I walked outside last night and saw my breath and it’s the first time it’s felt like winter is officially on it’s way! Having grown up in the frozen tundra of the north (North Dakota to be specific), it’s a bit hard for me to enjoy the cold seasons. But I’m trying my best to embrace it and be present. So, here’s a shortlist of things I’m looking forward to in the upcoming months: wearing beanies & sweaters, alllll the soups, playing in the snow with my kindergartener, warm snuggles under cozy blankets, savory and sweet pies, and taking 2 weeks off work for my winter break over Christmas and New Years!

So, you’ve taken the plunge and invested in a shiny new website for your business to take things to the next level. But what good is even having a website if no one can find it? That’s where SEO comes into play. 

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and it essentially means making your site visible for search engines like Google and Bing so people can find you when they search. The tricky part is that no one knows exactly how the algorithms these search engines use work (because that’s basically their secret sauce). But we do know some things you can do to improve your chances of getting listed and therefore found by potential customers. If you’re not quite ready to invest in hiring an SEO expert, there are a few simple things that you can start doing today to help your website get noticed.

And just like that, we enter the last quarter of the year! I am so not ready for this. Like most years, I’m bracing for a busy season now through the end of the year. Between school starting and everyone wanting to get in their projects before the end of the year, I always have a lot to do at this time. But in between, I’ll be savoring the remnants of summer and trying to enjoy the best bits of autumn: crisp mornings, pumpkin everything, Halloween, sweaters, beanies, and boots! I’m trying to be positive about it, can you tell?

Ok, but seriously…..

how is it September already?

One of the first steps to take when you start the branding process is to begin defining your brand. It’s also probably one of the more difficult tasks and involves a lot of time spent thinking about your business and target audience. What appeals to them? What do they like? What magazines do they read? Where do they shop? You get the picture. As a visual person, obviously the easiest way for me to do this is…you guessed it, VISUALLY.

So over the past few months I’ve started collaborating with clients on a mood board to kick off their branding package and it has blown my mind! It has turned out to be such a valuable part of the branding process and (I think) super fun for both the client and me. So, today I'm sharing why a mood board can be so important and how to go about creating one to start defining your brand.

Happy August my fine friends! We’re winding the summer down and getting ready for school to start, which means lots of folks are getting ready to amp up their businesses now that they’ll have more time with kids gone. At least that’s been the pattern I’ve noticed over the last few years when I start getting an influx of inquiries right around now. This year I’ve been pretty consistently busy through the whole summer and actually only have 2 more project start dates for 2024 🤯 July was a mix of busy and slow for me, with the launch of 2 brands + websites and 2 more in the pipeline nearly ready to launch. I also took the last 2 weeks of the month off for my summer break and went completely offline at a yoga retreat. I highly recommend! The month felt like a whole year with everything going on, so I’m actually looking forward to getting back into a little more routine.

Your logo is the literal face of your business. It’s the first thing people see and the main visual image that they will remember. That’s why it’s so important to make sure that yours is making the right impression from the very beginning. If your logo looks outdated, boring, or even cheap, you may be losing valuable business when potential customers walk away. While it may be tempting to purchase a premade logo on sites like 99 Designs, Fiverr or Etsy, you may not be getting exactly what you think you are. So if you are on the fence about whether you should invest in a custom logo, then here are a few reasons why you may want to consider hiring a graphic designer for your logo.

Welcome to July, everyone! How does it already feel like it’s halfway through summer?! I’ve been busy with lot of branding + website projects and booking new clients who I’m soooo excited to work with. Usually I hit a summer slump, but things still haven’t slowed down here. But I’ve got my summer work break coming up at the end of the month when I’ll get some time to recoup and regroup (plus do lots and lots of yoga). Hopefully you’re getting a good break sometime this summer, too!

Creating a unique and memorable logo may sound easy, but there are so many things to take into consideration when trying to create the most important aspect of your branding and professional image. Your logo is the first thing that people see and could either result in them jumping into your sales funnel or disregarding you as a legitimate business. That’s why it’s SO important to have a professional logo design to represent how amazing you and your business are! Whether you’re doing it yourself or considering hiring a designer, these tips are helpful to create the best logo possible!

Hi and hello! Welcome to June! It’s almost summertime and everything greening up makes me so happy. This time last year was really challenging for me. Lots of life changes and business was suuuuper slow. Not just for me, but for almost every creative freelancer I know. In comparison, this year I feel like I’ve gotten into a new groove and business hasn’t slowed down since the new year. In fact, May was my highest earning month ever in my entire life 🤯 I’m trying not to let it go to my head, because I know that with every up there is a down. But man, it feels pretty good to be on the up again (remind me just how good next time I’m in the down, ok?).

Maybe it's been a minute since you've looked at your website, and when you do you notice that your Instagram block isn’t showing your most recent posts on Squarespace. In fact, it seems like it hasn't been updated in quite awhile. It's not uncommon to have issues with the Instagram block syncing on Squarespace. There are a couple common reasons this happens: the authentication has expired, you've changed your password, or an update on Instagram itself (Instagram updates can affect how websites like Squarespace interact with your feed and they update it A LOT). But do not panic! The fix for these issues is easy, and I've put together a step-by-step guide to show you exactly how to reconnect the Instagram feed block on Squarespace.

Happy May! We're seeing warmer, summery-er weather in my neck of the woods, and I am feeling it in my whole being. I've had a really great start to the year, but the winter really brings me into a funk mood-wise. So, I'm welcoming this next season with open arms and hoping for evening patio warmth soon. April wasn't quite as crazy as March for business, but it's still been busy enough that I've been heads down without much time for networking. I usually see a slowdown in the summer, but things are always up in the air. I'm looking forward to a few website builds this month as well as starting a new branding project. Plus, I'd love to get out and start seeing folks in my biz circles again soon. If that's you, please hit me up!

If you missed it last month, I started a new series called Graphic Design Dictionary to help explain some of the terms that I use in my daily life that may not be common knowledge to everyone. Last month I defined some basic web terms that you should know if you have or plan on having a website. This month I'm switching to another main form of graphic design and explaining some basic print terminology.

Hey friends! We’ve made it all the way through the first quarter of 2024. WOOHOO!!! The first 1/4 of the year is historically a busy one for me, and this year was no exception. In March alone, I built 3 websites, created an online shop, designed a logo, and designed + developed 2 email newsletter templates. Plus, I had a handful of other miscellaneous projects for past clients and took a family trip to Arizona for almost a week. Phew! And it doesn’t seem to be slowing down quite yet, but I’m so excited to see what this next quarter brings. I’m hoping to spend some time doing some internal business work + also get away from my desk and out to network with more real life people. So, hit me up if you wanna grab a coffee!

There are about one bazillion things you need to think about when you decide to start a new business, and none of them seem to be any less important than the others. But the one thing can that separate you from your competitors is how you present your brand to the world.

Your business’s image is a vital part of your identity that can set you steps above the others. Creating a cohesive brand for your business can even help build trust with potential clients by projecting a professional image. Tell the world that you have your stuff together and that you demand to be taken seriously!

Here is my list of the 3 branding items you absolutely must have for your new business.

Hey hello and hi there! Once again we’re here at the beginning of a new month, and I’m hoping it’ll be a great one. January and February are hard months for me because 1) I’m usually busy with work projects that were scheduled before the holidays, and 2) being the coldest and darkest months of the year take a toll on my mental health. Even though we’ve had more 60+ sunny days so far in 2024 than I can count! I’ve also been working away behind the scenes on a handful of brand + website projects that I’m looking forward to launching either this month or next. Plus, I’m taking a trip to Arizona in a few weeks, and the warmth will be such a nice break! So, I think March will be a good one!

Hello and happy February, friends! It’s the shortest month of the year, even with the extra leap day. Which for some reason makes me feel like that means winter will be over sooner, even though logically that doesn’t make a ton of sense. I guess we’ll just have to see what ol’ Punxsutawney Phil says tomorrow (and yes, I did have to look up the spelling on that while writing this). I had a good first month of 2024 for Six Leaf Design, even if it felt a bit chaotic. I was able to book a few upcoming projects, launch a One Week Website, kickoff two new brand projects, and start to get my tax stuff in order (the least fun part of the new year!). So, while January was the longest month in all eternity, I’m still counting it as a good one!

If there's one thing I get super excited about, it's creating brand patterns for clients. It happens to be one of this pattern-obsessed designer’s favorite parts of a branding project. A brand pattern is a distinctive, repeating design that's used as part of a brand's visual identity. It helps to create a cohesive look and feel across different materials and platforms, making a brand more recognizable and memorable. The pattern can be abstract or representational, simple or complex, and I’ll sometimes pull elements from a client’s logo design to make it even more ingrained in the overall brand foundations. It's a versatile tool to inject your business's personality into just about anything and strengthen your brand's appeal and consistency.

So, let’s roll out the patterned carpet! I’m sharing some nifty ways to sprinkle a little more you into your universe with 35 ways to use your brand pattern:

Well, here we are. Start of a new year. All the hubbub from the holidays dying down as we enter into that long, cold, dark stretch before spring laid out in front of us like a never-ending corridor with no doors or windows. Does anyone else feel like these first 3 months of the year stretch on longer than the entire rest of the 9 months combined? December went by so fast that I don't even know if Bob is my uncle or not. I launched 2 websites + developed brand assets for clients in the first week of the month. Then over my holiday break I added a few portfolio entries here and launched 3 new semi-custom brand suites here before Christmas. And I've spent the last week avoiding work and just recharging with lots of coffee, snacks, reading, and kitty cuddles. I hope wherever you were, you were able to get some rest + recharging in yourself.

I recently sat down at a coffee chat with a networking buddy, and he hits me with this bombshell: his friend quoted what could only be described as a small fortune to do his logo design. His disbelief was evident, which led me to drop my own bombshell: I wouldn't do a logo design for less than three times that amount. Cue the disbelief and raised eyebrows. Let me be clear, you don't need a crazy expensive logo to get the job done if it's not worth the price tag to you. But it is important to recognize that a logo isn't just a doodle. It's the face of your business, and that's worth a bit more than pocket change. Here’s why I charge what I do for a well-crafted logo design.