Brand Reveal: Maika Endo Coaching 2.0 Part 1
The journey, the outcome, and some tips
Today, I'm proud to share something I've been working on with a professional designer, Jess at Studio Crescent: A new brand and visual identity, consolidating the multiple facets of my identity and my French and Japanese heritage.
In fact, this is exactly what I challenged the designer to do – to capture French ease and elegance blended with Japanese minimalism and simplicity.
In this article, I'm going to share:
2 facts that signaled this was the right time for a brand refresh
3 defining factors that helped me choose the right designer
What our collaboration unearthed
4 practical tips to help you prepare for (re)branding ( I didn’t want to make this post too long so you’ll have a link to click to get to this part!)
Hopefully, this will demystify the process if you plan to start a (re)branding project for your business!
2 FACTS THAT SIGNALED IT WAS THE RIGHT TIME FOR A REBRAND
I felt a misalignment between my current audience and myself
My initial branding was created based on the fact that my audience consisted of wellness and health professionals. Since then, my business has evolved, and as my confidence and experience increased, I started working with clients outside of that industry.
Clearly, today, my clients are no longer limited to the wellness industry; I've worked with creatives, people in the educational field, academics, the retail industry, and more.
But they all have one thing in common: They are purpose-driven, they value quality of life, and they care deeply about making a positive impact on the planet. They have are conscientious, principled business owners with a strong work ethic.
In a way, I had outgrown my brand, and I needed that evolution to be reflected.
I was held back by a hard brake to my creative flow
The color palette that embodied my brand did not attract me, and ultimately it never had. It was originally designed to resonate with my people, and thus, it lacked my personality. As time passed, I lost the motivation to share blog posts and even fell out of love with my website. It took me several months to decide, because it was a significant investment for a small business – but from the moment I realized it had impeded my creative flow for longer than I’d like to admit, I knew I had to take action.
HOW I CHOSE THE RIGHT DESIGNER FOR MY BUSINESS
I knew one thing for sure: I did not want to learn a new CMS tool; thus, I needed a designer experienced with Squarespace.
To find brands who services rely on visuals, I used Instagram. I started to follow a few designers whose work I liked and kind of stalked their posts for 3-4 months. Their style and designs needed to match what I was looking for, mainly on the clean, minimalistic, and elegant side.
The 3 determining factors that made me choose Studio Crescent were:
Jess had created a program for someone to win her VIP day. I joined, and I enjoyed the entire journey, from filling out the application form to getting her emails, and finally, receiving a discount code for her services. Everything was streamlined, with a follow-up, and that gave me the sense that she was professional and paid attention to details.
She regularly shares her clients’ brand reveals – this helped me see that she delivers results and that she’s proud to use her platform as a place to propel her clients' businesses forward after their rebrand. I value community and appreciate this practice.
Finally, Jess built a business that gives back; she has partnered with Kurandza, a nonprofit social enterprise that supports the future of women in the form of education for 200 girls on the other side of the world.
She also wrote about building a business that gives back – and that is a beautiful way to inspire and lead the way. That spoke to my heart and I decided to opt for her business.
THE RESULT OF OUR COLLABORATION AND WHAT WE UNEARTHED
The direction of the first presentation was not exactly what I envisioned inside my head (which is normal- I didn’t panic!). Jess shared a feedback form; I explained what I liked and what could be revised in as much detail as possible. Jess was always patient and approached everything with a curious and open mind.
It's imperative to keep an open line of communication between you and the designer. And if something doesn't feel right, say so! It's completely normal and expected. If you compromise, you'll regret it, and that's a lose-lose.
The result of our collaboration was beyond my expectations!
This concept is my primary logo:
Brand Refresh by Studio Crescent
Jess was inspired to create a concept that is minimalistic and clean, yet carries an air of ease and elegance. When paired together, it strikes the perfect balance between Japanese + French aesthetics.
Taking inspiration from my love for learning, journaling, and analog, the "A" has been slightly manipulated to resemble the tip of a pencil. The brand mark at the top represents efficiency and flow – two values I provide to my clients. The design is calming and therapeutic.
She also laid out the services I provide underneath so that my audience knows exactly what to expect.
In addition, the layout of my branding has been intentionally designed to create a sense of balance and simplicity. This design brings to life the essence of my brand, eliciting words like "clarity," "peace of mind," "quality," and "elevated," and speaks to both the quality of my coaching style and the holistic, intentional approach I take.
I am proud of the new brand; I love the color palette and patterns. I'm eager to write again and share my ideas with the world. When you feel this excitement after (re)branding, you know "This is it!"
In my next post, I’ll be sharing part 2 of this article:
Brand Reveal Part 2:
4 practical tips from my rebranding process to help you on your own branding journey
CONCLUSION
I hope this blog post helps you feel more confident about when and how to reach out to a brand designer. This is not something that can be rushed but rather must be implemented methodically.
Don't ever feel pressured to speed up when you need time before rebranding; find solace in pausing and let the energy take you where it wants you to go – let's honor the gestation phase.
And don't feel shy when something doesn't feel right! Your brand is the visual embodiment of the soul of your business and will be deployed throughout your customer journey. You want to make sure it feels good and you're proud to share it with the world.
The work you’re doing today for your business and brand clarity will serve you and pay off tenfold when you start the brand design process.
And if you ever need more support, you can book a coaching session with me. This is what I do; I help my clients clarify their vision, explore their whole identity, realign their brand, and structure their offering, and I accompany them throughout the process – meeting them where they are. I look forward to connecting with you.
About Maika Endo
Maika is a Business Coach and mentors heart-centered impact-driven entrepreneurs to build the foundations of their coaching & consulting business with her signature Intentional Business Building™ method. Her approach is holistic and integrates the entrepreneur mindset, ready-to-action marketing strategies, and systems to help create sustainable changes and long-lasting results. A lifelong passion for the human psyche, healing arts, and personal growth brought her to coaching. She’s French-born in Japan and currently lives in Istanbul with her family. She enjoys cooking, sparkling wine, and playing with her son outdoors.
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