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.
Typography
Read MoreHow to Run a Brand Audit on Your Own Business
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.
How to Pick a Font Pairing for Your Brand (When You’re Not a Designer)
How to pick a brand font pairing without a design degree — the three patterns that work, the four mistakes that fall apart, and a simple test.
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.
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.
What Makes a Santa Fe Brand Look Like Santa Fe (Without the Cliches)
Turquoise, sunsets, and kokopelli are not Santa Fe — they are the souvenir version. Here is what actually makes a brand read as deeply local instead of decorated.
What a Brand Style Guide Should Actually Contain (and What’s Filler)
Most brand style guides are too long to be useful. Here are the five sections that earn their keep, the four that are usually filler, and a one-page version you can build today.