In today’s episode, we are joined by Lizzy Colombo. Lizzy is the owner and lead designer of White Point Creative, a boutique creative agency that specializes in brag-worthy brand suites and custom Showit and Shopify websites for lifestyle brands and online coaches/wellness entrepreneurs.
After graduating with a degree in graphic design, Lizzy realized that school had left out a valuable lesson in the classroom; how to get a job. Armed with a vision of her own career, Lizzy was able to carve her own path as the creative digital wave took her from freelancing to working inside of some of the largest brand teams. In these agencies, Lizzy took the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of branding, sustainability, longevity, and how to run a team. Soon Lizzy found herself more interested in the original creation side of a company, and wanted to do things differently for the client. With the help of her colleagues, business leaders, and friends, Lizzy took the leap from in-house design to starting White Point Creative. Now, Lizzy helps her own clients as their number one fan, built-in hype girl and design expert on a mission to elevate their business making a brand attract and inspire.
Tune in as we dive into all things sustainability, from brand to websites – including the core of sustainable design when building your brand, six pillars to creating a full experience for a brand’s target audience, and so much more.
In this episode, we discuss:
- [01:56] How Lizzy grew from an aimless graphic design graduate to starting White Point Creative
- [04:07] How Lizzy uses her agency experience to structure her own business
- [11:59] The core of sustainable design when building your brand, logo, or website
- [14:30] Six pillars to consider when creating a brand, design, or website
- [17:34] How to incorporate the six pillars to create a full experience for a brand’s target audience
- [25:46] Gifting and how to create an “Everest Experience”
- [32:14] Lizzy shares the one thing she wishes people understood about branding
- [35:52] Why every brand should invest in a brand design package
How Lizzy grew from an aimless graphic design graduate to starting White Point Creative
Lizzy’s career started after graduating from college with a degree in graphic design. She decided to ride the creative digital wave as it was beginning to pick up. Initially, she had no direction and had to rely on freelancing as a way to make money while exploring her own inner dreams and desires to define what career spoke to her . She worked with big and small agencies and in-house brands in Boston, including Converse, J Jill, and Sony. With the help of business coaches and friends, she opened her own company, White Point Creative, as she realized she wanted to do things differently and focus more on original creation. She invested in education and coaches and refined her business over the years while enjoying lots of chocolate.
How Lizzy uses her agency experience to structure her business from other’s experience
Lizzy used her experience working at other advertisement agencies to start her own business by actively learning and taking notes about what she saw and experienced. She listened to podcasts like Jenna Kutcher’s to learn about entrepreneurship and kept a notebook with her to jot down what she liked and didn’t like, what she wanted to implement, and how she could improve systems. She paid attention to team interactions, hierarchy, and filing systems and still refers to her notes today as she grows her team.
The core of sustainable design when building your brand, logo, or website
In Lizzy’s expansive experience, the core of sustainable design when building a brand, logo, or website is strategy. This ultimately involves both connecting with your audience in a meaningful way and having a sales process and funnel. She emphasizes the importance of starting with the top level buckets, such as strategy and client experience, before focusing on top-level elements like colors and visual trends. It is this trickle-down effect that catches entrepreneurs off-guard and wastes time and money if they skip over the top-level buckets.
Six pillars to consider when creating a brand, design, or website
Lizzy follows six pillars to consider when creating a brand, design, or website. In order of importance, she prioritizes them as:
- Value and positioning of your ideal client
- Brand personality
- Voice and messaging
- Visual identity
- Marketing strategy
- Advanced SEO
The client deserves a full experience, which is why White Point Creative offers a comprehensive experience that includes brand design, web design, advanced SEO, copywriting, and a one-year marketing strategy.
How to incorporate the six pillars to create a full experience for a brand’s target audience
Lizzy discusses how to incorporate the six pillars to create a full brand experience for the target audience. She explains that once the initial strategy phase is completed, they begin to pull elements of the brand’s personality into the pillars. To do this, they consider all five senses and create a multi-dimensional personality for the brand, similar to that of a person. Lizzy also gives an example of a dog trainer who takes a Polaroid picture of the dog and owner during the first training session and gives it to the owner with a note on the back. This engages the owner’s visual and tactile senses and leaves a positive impression of the trainer in their mind every time they see the photo.
Gifting and how to create an “Everest Experience”
Emma and Lizzy discuss the importance of gifting in business and how it can enhance the client experience. They suggest starting with sending custom gift boxes and then adding more sensory elements, such as scent or texture, to trigger brand recognition beyond the logo and colors. Emma encourages entrepreneurs to focus on the client experience, even if they are overwhelmed, and to gather inspiration from successful brands that have already created an exceptional experience. They highlight the power of small details, such as the iconic green straw of Starbucks, in creating brand recognition and loyalty. The hosts suggest that entrepreneurs start easy, make gifting accessible, and gradually work towards creating a unique brand experience for their clients.
Lizzy shares the one thing she wishes people understood about branding
Lizzy believes that clients should prioritize branding over web design and go for a custom design, even if it’s just a basic package, instead of using generators or templates. She also emphasizes the importance of working with a professional designer or getting their advice in the beginning, as generated logos cannot be trademarked. Lizzy suggests that investing in a custom brand design package and using high-quality templates for the website can save money and be more beneficial in the long run.
Why every brand should invest in a brand design package
Every brand should invest in a brand design package because it provides a foundational set of colors and guidelines that are curated for the brand. It is important to get the branding guidelines PDF from the designer that tells how and when to use the brand elements. A sustainable strategy should be the focus and the money saved from investing in a brand design package can be used for higher priority tasks such as legal protection and contracts. When the brand is ready to level up and grow financially, it can invest thousands of dollars in brand refreshes and bells and whistles.
Resources mentioned:
Connect with Lizzy:
White Point Creative Instagram
What’s Holding You Back In Your Business Quiz
Free ebook: Build A THRIVING Online BUSINESS
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