a year trying to figure out the best way to go about it, to realizing Abby was the perfect co-host.

In today's episode, we take on a unique branding challenge for our sister-in-law, Marianne's, sunless tanning business, Custom Sun. 

Marianne wants her brand to stand out and exude sophistication, drawing inspiration from sunset colors and a desire for a safe customer experience. 

I discuss my process of creating a visually stunning logo lockup and explore various design treatments. This design showcases the importance of color palettes and creating brands that are both unique and memorable. 

Stay tuned to the end as we provide an update to our very first branding challenge with our brother, Andrew, and how he is using the brand today, along with creating a website.

In this episode, we have our very first guest joining us. Suzie Clark, the founder of the Female Leadership Collective, provides her knowledge of the world of sales and branding. 

Suzie, who comes from a corporate background, shares her journey from quitting her job to embarking on a transformative adventure in Bali. Along the way, she discovered her passion for helping women break free from traditional careers and launch their own businesses. 

From freelancing to ecommerce ventures, Suzie has experienced the highs and lows of entrepreneurship firsthand. Tune in as she reveals valuable insights about authentic communication, overcoming doubts, and the power of collaborative communities.

This week we are on the letter “G” in the alphabet which is for government branding. Before you skip this episode, let us justify why we think this is going to be relevant and interesting because we're thinking not just of the government, but public use, standardization, all of the things that go into something being for “everybody.” 

In this episode we discuss everything from real-life examples, such as confusing signage for a youth mentorship program and a well-executed branding for an old junkyard. To the challenges of designing presentations for the legal field, where complex information needs to be made accessible while maintaining credibility, the power of symbols, colors, and standardized design systems, as well as the importance of aligning brand messaging with the values and audience of a particular brand.

Overall, this episode showcases the fascinating intersection of design, strategy, and communication in government initiatives, public figures, and transportation signs, illustrating how visuals can shape our understanding and engagement with the world around us.

Before we get into this week’s brand challenge, let’s talk about what is new in the world, the new app, Threads. We wanted to talk about how we feel about it, the branding, and the overall functionality of this newly talked about app versus how it compares to Twitter, Instagram, and any other social media app.

As for the branding challenge in this episode, we discuss the unique brand for our brother, Jonathan. Not only is Jonathan a CPA and tax advisor, he is a perfectionist and all around a good guy. With his sporty and creative personality in mind, an ordinary accountant brand would not do. We dive into how his brand came to be. Knowing his preferred brands, typical wardrobe, love for sports and fluency in Japanese, all helped in putting this brand together. 

After creating this brand for Jonathan, I am not sure how I will be able to top this in further branding challenges.

In this episode, we explore the world of food branding and design. We discuss the power of aesthetics in buying, selling, and consuming food products, sharing personal anecdotes about recent dining experiences. From determining target audiences to the techniques of food photography, we cover it all.

Join us as we dive into the importance of brand recognition, potential branding mistakes, and the value of maintaining a unique style as a creator.

After working with over 100 clients, Rebecca has realized that they are all worried about the same things when it comes to branding. In this solo episode, she discusses five fears most business owners have about building a brand. 

Rebecca shares her unique approach to branding and how she helps her clients create a brand that truly reflects their personality and values while strategically elevating their ideal customer. Her thorough brand building process, which involves private consulting and education, is designed to provide clients with the tools and guidance they need to create and expand their brand.

Last week we introduced the enneagram which can teach you a lot about yourself. 

In this episode of Aesthetically Speaking, we continue with part two of the Enneagram series and give insights into Enneagram types five through nine.. 

We covered types 1-4 in episode 10, and in this episode, we walk through enneagram types 5-9 which are:  type 5, the investigator or observer; type 6, the loyalist or skeptic; type 7: the enthusiast; type 8, the challenger; and type 9, the peacemaker. 

For each type, Abby shares her knowledge of each enneagram type, and Rebecca gives some brand strategy advice to match the motivation of each of the types. We also identify brands that share the same core desires. 

How can the enneagram be used to not only learn more about you and how you perceive things, but how you can use it in your business. In episode 10 of Aesthetically Speaking, we dive into the Enneagram personality typing system, which is desire-based and focuses on core motivations rather than behavior. 

As we talk about the first four types of the enneagram, Abby walks us through what each type means as Rebecca gives her expert design advice on how she would incorporate that into a brand. Also giving examples of some well-known brands that fit into each enneagram type.

This episode will cover type 1: the reformer; type two: the "helper;" type three: the "achiever;" and type four: which is described as sensitive, creative, and internally focused.