Real Businesses, Reimagined: Fictional Rebrands to Inspire Supporting True Local Gems

CommunityBusinessPassion ProjectBrandingPersonal

Apr 11

About this new series

Two of my favorite things are supporting local (especially up-and-coming businesses) and branding (specifically logo design). I wanted to marry the two in my latest passion project so I could re-center creating for fun while also promoting some of my favorite local businesses, artists, and makers.

Not everyone has the funds to invest in professional branding when they are getting started. And for a lot of small businesses, it truly shouldn’t be the first thing you are investing in*. I have selected businesses in this series based on their quality offerings and involvement in the community.

Throughout upcoming blog posts, I will share more about why these businesses stood out to me and how I envision a professional brand working for them. I also plan to throw in some tips and tricks for anyone who is currently in the stage of DIY’ing their own branding.

Alongside this passion project, I am exploring how I can make my services more accessible to the smallest of businesses. I look forward to sharing more about the payment plans and adjusted offerings that I’m working on. If you are interested in working together, please reach out!

I intended to launch this passion project with Pierogi Papi as my first small business feature, but before drafting the blog and social posts, I shared my designs directly with Max. One thing lead to another and it turned into a full-blown Artist Trade Program project. You can read all about it here.

Jitterbug Sweets

Marianna Reynolds of Jitterbug Sweets is creating innovative, premium, whimsical chocolates and confections in Logan Square, Chicago. You can find her at local pop ups throughout Chicago at places like the indoor Logan Square Farmers Market and Kovall Distillery or head to her website to purchase something to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Marianna participated in the Artist Trade Program and provided her delicious chocolates in exchange for access to Self-Made Artist Academy back in February 2023. Since then, I’ve been a huge fan of her business so when I was looking for a little creative escape from the daily grind (and honestly the election last year), I started sketching ideas for a new logo and brand to represent her and the wonderful quality of what she produces.

Reimagined brand assets for Jitterbug Sweets

*Why Branding Shouldn’t be the First Thing You Invest in as a Creator

Branding can be incredibly powerful for launching your business and helping you reach new heights. At the same time, it doesn’t do as much good if you haven’t validated your business idea. If you are a creator or artist and not too familiar with the startup world, let me introduce you to a concept that you’re likely already implementing but might not be aware you are. MVP or minimum viable product is the simplest version of a product (or offering) with just enough features to be usable by early customers. They are great because they help you gather feedback and validate your ideas more quickly and efficiently.

When I first “pitched” my business idea for Lettering Works in my very first and only entrepreneurial class in college (a prep class for the student entrepreneurship competition I participated in), I simply shared greeting cards that I had designed and printed and said I wanted to make it into a business. At the time, I barely knew what a pitch was and I definitely did not know that I was much further along in business than others who only had a concept because I physically held my first MVP.

I think this is one of the coolest things about creative businesses. You likely already have a MVP made and you might have even gifted a version of it to friends and family or started to sell it. If you are a designer or the type that likes to dabble in other artistic areas, maybe you even have a logo. If branding feels intimidating, I want this to be your permission to hold off on developing it. Focus on your own craft, your product or offering. Once you can validate the potential of this as a business, then you can explore using branding to help you reach your goals quicker.

So, in short, focus on what you actually love doing. Prove that it is viable as a business. If you can prove that, consider branding. If you need to pivot or change your business, try to do that before getting too deep into branding yourself.

Branding Tips for Independent Creators and Micro Businesses

If you are in the DIY stage of branding and don’t want to make too much of a mess before investing in working with a designer, here are some tips to consider:

Be thoughtful about your design choices. Always strive to have a reason for what you are selecting and implementing. Are there any colors or fonts that feel particularly aligned with what you are creating? Could keeping things in black and white or a more simple color palette allow your own creative work, product, or offering more room to shine?
Be consistent. It’s okay to grow and evolve, but picking a new color each time you share something may make it very difficult to build proper awareness for your product or offering. Defaulting to your personal favorites can be a slippery slope. When in doubt keep things simple and consistent.
Order promotional materials and merchandise in small batches. Price breaks for ordering in bulk are amazing, but large quantities of printed materials can also keep you stuck using outdated designs when you grow to the point of being able to invest in professional services. Your business will evolve and sometimes it’s worth the extra dollars to give yourself the flexibility to grow and evolve.

A helpful question to ask yourself as you evaluate the materials you develop to promote your business is “What would someone think about my business if they only saw this single piece?” There are so many brand touch points and entryways to learning about a small business - sometimes we find out about them from a flyer, a business card, a social media profile, the owner introducing themself, or even a physical offering. Consider what your current efforts are saying about you and your business.

Additional color exploration

After sharing these designs with Marianna, she wanted to see a more vibrant color palette that felt more true to her and her vision for Jitterbug Sweets. Below are two additional color explorations that I shared with her. Ultimately, I decided to focus on sharing this project in its original passion project form. There’s always hope that it will spark a project with Marianna or other small businesses looking for this type of creativity and support.

How Do You Know When It’s Time to Hire a Designer?

It’s helpful to have a dedicated budget and specific goals when hiring a designer. Societal pressure shouldn’t be the only thing motivating you to reach out to a professional designer. Branding can be a great tool for building confidence and helping you real your next big goal quicker. It should not put you into debt or threaten the sustainability of your business. If it does, you might not be ready yet. It’s a great investment if you receive startup funding from a grant or competition or have personal funds to invest to accelerate your success.

Your situation will be unique and it’s often worth reaching out to a designer you’d trust to get the conversation started and see what is possible. Many brand designers offer consultations and may be willing to meet you where you are at in business. If you aren’t sure which designer is right for you, I recommend seeking a designer whose style aligns with your vision for your brand and business. If you agree with the statement “I can imagine my logo being in their portfolio alongside their existing designs and fitting in well” - it could be time to reach out and see what the process looks like to make it happen.

————

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this project! Which small businesses should I feature next? Drop a comment below or send me a note.

If you are an independent creator or small business owner looking for a rebrand, I would love to chat with you! Reach out here to get the conversation started and see if we are good fit. You can explore more of my branding work here.

Find Jitterbug Sweets at:
jitterbugsweets.com & on Instagram @jitterbugsweets.

Explore More of the Lettering Works Blog

BusinessEntrepreneurshipLettering WorksAdvertisingCommunityInspirationBrandingChicagoPassion ProjectTravel