My friend, Frankie Angotti, guest wrote this post, and I know you’ll love it. In her post, she’s covering:

• Why DIY branding often backfires for small business owners
• The difference between being authentic and being unpolished
• What makes a brand truly intentional and aligned
• The essential elements of a strong, strategic visual identity
• How a professional designer elevates your voice, values, and story
• The risks of trend-chasing vs. crafting a timeless brand
• Why branding is a business foundation, not just a logo
• How intentional branding builds trust, confidence, and clarity

Keep the Weird. Lost the DIY. Get a Real Brand.

Be real. Be intentional. But don’t DIY your brand.

There’s something beautiful about owning your weirdness, embracing your story, and letting your personality shine through your business. In a world full of trends and templates, authenticity is what cuts through the noise.

But here’s the thing: being authentic doesn’t mean doing it all yourself.

Your brand deserves to be intentional, not improvised and thrown together.

You Are the Heart of Your Brand, But You Shouldn’t Build It Alone

It’s true: people want to work with brands they like, know, and trust. And the best way to build that trust? By showing up as your real, aligned self.

But showing up authentically online takes more than just a Canva logo and a clever bio.

It takes strategy, consistency, and professional design that brings your story to life.

Because your brand isn’t just a logo, it’s how your business makes people feel. It is the foundation of your business. You cannot build a successful business on a shaking, unclear beginning. 

Branding is More Than Pretty Fonts and Trendy Colors

Let’s break this down:

Your brand is not just a logo. It’s a full system that should reflect your values, your voice, and the reason you started this business in the first place. It’s:

• Your visual identity (logo, fonts, colors, imagery)
  
• Your tone of voice and messaging
  
• Your photography and how you show up in content
  
• The values you lead with
  
• The way you communicate with your audience
  
• The emotional experience people have with your brand

These elements don’t just fall into place. They need to be curated, crafted, and aligned, intentionally. A pro designer doesn’t just make things look pretty. They make sure your brand works, across platforms, touchpoints, and time.

DIY Branding Can Dilute What Makes You You

When you try to DIY your brand, you’re often starting with what looks good instead of what feels right. You might unintentionally chase trends that don’t actually reflect who you are or what your business stands for.

This creates confusion for your audience and worse, disconnection for you.

Your brand should feel like something you’re proud to stand behind. It should give you confidence every time you show up.

A brand that feels like you, starts with being real, but it comes to life through expert execution.

A Professional Helps You Tell Your Story the Right Way

Designers don’t just hand over a logo and call it a day. We help you:

• Discover your core brand values and unique differentiators
  
• Build a full identity that reflects your voice and vision
  
• Align your visuals with your mission and purpose
  
• Create cohesive systems for social, web, packaging, and beyond
  
• Design a brand that feels strategic, not slapped together

Because when your branding is intentional and professionally built, it shows.

It attracts the right audience. It builds trust. It makes marketing easier.

And most importantly, it feels like you.

You Can Be Authentic and Elevated

You can be playful, quirky, or offbeat and have a professional brand. In fact, that’s the magic combo. The best brands are built from a place of truth and brought to life with clarity, polish, and purpose.

So yes, show the heart behind your business. Share your story. Be real.

But don’t DIY something as important as the face of your brand.

Let a pro help you show up with confidence, consistency, and credibility.

Final Thoughts:

Your brand is the first impression, the ongoing experience, and the lasting memory people have of your business. Make it real. Make it intentional.

But above all, make it professionally done.

Let’s build something that looks like you, feels like you, and actually works for your business.

How to Work with Frankie

Want your brand to stand out online and create an emotional connection with your audience? Frankie does amazing work, and I know you’ll love her, too. Click HERE to learn more about her and how she can help with your branding!

About Frankie

Meet Franchesca, though everyone calls her Frankie. She is a graphic designer fueled by a passion for branding and website design, a love for all things green and an insatiable curiosity about the ocean’s depths.

Her journey began with a simple desire: to channel her creative thought process into a branding and design business that helps entrepreneurs bring their ideas to life.

Over the years, Frankie has had the pleasure of collaborating with startups and small to large businesses, transforming hobbies and side hustles into full-time careers. Witnessing her clients blossom into their full potential is the ultimate reward.

Based in sunny Sarasota, Florida. When Frankie isn’t crafting compelling designs, you’ll find her playing soccer, hanging out with her dog and design sidekick, Kona, and spending as much time by the ocean as possible.