🥸 Ready or Not… Your Brand Already Exists!

Guess what? Your brand already exists. Wild, right? Even if you’ve never touched Canva, don’t have a logo, and your Insta grid is a total mishmash, people are already forming an opinion about you. That’s your brand doing its thing (whether you’ve planned it or not).

In this episode, I'll dive into what that actually means and why “I’ll figure it out later” doesn’t really work when it comes to branding. I’ll share some real-life stories (including my own scrappy beginnings), and give you a few super simple ways to start taking control of the brand people are already experiencing.

We’ll chat about:

• Why your brand is way more than a pretty logo
• How random impressions could be running your brand without you
• Three quick steps to get more intentional this week
• And why bravery in branding is usually about small tweaks, not burning it all down

So if you’ve been putting off working on your brand, this is your gentle but firm nudge. Your brand’s already out there, so let’s make sure it’s saying the right thing.

x Morgan

Connect with me:

• Follow The Fearless Designer on Instagram
  @the.fearless.designer
  
  
• Head to The Fearless Designer Website for more info
  www.thefearlessdesigner.com.au

Transcript

Hi guys. Welcome back to the Fearless Designer podcast. I've been busy taking notes today. I've had some more developments happening with my 40 year old rebrand series. So I'm looking forward to bringing you Episode three coming soon. But today I think I'm going to dive into an amazing topic that I'm hoping it'll be an aha moment for some of you listening. And here it is. I'm just going to hit you straight between the eyes with it.

Your brand already exists. Yep. Even if you haven't sat down with the designer. Even if you haven't, you know, you haven't even got a logo. Even if you're telling, telling yourself, oh, I'll work that part out later when I have more time. Guess what? You already have a brand. And today I want to unpack what that actually means, why it matters, and how you can start taking control of the brand that's already out there representing you. Hello and welcome to the Fearless Designer podcast.

I'm your host, Morgan McDonald, aka the fearless designer, and I'm here to help you embrace your fears, level up your visual brand, and take your business to fearless new heights. For two decades, I've worked with business owners just like you, designing brands that are bold, consistent and authentic. I've lived a profesh corporate life as a graphic designer and I've also spent the last 13 years running my own brand and graphic design business. So whether you're running a six or seven figure business, craving a brand refresh, or just ready to add a little more wow to your visuals, I got you. Each week we'll dive into Fearless brand strategies, design tips that you actually can use, live brand audits, and interviews with fellow business owners who have dared to do things differently. So if you're ready to stop playing small, take control of your brand and lead with confidence, you're in the right place. Let's go. So firstly, your brand exists in people's minds.

Even if your logo hasn't been created or your fonts or your pretty colors or any of that stuff hasn't been chosen, your brand is the feeling that people have about you and your business. It's the impression that they form that the very first time they stumble across your Instagram, or when they read your website, or when they get an email from you. And here's the thing. Whether you've intentionally designed it or not, people are already forming those impressions. That's your brand. Think of it like this. You walk into a cafe and the music is blaring. The tables are really really sticky and the menu has like 10 different fonts on it and it's starting to peel.

You've already formed an opinion about that place even before you've ordered your coffee. That's branding at work, if you're. Even if the cafe owner didn't design it on purpose. So let's talk about what it looks like when your brand exists, but you haven't taken control of it. Maybe your Instagram grid has a mix of like 20 different colors and filter styles. Maybe your website says one thing, but your socials say something completely different. Maybe your tone of voice changes depending on who's writing it and sometimes it's you and sometimes it's your va and sometimes it's chatgpt. But.

But there's no consistency. None of that means that your brand is broken, but it means that your brand is happening to you instead of being led by you. And honestly, this is so, so common. Most businesses don't start with the perfectly polished brand. They start scrappy. They start at a point that we've just got to get it done and get it out there. You need to really sit and stop and ask yourself, what story am I telling here? Is it the story that I want people to see? I'll share a little bit from my journey back when I started my design business maybe 15 years ago. Oh my gosh, how old am I? I thought I could just let the work speak for itself.

And I didn't spend a heck of a lot of time on my own branding. You know, I'm working on other people's branding. Why do I have time or how do I have time to spend it on my own? But guess what? People still formed opinions. They noticed the kinds of clients I were working with. They noticed the way I was showing up, the tone on my emails. That was my brand. And honestly, it wasn't telling the story that I wanted it to. So when I finally got intentional, when I thought about how wanted people to feel when they came across the fearless designer, things really started to shift.

Suddenly my brand wasn't just random impressions. It was really clear and confident with its messaging and wha. You know, this matters. It matters because if you're not intentional with your brand, you're leaving it to chance. You're letting other people decide what your business is all about based on whatever little snippets that they happen to see. And that can mean, like, so many missed opportunities. People might scroll past it because they didn't quite get it, and they might be your ideal client or they might Just assume that you're not as professional or established as you really are, because your branding just doesn't reflect that. And on the flip side, when you do take control of your brand, you create clarity for yourself, which is a huge component, but also for your audience.

You track the right people, you build trust faster, and you feel really confident showing up. So I'm going to give you some steps on how to really start owning the brand you already have. And I want to get practical with it, as I always do. And if you're sitting there thinking, okay, Morgan, I get it, my brand already exists. Now what do I do with that? Well, here are some steps that you can take away this week and start owning it. So, first of all, audit your touch points. Take a look at your main platforms, whether it's LinkedIn, whether it's your website, whether it's Instagram. Ask yourself, do they feel like they're telling the same story or are they giving slightly different impressions on every platform? Write down what you notice, even delve into the smallest details, like your email signature.

Second of all, choose one word. Pick one word that you want people to feel when they come across your brand. Now, I know this is really hard, but it may be things like calm. Maybe it's creative, maybe it's professional. Then ask yourself, does your current brand actually communicate this? And if not, what small tweaks could I make to get closer to that word? And third of all, align one thing. You do not need to overhaul everything at once. I'm not talking whole full rebrand. I'm talking about choosing one small thing and bring it to alignment.

Maybe it's making sure that your fonts match across all platforms. Maybe it's refreshing your profile picture. Maybe it's rewriting your Instagram bio so it actually sounds like you. I can guarantee if you take note of any of those three points, or even all of them, your branding will become more intentional, which will. People will take notice of that. And if you don't think that they will and that everything's so saturated and no one people do. If you are taking the time with intentionality to refine your branding, people will take notice. So here's the big takeaway.

Your brand isn't something you'll get to later. I'm doing talking about get to later. It already exists. People are already experiencing it. The question is, are you happy with the story that it's telling? Bravery in branding doesn't always mean starting from scratch. It sometimes means looking honestly at the things you've got built and choosing to make it more intentional. So this week, I challenge you. Audit your brand.

Choose one word and align it with one thing. Small steps will give you more control over the brand that's already out there representing you. And I think I'm going to leave it there. I want to thank you so much for joining me today. If you had an aha moment, let me know. I'd love to share it. Even if you would love to leave me a review, I would be so grateful for that. So until next time, I really hope that you're ready to level up and create the truly fearless brand that you deserve.

But remember, your brand already exists, whether you want it to or not. And that's it for today's episode of the Fearless Designer podcast. I hope you're feeling really inspired, fired up, and ready to go and make some bold moves with your brand. If you love today's episode, don't forget to hit the subscribe button so that you never miss a dose of fearless branding goodness. And if you're feeling extra generous, drop us a review. It just helps more fearless legends like you find this podcast. If you've got any ideas or questions for future EPS, please slide into my DMs or send me an email. I would love to hear from you.

And until next time, keep being bold, keep being fearless. And remember, your brand is your superpower. So go out there and dare to be different. Bye.