Hey there,

I hope you’ve caught on by now that your brand is not a logo.

Your brand is how people experience you—what you stand for, how you communicate, and yes, how you show up visually. A logo alone can’t carry all of that weight.

Capturing all that in a logo? It’s just not happening!

But I was a designer and creative director before I was a brand strategist (and before that, I was a marketer—I’ve lived many lives!), and I know that design is an important and influential piece of your brand ecosystem.

Most of the solopreneurs I talk to have one of three big brand questions—and two of them are design-related. The third? Well, design plays a big role in that one, too.

• What fonts should I use?

• How do I choose colors that feel right?

• How do I bring more of myself to my business?

In today’s issue of Brand Burnout, I’m sharing the biggest design pitfall I see solopreneurs make time and time again. Plus, paid subscribers can join me for a brand design workshop!

The Biggest Brand Design Mistake I See

This is probably going to piss you off, but just because you have access to a tool (Canva, for example) does not mean you are a designer. And while these tools make design more accessible, DIY will only take you so far.

That said, I think these tools are incredibly powerful for small business owners—especially solopreneurs.

But with great power comes great responsibility.

The world of design seems exciting! So many options! So many things to create! So, we end up trying a little bit of everything.

Eight fonts? Sure!
20 colors? Absolutely.
Oh, there’s already a template for this? Sick!

You can see where things start to go off the rails.

The bigger problem? Most solopreneurs design based on what they like (or what they see others do), not what their brand needs. But great brand design isn’t about personal taste (though I do believe that has a place in the process)—it’s about clarity, consistency, and positioning.

A professional doesn’t just pick colors that look nice. They create a design system that makes you recognizable to the right people.

A quick gut-check:

✅ Do your brand colors match the feeling you want to create?
✅ Are your fonts easy to read and aligned with your brand personality?¹
✅ Is your design system making your life easier or harder?

If you hesitated on any of these, this workshop is for you.

Join Me For Brand Design 101

Check out this members-only workshop to help you make intentional, strategic design choices—without second-guessing yourself every time you open Canva. Whether you’re a designer or not, this session will help you streamline your design choices so you can focus on what you do best.

​Using your brand archetype as a guide, we’ll break down:

✅ How to choose colors, typography, and imagery that strengthen your brand identity
✅ Key design terms and layout principles to make graphics look more polished
✅ Simple ways to create consistency across your brand’s touchpoints

​By the end of the hour, you’ll understand how to make your brand more consistent and recognizable—even if you're DIY-ing it.

Subscribe to Brand Burnout to read the rest.