Wave Goodbye to Branding Stress with an Indieconomy One Day Brand
Dreaming of getting noticed by your dream customers?
Wishing your business looked as good as you know it is?
Tired of stressing over your business's lack of branding or feeling overwhelmed by the thought of a rebrand? Hiring a design firm or branding agency can be intimidating, expensive, take ages, and involve a lot of jargon-y fuss and bother.
There’s an easier, friendlier, less expensive and super-fast way to get it done without sacrificing branding agency quality and experience.
Say hello to my disruptive new offering for independent business owners: Indieconomy One Day Brand.
My name is Annie Smidt, and I have over 28 years of experience designing for brands. I’ve helped oodles of businesses create or improve their branding, and then witnessed firsthand how a powerful brand identity can build credibility and buzz, bring in clients or customers and get businesses and organizations closer to their goals. Oh, and, also make business owners much more excited to go to work each day.
And I know how this works, because, besides being a designer, I’m also a serial small business owner (For something completely different, check out my shop keepsalemodd.com).
In the past, I worked at fancy design firms and agencies. I even ran one for a while. As a client in that world, you’ll pay a huge premium and you’ll get a lot of paperwork, levels of hierarchy (you get to work with a client services person who, essentially, “protects” the creatives from having to interact with the clients directly), long timelines, and huge budgets. While large corporate concerns might need that kind of infrastructure (and can afford those fees), this is all totally wrong for small businesses like ours.
We need nimble, friendly, accessible, and affordable. But we’d like super high quality too. That’s what an Indieconomy One Day Brand is all about:
🌟 An immediately usable visual brand system in your hands: assets tailored to your business, ready to be unleashed upon the world. From a perfect-for-you logo to impeccably curated color palettes, typography, and supporting graphics, your brand identity will leave a lasting impression on your target audience.
🌟 Tools to imbue your communications with your brand personality: not only will you have your files and assets with easy instructions for how to use them, you’ll get tips for how to tackle any future new business materials you need DIY-style while maintaining your authentic brand look and voice.
🌟 High-end branding firm deliverables at freelancer prices: For indie businesses, budgets can be tight. Sometimes it’s hard to even know how best to allocate the funds you have. You know branding is a keystone of your business and you’re going to have to have something. But that doesn't mean you should settle for subpar work. With Indieconomy One Day Brand, you'll receive top-quality deliverables at indie business prices.
🌟 Done in one day: You know why design projects usually take so long? Meetings. Delays. Feedback. Small changes. Paperwork. More meetings. Approvals. Extra fees. Approvals. That sort of thing. It’s not actually the design. Freed of all the claptrap and fueled up with clarity about the goal and inspiration about the project, creative can be fast! From ideation to delivery.
🌟 A collaborative process where you are heard: It sounds more like a no-brainer than a secret sauce, but one of the ways I get such happy clients is that I actually listen to them and take what they say into careful consideration in my work. I’ll bring my expertise with designing brands, you bring your expertise with your business and your goals and we’ll make it happen!
What if you had zero anxiety about your branding?
Picture this:
Your business looks polished, professional, and appealing. You’ve nailed the “know, like and trust” factor that connects you with your people.
You can easily create consistent customer touchpoints. Everything your potential clients see from you looks like it came from the same place, with a message which is reinforced to them again and again — and that’s when they push the “buy” button!
You can act on your ideas more quickly. You know what the communications should look like, you just need to whip them up and get them out there.
You and your business come across as confident. You know who you are. So do your custmers.
A few logos I’ve designed for clients’ brands.
Who is this for?
This process is for you if you are:
An indie business selling services or products, online or IRL, or all of the above
Either a one-person company, or a business with one decision-maker who manages the team
Ready to develop your first real brand, refresh your existing brand, or take your brand in a different direction (rebrand)
Excited to move fast and get it done
How does it work?
Let me unveil the mystery! It’s actually pretty simple.
There are 3 steps to the process.
1. We have a quick chat to answer your questions and make sure the project is a good fit for the process. If so, we get you on my calendar for a BLUEPRINT meeting.
2. We have our 1-hour BLUEPRINT meeting, where I learn about you, your company and your goals. There are even some fun interactive parts… it’s not a boring old meeting! The next day or so, I email you the BLUEPRINT pdf with what I’ve heard from you synthesized into a plan from me.
3. If you like the BLUEPRINT, and want to go ahead, we lock in a day for your One Day Brand. That day, you just need to be on-call. And I make everything happen. By the end of the day, I send you all of your deliverables, ready to go.
What do you actually get?
You’ll come away from your Indieconomy One Day Brand experience with:
A new logo
All the files you’ll need to use your logo online and in print with a handy guide to help you choose the right format for the right place
A color palette that works with your logo and sets the tone for your brand look and feel
A typographic palette with fonts that work together and create the right impression
A business card design and instructions on how to get it printed inexpensively
Guidance for how to style communications you create going forward
A written codification of your brand voice, based on our discussions and what I create to reflect it
A brand guide document which contains everything you need to know about everything in this list
And the cost?
I thought you’d want to know that! At the risk of sounding like one of those As Seen On TV infomercials, first I’m going to tell you first what I used to charge, when I used to run my company like a regular design firm — just to put how good a deal this is into perspective.
My old rates:
Brand strategy blueprint: $5,000-$8,000
Logo design: $3,000-$6,000
Brand guide: $5,000-$6,000
That’s $13,000-$20,000 all together. And that work would take 6 months. For a “fast” project.
Your Indieconomy One Day Brand is $3,000. Flat.
You pay $500 up front for the BLUEPRINT process and deliverable. If you are happy with that and want to continue, you pay the remaining $2,500 for the rest of One Day Brand process. If you want to take your BLUEPRINT and try going the DIY route, or take it to another designer, or do nothing for the moment, that’s fine too. We can stop there. It’s a sort of guarantee you’re going to like what you get.
But there’s also a full money-back guarantee for the whole process, if you go on, so it’s pretty low risk. I am going for 100% happy clients here!
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No problem! I’d be happy to add other deliverables. We can discuss additional costs and timing on a case-by-case basis. Here are some of the other things I offer that you might be interested in: company naming, taglines, product naming, letterhead design, brochure design, web design, social media templates, email templates, t-shirts and swag, signs and environmental graphics — really, anything that can be designed. I also work with some stellar photographers who can build your visual photographic brand alongside the process you’ll be working on with me.
Let me know what you’re dreaming of. -
Nope. I don’t have a “house style” other than good design. What your brand will look like will be based on you and your business and what your goals are. Don’t worry, I can actually be quite visual subtle when it’s called for.
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Here are a few of the big names you may have heard of: Harvard University, WGBH, Partners In Health, Dana-Farber Cancer Center, Tufts University, MIT, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston Medical Center, Chameleon Cold Brew, John Hancock, Dunkin’ Donuts, Reebok… well, I could go on and on.
Of course, I’ve also designed for tons of small indie businesses that you may not have run into in your travels. -
Funny you should ask, because I do. If you send a friend my way and they complete the Indieconomy One Day Brand process with me, you’ll get $100 as thanks for the referral. I ask every new client if anyone referred them, so, whether you like it or not, I will find you and I will reward you!
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Well, I certainly hope that doesn’t happen, but there are several safeguards in place to protect you.
First, in our initial talks and in the BLUEPRINT meeting, you define what your goals are. You don’t need to know exactly what your materials should look like, or even have any aesthetic ideas at all, but you need to know what you want them to do for you, and who your audience is. I use my design experience and skills to create the visuals that will help you meet those goals and speak to that audience. I don’t just make you something pretty or cool, it’s strategic. It’s built to achieve what your setting out to do.
Second, I don’t design in a mysterious black box, I do actually get feedback from you along the way. If the direction I’m heading doesn’t seem right, we talk, I pivot.
Third, I offer a money-back guarantee. If, once you receive your deliverables, you don't think I've nailed the business goals you’ve given me and provided you with a brand identity that truly represents your vision, I will gladly refund your investment.
Also, I really want you to be psyched! So I’ll do everything I can to make that happen.
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I’ve been running a more traditional design and branding firm for a couple decades now. During the pandemic, a lot of my large non-profit and institutional clients reorganized, restaffed or otherwise cut budgets, and I took the time as an opportunity to pursue some of my own projects, like Keep Salem Odd. Coming back to design-for-clients after this slowdown, I realize that I’m really most interested in servicing the small businesses and creatives that are, as far as I’m concerned, the best, brightest, most sustainable, and most important part of our economy. So I’m jumping back in with this offer, full transparency, and keeping it simple. And disruptive.
FAQ
Have any other questions for me? Drop me a line, or schedule a chat now.
This is going to rock.
I want you to experience the meaningful impact that an Indieconomy One Day Brand can have on your business firsthand. That's why I offer you this guarantee: If you don't think I've nailed the business goals you’ve given me and provided you with a brand identity that truly represents your vision, I will gladly refund your investment.
So, why wait any longer? It's time to ta-ta to the old model of for brand design and embrace simplicity, speed, and satisfaction. Let an Indieconomy One Day Brand take away the stress, uncertainty, and frustration that have been holding you back. Together, we'll create a brand that not only stands out but also helps you keep moving forward.
To see if your business is a good match for an Indieconomy One Day Brand transformation, click the button to schedule a quick 15 minute chat. If you’re interested in proceeding, we’ll get you on the schedule for your brand day then and there. There’s a limited number of spots so it’s best to get yourself on the calendar as soon as you know you want to do it.
Let's ignite your brand's potential and create a visual identity to set you apart from the competition. Don’t spend another day stuck. Your business deserves a brand that reflects its true essence and speaks to your target audience. I look forward to hearing from you soon and embarking on this fast-paced journey together.