Welcome to the second installment of my branding interview series! I hope you are enjoying it as much as I am! This month we have Krista from Krista Rae, who used a designer to develop her brand!

Krista’s Blogging Backstory

I got started blogging in late 2014. My husband gave me crochet supplies for Christmas so what else was there to do than start a lifestyle and crafting blog?! Needless to say, that blog was short lived. And by short I mean less than a month. There was no passion behind what I was writing and I didn’t have anything to work for. I knew that I needed to shift to something that meant something to me so I started my next blog on being a woman in the tech field. That blog lasted quite a bit longer and even gained a few loyal followers. But again, I started fizzling out after a couple of months because I felt as if I wasn’t going anywhere. I was inspiring other women getting started in the industry, but there wasn’t anything in it for me. It quickly turned into non-paying work.

After that, I knew that I needed to be more methodical in my next choice. I needed to find something that would help others, interest me, and have the potential to help me leave my full-time job. I started by offering WordPress development services and writing about all-too-common blogging topics. One day I wrote a post on blog strategy and it really resonated with my audience. The rest is history!

Did you create a vision or mood board?

I created a mood board for my brand on Pinterest. I knew that there needed to be a lot of pink involved and that’s really all I had in mind going in. I was fairly surprised when I came out with a cohesive board that made sense!

How did you find your voice?

Finding my voice is something that took a while. Writing posts was hard in the beginning and I always felt as though I was lecturing my audience. I knew I wanted a more conversational and happy tone so I started reading my posts out loud after my first draft. I caught a lot of poor word choices and in doing so have created a more relatable voice. It’s something that I’m still working on, as I still find myself lecturing occasionally, but there have been big improvements!

Pick three words that describe your brand.

Bright, Educational, & Relatable

How has your brand evolved over time?

The biggest evolution in my brand has been my voice. As I said, it went from a lecturing, impersonal tone to something more relatable and conversational. My audience has also been narrowed. When I started I was looking for anyone who wanted a blog update. Now I know that my content is mostly for young female creatives looking to increase sales through implementing a profitable blog strategy.

What was your favorite part/experience when developing your brand?

My favorite portion of the branding process was seeing what my designer was able to do with just a simple worksheet and mood board. The initial design concept was beyond perfect and had me jumping around a hotel room for a good 15 minutes.

What was your biggest struggle with developing your brand?

My biggest struggle in developing my brand was my original copy. I wasn’t sure what my goals were going to be, who my ideal audience was, or what exactly I wanted to write about. As you can guess, that led to a big struggle when I was trying to translate those unorganized thoughts into actual sentences. My About page was the most difficult part. Every single sentence I started with has been tweaked over time to match what my brand has evolved into.

How many times have you rebranded? What made you decide to rebrand?

Zero! My designer did an absolutely perfect job representing me and my business in her design. Luckily the shifts I’ve made in my topics and ideal audience haven’t required any changes!

What was the best part of having a designer help you develop your brand?

The best part of working with a designer was having a professional who was able to take my unorganized thoughts and a mood board and create something beautiful that represents me and my business. Having someone else do my branding allowed me to focus on getting organized and writing posts for my launch!

What was the hardest part about having a designer help develop your brand if any?

The hardest part of working with a designer was the waiting. Preparing for a launch is so exciting, and while she stayed completely on schedule, waiting for everything to be ready had me on pins and needles.

Do you have any advice for anyone looking to hire a designer?

My best advice for someone looking to hire a designer is to find someone you relate to. Look at their style, their portfolio, the voice they use in their blog posts, and how friendly they seem to be on social media. Doing this will help you find someone you resonate with, making the entire process more enjoyable!

Do you want to be featured or have someone’s branding story you want to hear for the next Branding Interview?