The Brand Blueprint
Your brand isn’t just your logo. It’s not your fonts. And it’s not your social feed, your headshot, or your color palette—though all of those things matter.
A brand is the space you create for connection. It’s the feeling someone gets when they first land on your website and think, finally.
It’s the story someone tells themselves about who you are, what you care about, and why it matters to them.
When your voice, visuals, and vision are working together—that’s when your brand becomes more than recognizable. It becomes resonant. Rooted. Alive.
This guide is here to help you shape that: one thoughtful layer at a time.
We’ll walk through the essentials—from audience and story to color palette, typography, and beyond—so your brand isn’t just beautiful, but deeply felt by the right people.
Start Here If You’re Not Sure What’s Missing
How to build a brand people love and remember
Start here. Always here.
01. Your Audience
Instead of generic demographics, ask:
- What season of life are they in?
- What’s calling them forward?
- What brings them peace?
- Where do they feel most seen?
- What would they screenshot from your site and send to a friend with "this is so me"?
- What spaces, aesthetics, or brands already make them feel known?
Brands that connect don’t try to reach everyone. They speak to one person like they’re the only one in the world.
Not sure where to begin?
The Brand Strategy Questionnaire is a beautiful place to start. It walks you through thoughtful prompts to explore who your work is really for, what they’re longing for, and how your brand can meet them there—with clarity, depth, and direction.
1) You can have a beautiful website, the perfect offer, a killer Instagram presence, but if your audience doesn’t feel the story beneath it all, they won’t move. Not because they’re not interested. But because they’re not convinced.
Your brand story gives them a reason to care. & also…
2) Your story doesn’t have to be dramatic to matter.
A lot of people get stuck thinking, “Well, I didn’t overcome some huge obstacle or start with $5 in my pocket, so I must not have a real brand story.” But you do. You absolutely do.
Your story is in how you care for your clients. How you approach your work. What you notice. What you value. And how those values show up in the way you move through the world.
Branding, in its simplest form, is just deciding what you want people to feel when they interact with you and then making intentional choices that create that feeling.
You don’t need to put on a show. You just need to be clear, consistent, and true to the stories that have formed you.
Try writing a short paragraph that names:
- The shift your audience is craving
- The belief you hold about what’s possible
- The counterpoint or cultural tension you’re responding to
- The kind of world you're helping build
- How your experiences tie into that
And if that feels hard to do on your own? That’s exactly why I created the Brand Storytelling Guide. It’s rooted in psychology and the emotional, instinctual narratives that shape how we connect. It walks you through twelve foundational brand stories to help you name the one already alive in your work.
You can grab the free guide or start with the quiz to uncover the story that's already alive in what you do.
02. Brand Story & Positioning
Your brand story is the thread that ties everything together: your voice, your visuals, your values, and the way you invite others into your world.
Whether you’re circling a rebrand or starting from scratch, don’t just name what you do. Name the world you’re creating.
Need support here? Grab The Art of Brand Naming Guide — my self-guided tool to help you find a brand name that’s rooted in story, aligned with strategy, and built to grow with you. Inside, we explore everything from uniqueness and memorability to how your name will feel as a URL, a social handle, or a trademarked identity. If you’re thinking long-term about your brand presence, this guide covers it all (and more).
Because the right name isn’t just clever and memorable It’s a reflection of everything you’re becoming.
03. Brand Name
This is where we start shaping how your brand sounds—and feels—when you tell your story.
04. Brand Tone
I like to give my clients a flexible framework in the form of a few sliding scales to help you get a feel for how your voice moves:
casual → formal
poetic → straightforward
warm → bold
grounded → irreverent
Brand voice lives in your website copy, but it also lives in your emails, your onboarding guides, your proposals, your notes to clients, your podcast intro, your Instagram captions. It’s the personality of your brand, showing up consistently but never mechanically.
You don’t need to sound like anyone else. You just need to sound like you, in the emotional tone that matches the heart of your work.
so Let’s now explore how to visually embody your brand.
But here, we don’t start with visuals. We build everything from the inside out so every detail reflects the story you’re here to tell.
Now for the part most people think branding is...
The colors. The fonts. The logos.
Thin serifs usually hint at elegance. Bold sans serifs can hold a modern feel, presence, and power. Lowercase headers often feel relaxed and approachable. All-caps can add structure or strength. Pairing fonts thoughtfully (and spacing them well) goes a long way.
If you’re DIYing your font pairings, choose 2 (3 max) intentional choices. You’ll need a headline font, a body font, and maybe an accent or script that can carry your brand across every platform.
You can vary the size, thickness, and styling of these 2-3 core fonts while keeping things feeling consistent. What we want to avoid here is getting too Canva-happy and choosing a new font each time we make a design.
In the example of Déjà Revél, you can see how moving from the thick, slab serif font used with her original brand name gave off an entirely different vibe than the thin, artistic, mysterious font we chose when she rebranded.
This is where we translate the energy of your brand into what people see, feel, and remember.
05. Fonts
- A simple logo for your website header
- A monogram or icon for stickers or social media profiles
- A stacked version for tight vertical spaces
- An in-depth version for places where people are meeting you for the first time (like a business card or a website) and you want to tell them who you are, what you do, and who you do it for
Each version serves a different purpose, but together they build a seamless brand presence across platforms. If someone saw your icon on a tote bag or your full logo on a proposal, it should feel consistent and distinctly you.
Here’s a quick example looking at Madewell. Their logo isn’t fussy. It’s clean, lowercase, handwritten script that evokes a sense of ease, approachability, and quality without shouting. It works just as well embroidered on denim as it does on their website. The consistency is what creates recognition. But it’s the feeling it carries (relaxed, elevated, enduring) that builds the brand.
Now compare that to Vogue. Their logo is all-caps, tall, and dramatic. The thin, elongated serif commands attention. It communicates luxury, authority, and a clear editorial point of view. It’s not trying to feel approachable. It’s built to feel iconic.
Two logos. Two entirely different emotional experiences. Both work, because they’re rooted in the truth of who they are and who they're meant to serve.
The point? A strong logo system doesn’t need to be complicated. It needs to carry presence. It needs to adapt without losing recognition. And it needs give your brand room to grow without needing to reinvent the wheel each time.
06. Logos
Your logo doesn’t need to be complicated to stand out. It just needs to feel like you and be memorable in the right way.
Start by considering what you want people to feel when they encounter your brand. Calm? Confidence? Curiosity? Excitement?
Think of color in combinations, not just single shades. A buttery yellow can feel warm and welcoming when paired with soft neutrals or bold and editorial when placed against deep charcoals or vivid teals. A dusty rose may lean romantic when used alongside cream, or contemporary and grounded when matched with forest green.
Sometimes, a color choice becomes a signature. A visual calling card that draws people in and sets you apart. One example I often return to is Déjà Revél, whose electric green isn’t just unexpected in the boudoir space. It’s absolutely undeniable.
Where many brands might opt for something softer or more subdued, this green makes a statement. It’s not calm or conventional. It’s charged, awakening, and bold. A dare to be seen. And that’s exactly the point.
It awakens something in the right people. The point is to not just be bold for bold's sake, but to choose a color that complements the work, stirs emotion, and invites a deeper kind of connection.
Your palette also doesn’t need to be wide. Often, 3–5 thoughtfully chosen hues are more than enough:
- A primary color that leads the visual identity
- One or two neutrals that offer flexibility and contrast
- One or two accent tones that provide contrast and visual interest
Use texture to add depth, whether that’s grain, layered photographic textures, illustration patterns, or the actual movement and texture of your work. It brings a tactile feeling to your visuals, especially on digital platforms where touch is missing.
A strong color story sets the tone for every part of your brand, from your site to your packaging to your Pinterest pins. And it evolves with you.
Start with how you want your audience to feel, then let the palette take shape from there.
Color is one of the most instinctual parts of your brand.
07. Color
Custom brand photography is ideal, but even stock can work if you curate intentionally.
Ask yourself: Would I pin this image? Would my client?
You’ll want a mix of:
- Polished headshots and natural, lived-in portraits
- Detail shots and flatlays (think: tools, moodboards, materials)
- Wide, open scenes with whitespace for your site
- Portfolio or process imagery that reflects where you’re going
If you’re planning a photoshoot soon, don’t miss this free guide on the blog: How to Prepare for a Brand Photoshoot → It walks you through location tips, moodboards, shot list ideas, and even what to wear to align your visuals with your evolving brand.
08. Imagery & Photography Direction
Visual storytelling builds trust fast. But only if it feels aligned.
09. Free Mood Board Template
Is the path to take action clear and inviting?
Would my ideal client feel understood within the first few scrolls?
Is what I do and who I do it for clearly displayed in the very first section?
Does this feel like me and my brand?
It should feel like an extension of your presence. Clear, considered, and emotionally aligned. Ask yourself:
Your website is your brand’s home. A space that invites someone in and says: "you’re in the right place."
- Communicating your values and the experience of working with you at a glance
- Guiding someone through your offers without overwhelm
- Answering unspoken questions and reducing resistance
- Holding the emotional resonance of your brand in layout, language, and flow
- Homepage – First impression. Create clarity and connection fast.
- About – Not a resume. A bridge. Tell them who you are and why it matters to them.
- Services/Offers – Make it easy to navigate. Guide them toward what fits.
- Portfolio/Testimonials – Let your past work build trust and anticipation.
- Contact/CTA – Clear and low-friction. No forms that feel like a standardized test.
Website Pro-Tips:
You can check out some of my favorite website templates here, and use code UNBRIDLED for a discount.
When you're ready to chat about websites, I'm here. Reach out anytime or learn more about Embodied Websites by Unbridled Form here. Every website project with me includes a stunning and strategic Showit template as our starting point so we can be efficient with our time, clear in our direction, and get your new presence customized and out in the world ASAP.
With your stunning new website, you’ll likely need some testimonials. This guide will help you gather ones that turn your people into your best storytellers. If you’ve ever felt like the magic of your work doesn’t quite come through in your testimonials—or like you’re not sure how to even ask for them—this is the place to start.
- A personalized onboarding message that helps them feel seen.
- A prep guide that walks them through what to expect and how to get the most out of your time together. (bonus points for SEO if this lives on your website instead of a Canva PDF!)
- A timeline or portal that shows them where you are in the process and what’s coming next.
Support them like you mean it with:
- More check-ins than you think you need to offer.
- Clear touchpoints that show you’re paying attention.
- Every invoice reminder, appointment confirmation, and client guide should reflect your brand voice—not just in tone, but in care.
Celebrate them along the way.
- A small gift after booking, like a polaroid photo together, a mini brand swag bag, or a momento from their experience that they can take with them long after your work together ends.
- A handwritten card after a milestone or project completion.
- A studio playlist or digital resource that aligns with your work together.
End with intention.
An on-brand offboarding guide that recaps your work, links to bonus resources, and invites them into the next chapter.
(You’d be surprised how many clients don’t realize what else you offer. Tell them!)
The details make all the difference. And the more you make someone feel, the more memorable—and referable—you become.
11. Client Experience & Gifts
A thoughtful client experience can transform a service into a ride-or-die relationship.
Your event booth should be an experience. Not another black tablecloth with a stack of business cards. Create an atmosphere that invites people in:
- Play an on-brand playlist (I make one for every client!).
- Use your primary brand color in your signage and display.
- Please don’t sit behind the table. Stand up, greet people, and let them feel what it’s like to work with you!
- Add something interactive, like a spin wheel for fun brands, or a VIP giveaway for high-end experiences.
- Think of your booth as a moment of connection, not just a sales space.
Packaging is another place where your brand can truly shine. Make the unboxing feel like a moment in time, something to savor. Use textures that match your visual identity. Include handwritten notes when you can. Layer your brand’s story into the smallest details. Some tips:
- Use your primary brand color consistently and most often.
- Choose materials that reflect your brand values (e.g., raw linen for natural, approachable brands; glossy acrylic for high-polish luxury).
- Carry over key typographic elements or patterns from your visual identity into signage, cards, tags, or packaging.
This is your chance to make your brand a full-body experience. When the digital becomes physical and sensory beyond visuals, your story takes on a whole new texture.
12. Sensory Expression – Booths, Packaging & Beyond
Your brand doesn’t just live on screens. It shows up in spaces. At events. In the mail. On the shelf.
Immerse yourself in the Déjà Revél playlist
now streaming on spotify
This client playlist was a favorite to bring to life and I hope it'll inspire you as to what's possible to bring another sensory layer to your brand. This line up is a curated collection of transformative, unapologetic, and passionate songs
It’s built in layers. With support that honors where you’ve been and where you’re heading next.
If you’re walking away from this guide with more clarity, more questions, or more curiosity, that’s a good thing. Because resonance isn’t built in one sitting.
where to go from here...
Whether you’re searching for the clarity to express what’s been living inside your work or you’re simply standing at the edge of what’s next… this is where we start.
Free Consult Call
There’s a season for doing it yourself and there’s a season for stepping into the next chapter with strategic, soulful support.
One-on-one Services
Start here if you’re unsure how to unearth or express your story. This free guide and quiz helps uncover the story that's already alive in what you do.
Storytelling Quiz
Here’s how we can go deeper:
Definitely not. My job is to help you make sense of all this — not to add more to your plate. We’ll explore your brand together, piece by piece. And if now’s not the time to work together, this guide is here to help you ask better questions and get clearer on what matters most.
This feels like a lot. Do I need to have it all figured out first?
Maybe. Maybe not.
You might not need a rebrand. You might just need to refine things and show up a bit more consistently. Or you might need a mirror held up to what’s already working.
But here’s what I’ll say: If you’re circling the same questions, feeling disconnected from what you’re putting out into the world, or like you’re translating a version of yourself you’ve already outgrown… you deserve to explore the next step. That doesn’t always mean jumping into a big project. Sometimes it just means not accepting the misalignment any longer.
Do I really need to invest in branding and a website right now?
We can work with that. My Embodied Website experience is designed exactly for this moment — when your visuals still feel aligned, but your digital home needs to catch up. We’ll build a layered, high-performing site that feels like an extension of your presence. The kind of site that converts not just because of SEO and getting more eyes on your site, but because it resonates with exactly the kind of people you're meant to serve. Not sure if you’re in this camp? Book a free consult and we can talk it through.
What if I want a new website, but my branding still feels okay?
I’ve created a shop full of free and low-cost tools ($0–$97) to help you build momentum now. Start with the Brand Storytelling Guide & Quiz, Strategy Questionnaire, or Naming Workbook — all designed to bring foundational clarity without the overwhelm. There’s also a free Concept Board Template, Testimonial Guide, and more as you get more into things
You don’t have to wait to feel supported. Your work deserves to be seen and these tools will help you share it.
I want to work with you, but I’m not there yet financially. What else can I do?
Unbridled Form exists to take the dreams you have for your business and transport them into visual impressions and experiences that are impossible to forget.
You’ll find that every step of the Unbridled process is backed by experience and intentionality. Sure, we'll revel in a roadmap that's driven by results (because that’s why you’re here), but nothing about our collaboration will be overly streamlined or structured to suffocate self expression.
When you come to me for brand strategy and design, we'll visually embody all that burns within you so that your story can be heard by those who need to hear it. And along the way, we'll carve out just enough time to get lost for art's sake. Because I’ve found that when your soul learns what it’s been missing, your true north reveals itself. & I want that radical belonging and heart racing expansion for anyone courageous enough to take their Unbridled Form.
I witness the art in you, so the world can too.
hi, i'm Amy —
Feel free to reach out to me directly
amy@unbridledform.com
Let’s make your next chapter unmistakably yours.
work with me
Here’s a roundup of my favorite resources (most of which you can grab at a discount using code UNBRIDLED):
Website Templates – Beautiful, layered designs built for Showit. Designed to be customized with ease and tailored to creatives who want strategy and soul in one home.
Font Pairings – Unique, high-quality fonts that carry the mood and tone of your brand. I use these in my custom projects and DIY options alike.
Artful Mockups – Digital, packaging, and print mockups and editorial-inspired visuals perfect for showcasing photography, artwork, or designs in context.
My Onboarding System – For designers looking to level up their client process, I’ve made my onboarding experience available as a resource.
Each one of these tools has been selected because it actually works really, really well. Not just because it looks good.
Some of the links above are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through them. I only ever recommend products I personally use, believe in, and trust deeply in my own design practice.
Looking for something specific? My Shop is full of intentional tools and templates to support your next step, whether you’re DIY-ing or dreaming about working together soon.
Your Creative Resource Directory
Tried, tested, and trusted tools I actually use for myself and my clients.
