How to Run a Brand Audit on Your Own Business
You do not need an agency to review your own brand. Five steps, a half day of work, and a one-page list of what to fix first.
Color System
Read MoreHow to Run a Brand Audit on Your Own Business
Why Your Brand Colors Look Wrong in Print (and How to Specify Them So They Don’t)
A hex code is not a brand color. Here is what a color specification needs to cover so your blue survives the press, the sign shop, and the embroidery machine.
How to Approve a Logo: What to Look At and What to Ignore
Small-business owners often burn revision rounds on the wrong details of a new logo — color hex codes, kerning nits, gut reactions. A short field guide to what actually matters at the approval stage, and what to let go.
What All Those Logo Files Are For (and Which Ones You’ll Actually Use)
A short, practical tour of every logo file format in a brand handoff — SVG, EPS, PDF, PNG, JPG, plus RGB, CMYK, and Pantone — and which ones you'll actually reach for in a normal week.
How Long Does a Rebrand Actually Take? A Realistic Timeline
A small-business rebrand takes three to six months of calendar time when decisions move on pace. Here's the phase-by-phase breakdown, and what stretches or shortens it.
Three Sites, One Family: What a Side Project Taught Me About Sister Brands
How a workplace ritual at N3B Los Alamos turned into three public-facing sites — and what building a sister-brand system at miniature scale teaches about the same problem at enterprise scale.
Color Psychology Is Oversold: What Actually Matters When Choosing Brand Colors
Color psychology oversells universal meanings. The research says what actually matters is whether a color fits the brand's category and concept — here's what to focus on instead.
Three Typography Mistakes That Make Your Brand Look Cheap
Most typography problems in small-business branding are three specific, common mistakes. Here is what they are, why they happen, and how to fix each one in an afternoon.
Rebrand vs. Refresh: Which Does Your Business Actually Need?
Most businesses that think they need a rebrand actually need a refresh, and a few that think they need a refresh really need a rebrand. Here is how to tell which one you are.