Building your Brand

In this episode, I share the story of my early career; navigating internships, first jobs, and the uncertainty that comes with starting out in the creative industry. I hope my journey encourages you to embrace the unknown and trust that every step, even the messy ones, can lead to something meaningful.
Episode Highlights
00:00:10 – Leaving university and facing the job market
00:03:10 – My first internship and what I learned
00:06:45 – Taking on freelance projects and building confidence
00:10:20 – Landing my first full-time role
00:13:30 – Reflecting on early lessons and growth
Key Takeaways
Embrace Uncertainty The early stages of your career are full of unknowns; lean into them and trust the process.
Every Experience Counts Internships, side projects, and even setbacks all contribute to your growth and skillset.
Say Yes to Opportunities Taking on new challenges, even when you feel unprepared, can open doors you never expected.
Growth Happens Outside Your Comfort Zone The moments that feel the scariest often lead to the most valuable lessons.
Reflect and Celebrate Progress Take time to look back and appreciate how far you've come, even if you're still figuring things out.
 
I would love to hear what you think of this episode, so please do let me know on Instagram where I'm @‌lizmmosley or @‌buildingyourbrandpodcast and I hope you enjoy the episode! This episode was written, recorded and produced by me
If you like to watch your podcasts you can watch all of my solo episodes including this one on YouTube.
If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!

Today on the podcast, I'm chatting with photographer and podcast host Victoria Phipps, who also happens to be a previous client of mine!
Victoria shares her journey from starting out as a self-taught wedding photographer in 2009 to navigating major career pivots, becoming a mum of two, launching her podcast Mum Means Business, and expanding into online courses and personal branding photography. We dive deep into the messy reality of running multiple business fractions, letting go of rigid perfectionism, using AI to organize complex ideas into a design brief, and how investing in a cohesive visual identity completely changes how confidently you show up in your business.

Key Takeaways
Authentic Branding Builds Real Confidence: A cohesive visual identity is so much more than colours and fonts; it provides the grounding and confidence you need to put yourself out there and take new leaps .

Using AI as a Practical Structuring Tool: AI can be an incredible sounding board to help turn a brain dump into a clear, structured creative brief without losing your own voice or opinions .

Consistency Flourishes from Joy: It is infinitely easier to stay consistent with projects that bring you genuine joy rather than simply checking off boxes of what you "should" be doing .

Over-Communication Elevates the Client Experience: Being proactive, setting clear expectations, and adding thoughtful touches build deep trust and long-lasting professional relationships .

Embracing the "Messy Middle": You don't always have to force yourself into a single, narrow niche; unifying your distinct business offerings under one cohesive visual language allows all your passions to thrive together .

Episode Highlights
02:00 – Victoria's evolution from wedding photography to navigating COVID, motherhood, and business pivots.
06:15 – Launching the Mum Means Business podcast to connect with other female founders balancing ambition and family.
09:10 – Resisting the pressure to niche down and learning to bridge different business "fractions."
26:15 – How Victoria used Claude AI to dictate and structure a comprehensive creative brief for her rebrand.
33:00 – What makes an unforgettable client experience: communication, clear steps, and thoughtful details.
40:00 – Finding the visual thread that weaves distinct business strands together.
43:15 – How a brand identity that brings you joy transforms your confidence and how you market yourself.
About the Guest
Victoria Phipps is a UK-based photographer, host of the Mum Means Business podcast, and creator of the Print Over Pixels course for photographers .

Website: mummeansbusinesspodcast.com



Instagram: @mummeansbusinesspodcast | @victoriaphipps_mbe



Mentioned in the Episode
Events & Concepts: Atomic Con (aff link)

Software & Tools:  Claude AI , Canva , Adobe Express (Aff link)  


I would love to hear what you think of this episode, so please do let me know on Instagram where I'm @‌lizmmosley or @‌buildingyourbrandpodcast and I hope you enjoy the episode!
This episode was written and recorded by me and produced by Lucy Lucraft lucylucraft.co.uk
If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!

I've been having a think about the sort of content I want to create at the moment and 'positive' and 'up lifting' was what was requested when I asked my followers on instagram. The news from the design industry and the world in general has been very negative recently.
While I was researching what I could talk about I came across this really interesting effect called 'The Curb Cut Effect'. It's all about how solving a problem for a smaller group of people who have a specific accessibility need actually helps everyone. In this episode I chat through the effect and how it got it's name and also give other examples, and ideas of how you could use this improve your own brand and it's accessibility.
Key Takeaways
1. Designing for the edges lifts the middle.
Every time someone has built for a group that was being left out, the whole world has quietly benefited. Your business is no different; the change you make for one person rarely stops with them.
2. Small, imperfect steps still count.
You won't get accessibility right first time, and you don't have to. Alt text, better colour contrast, left-aligned copy; these are afternoon jobs, not year-long projects. Start where you are.
3. If it's hard work to read, it's hard work to buy.
A brain that has to strain will give up, and it won't even know why. Make it easy to read, easy to follow, easy to purchase - and you stop losing people you never knew you'd lost.
4. Do it because it's right, and let it pay you back anyway.
Accessibility is the rare decision where doing the decent thing and doing the smart thing point in exactly the same direction. You don't have to choose.
Episode Highlights
00:00: Where this episode came from: an Instagram story asking what people wanted, and the repeated request for something positive in a design industry that's feeling bleak
01:13: The kerb cut effect explained: 1970s activists with sledgehammers and cement, building ramps at night so wheelchair users could cross the road independently
02:47: Closed captions, voice assistants and automatic doors: how a fix designed for one group quietly ends up serving everybody
04:21: Why accessibility gets shelved by small business owners, and the commercial and legal case for stopping putting it off
05:34: The centred text problem: why the brain can't find the next line, gives up without realising it, and what that means for your emails and website
08:13: The question to take away: what have you been holding off fixing because you assumed it would only help a handful of people?
I would love to hear what you think of this episode, so please do let me know on Instagram where I'm @‌lizmmosley or @‌buildingyourbrandpodcast and I hope you enjoy the episode! This episode was written, recorded and produced by me
If you like to watch your podcasts you can watch all of my solo episodes including this one on YouTube.
If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!

Your business evolves over time, so why shouldn't your branding? In this episode of Building Your Brand, I chat with brand designer and self-styled "brand chef" Aiza Cheung of Studio Coya. We dive deep into why small business owners and service providers should stop flattening their services into generic lists and instead embrace the power of branding their signature offers.
Aiza breaks down her signature food analogies to explain how your business brand acts as the restaurant, while your signature offer is that one distinctive dish everyone comes back for. We also talk about the brilliant concept of "themed branding," using pattern disruptions, and how you can steal clever campaign strategies from corporate giants to stand out in your own industry.  
Key Takeaways
The Restaurant vs. The Signature Dish: Your overarching business brand is there to nurture your audience and build general trust . Your signature offer branding is the entry point that shows clients exactly what specific solution you provide.  
Pattern Disruption via Campaigns: Consistency builds trust, but audiences can become blind to the same visuals over time. Launching a dedicated campaign or signature offer provides a temporary window to play with new visual elements to peak curiosity.  
Theming Grounds Your Messaging: Choosing an anchor or theme (like Aiza's food concept or Rachel Emma Wearing's space aesthetic) makes it exponentially easier to write copy, devise analogies, and feel creatively aligned.  
Borrow from Other Industries: Instead of mimicking direct competitors, look outside your niche. Aiza looks to product-based food brands and hospitality to discover fresh ways to market online services.  
Strategic Disruption vs. Trust: Standing out with an unusual industry colour palette is highly effective, but you must ensure your visual pattern disruption doesn't undermine the core trust required for your profession.  
Episode Highlights
01:45: Aiza's journey from a linear design career to handling an unexpected redundancy that pushed her into running her studio  
04:20: What exactly defines a signature offer and how service providers can apply the SaaS model to their programs  
08:35: Pulling visual levers: Deciding how visually similar or distinct a sub-brand should be from your main parent brand  
18:25: How Aiza stumbled across her food theme by mistake and how it transformed into her biggest marketing asset 
20:15: Designing a theme that isn't loud: The story of The Two Lauras and their internal "comfy jumper and jeans" anchor  
28:30: Why it is okay to play with visual trends in short-term marketing blocks rather than a permanent rebrand
About the Guest
Aiza Cheung is a brand designer, strategist, and the founder of Studio Coya . Known as the "brand chef," she helps online service-based businesses differentiate their primary brands and structure unique visual worlds around their signature offers.
Website: studiocoya.com
Instagram: @studiocoya

Podcast: Nourish Your Brand
Aiza's Free Theming Masterclass
I would love to hear what you think of this episode, so please do let me know on Instagram where I'm @‌lizmmosley or @‌buildingyourbrandpodcast and I hope you enjoy the episode!
This episode was written and recorded by me and produced by Lucy Lucraft lucylucraft.co.uk
If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!

I've got a lot coming up in the final few months of the year, so in this episode I'm sharing what I'm looking forward to, what's making me nervous and what I still have capacity to add in. I love the variety of the work I do so am excited that I have some great clients, my own event, speaking at other peoples events and few other things in between to keep things interesting. 
If you would like to join me for the live Building Your Brand podcast event in London use the code EARLYBIRD and get your ticket here: Building Your Brand Live podcast event
To sign up for Adobe MAX Miami (you can sign up to watch online for free if you can't make it in person) head here: Adobe MAX Miami
Episode Highlights
00:10 – Kicking off Q4: personal and business reflections
02:30 – Preparing for major speaking events and managing nerves
05:00 – Achieving milestones and celebrating progress
08:00 – Looking ahead: new opportunities and future plans
11:00 – Inviting connections, collaborations, and new clients
 
Key Takeaways
Celebrate Your Milestones Recognize and honour the big achievements on your journey; they're proof of your growth and dedication.
Growth Comes with Nerves Embracing new challenges often means stepping outside your comfort zone, but that's where real progress happens.
Balance Ambition with Self-Care Pursue your goals, but remember to protect your time and energy so you can enjoy the journey.
Stay Open to Connection Building relationships and sharing your expertise can lead to exciting new opportunities and collaborations.
 
I would love to hear what you think of this episode, so please do let me know on Instagram where I'm @‌lizmmosley or @‌buildingyourbrandpodcast and I hope you enjoy the episode! This episode was written, recorded and produced by me
If you like to watch your podcasts you can watch all of my solo episodes including this one on YouTube.
If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!