Today, I've got a treat for you - I'm answering the exact questions you've been asking about building your creative brand.

No fluff, just practical answers for everything from what you genuinely need to launch your business (it's less than you think) to how to market consistently without playing chicken with burnout.

These aren't hypothetical scenarios - they're the exact challenges my Brand Your Passion Collective community faces every day. These are real questions from real creative business owners, and I'm sharing straight-forward, actionable solutions. From accessibility tools to managing multiple audiences, I'm covering the stuff that actually matters when you're building a brand. You'll learn the four non-negotiable elements for launching your business, my go-to accessibility tools, and how to market your work without burning out. I'm also diving into how to appeal to gift buyers and why understanding your audience's personality can transform your brand.

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It’s Q&A time!

Question #1: "How much branding would you consider the minimum for starting a new business, say someone selling stickers, stationery, or pins on Etsy, for example?"

Branding can become quite complex if you let it. The trick here is to not get caught up in overcomplicated branding efforts, as your brand can evolve over time as you gain more knowledge about your business and audience. The key is to start with these foundational elements.

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Let’s talk names

Your name is often the first thing people overthink, but it doesn't have to be that difficult. Like anything in branding, your name can change and evolve over time. The best thing to do is pick something and get started. Whether you choose your personal name or create a brand name, remember that this can evolve with your business as you grow. Find and pick a name that FEELS good to you right now.

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Nail your bio

A clear bio positions you in your market and tells people exactly what you do and why they need your work! Whether it's one sentence or a short paragraph, the key is keeping it simple and direct. Think about what makes you unique and how you can communicate that quickly and effectively to your ideal audience. For an example, check mine out below!

What you can do:

• Include who you are
• Clearly state what you do
• Explain how your work will change someone's life
• For example: "Hey there, I'm Hollie. I'm a brand strategist and coach for creatives and artists, and I help people do this and this."

Pick your colours

Colour is the most impactful part of visual branding design - it increases brand recognition by 80%! Even without my name there, people probably recognise my brand just from the pink and orange combinations.

Your colour choices will become one of your most powerful brand identifiers, so choose them thoughtfully and use them consistently.

What you can do:

• Choose between 2-7 colours maximum
• Use these colours consistently everywhere
• Can be just a couple of colours to start with
• Your colours will become your most recognisable brand element

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Pick your fonts

Typography speaks volumes about your brand personality and helps create a clear, professional image. Even without logos or other brand elements, pairing strong colours and fonts together will make for a really clear, professional-looking brand from the beginning.

Think about how your font choices reflect your brand values and appeal to your target audience.

What you can do:

• Choose fonts that speak to your brand personality
• Consider how they create tone
• Think about who you're trying to appeal to
• Pair your fonts with your colours consistently

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Question #2: "What are your favourite tools for judging accessibility in a brand kit?"

When working with clients and creating visual branding, accessibility has to be a key consideration. This isn't just about preferences - it's about ensuring anyone who interacts with your brand can experience it as intended, from reading text to understanding your message.

I personally use several tools to achieve this in my work. Stark is my go-to plugin and app, which I use primarily for checking colour combinations. It's fantastic because it offers a free team account and plugins for various apps including Figma and Chrome. Beyond just colour checking, it allows you to view designs from the perspective of someone with visual impairments .

For colour contrast specifically, I double-check everything in Adobe Colour. This extra step ensures I haven't missed anything crucial in the contrast ratios. The tool helps identify which colour combinations are approved for text, which should only be used for decorative elements, and which combinations should be avoided entirely.

The accessibility toolbox:

• Stark Plugin - Free tool for comprehensive accessibility checks
• Adobe Colour - Specifically for colour contrast verification
• Canva's Built-in Tools - Quick accessibility assessments

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Question #3: "How do you maintain consistency in posting for marketing without burning out?"

One of the biggest challenges creatives face is maintaining consistent marketing without burning out. I get it - creating content for just one platform can be someone's full-time job, let alone managing multiple platforms and other marketing efforts.

The key is simplification. Instead of trying to post five TikTok's a day or ten Threads every day, pick a cadence that actually works for you. Maybe that's just posting once a week on Instagram or once a day on threads.

The goal is to start small and build up rather than burning out trying to do everything at once.

Content creation doesn't have to be complicated either. Some of the most successful TikTok's and Instagram reels right now are simply photos from someone's camera roll or a seven-second shot of nature outside their window. Focus on what you want to say rather than perfect production value.

I personally use batching to stay consistent. I'll spend an hour or couple of hours working on content, then schedule it all in advance. The same goes for podcasting - I plan and record multiple episodes at once rather than trying to create each one just before release.

What you can do:

• Choose one platform and commit to it rather than trying to be everywhere
• Simplify your posting schedule - start with what's actually manageable
• Keep content creation simple - you don't need elaborate setups
• Play to your strengths and passions
• Batch create and schedule content when possible
• Repurpose your content across platforms

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Question #4: "How can I appeal to an audience of people who don't buy my products for them, but as gifts for others?"

Here’s something to think about - when your products are often purchased as gifts, your actual audience might not be the end user. While the person receiving the gift is important, your primary audience is the gift givers because they're the ones making the purchase decision.

Understanding this dynamic is crucial. There are usually shared values or interests that draw gift givers to your products and make them think "my friend would love this."

The key is finding these common threads between the gift givers and their recipients to create messaging that resonates with both groups.

I recommend taking a two-pronged approach to research. First, talk to your gift buyers and understand their motivations. What makes them choose your products as gifts? When and how are they giving them? Then, connect with recipients to understand their perspective. What do they love about receiving your work? How does it make them feel? What are they doing with it? Look for patterns in these responses to inform your marketing strategy.

What you can do:

• Create gift guides for different occasions throughout the year
• Focus your marketing around key gift-giving moments
• Share testimonials from both buyers and recipients
• Highlight what makes your products perfect gifts
• Consider doing a survey to understand gift-buying motivations

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Question #5: "What do you do if the products you're selling have different audiences?"

Something I've learned a lot about through my own experience. Often, when we think we have multiple audiences, they're actually not as different as we might assume. As I learned from Mariah Coz, they're often the same people with similar values, interests, and motivations, just at different points in their journey.

For example, in the art world, you might have home collectors just starting their collection with lower-cost items, established collectors buying higher-quality pieces, and those who commission custom artwork. While they're at different stages, they often share core values like appreciating art and supporting artists.

However, sometimes audiences are genuinely different. In my case, I have Maker & Moxie for creatives who want to DIY their brands, and By Hollie Arnett for online educators wanting done-for-you services. While related, these audiences have distinct needs and goals requiring different approaches.

What you can do:

• Look for common values and interests between groups
• Consider creating separate brands or sub-brands if truly necessary
• Create a personal brand hub to direct different audiences
• Maintain clear, separate messaging for distinct audience groups
• Use your personal platform as a central connecting point

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Question #6: "How does understanding my audience's personality help me as a creative?"

Understanding your audience's personality isn't just about demographics - it's about creating work that genuinely resonates with who they are. I'll share a personal example: I love buying prints for my gallery wall, and I'm drawn to bright colours, fun sayings, and work from independent artists. Someone wanting to attract buyers like me would know to create vibrant, creative-inspired prints that align with these preferences.

This kind of deep understanding helps you craft not just products, but experiences that connect with your audience's identity. Think about it - anything we buy becomes part of how we express ourselves.

When you understand your audience's personality, you can create products and content they'll want to buy, share, and talk about because it represents who they are.

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What you can do:

• Focus on authentic connection over assumptions
• Match your brand's tone to your audience's preferences
• Consider how your work fits into their identity and lifestyle
• Create content that reflects their values and interests
• Share testimonials that highlight personal connections

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Before we wrap this up, I want to acknowledge how easy it is to overcomplicate branding and marketing. Yes, there's a lot that can go into building a brand, and eventually it will be great to spend that time being intentional about it. However, it's so much better and more beneficial for you to just start your creative business, start making money, start selling your stuff, and start building your audience. You can evolve and get further into your brand as you have time, money, resources, and more knowledge about your business and audience.

Want your own questions answered on the podcast?

Join us in the Brand Your Passion Collective where we tackle these exact challenges together, reflect on podcast episodes, and you can submit your own questions for future eps! The community has so many incredible creatives in it. From taxidermists to jewellery makers, ceramicists to photographers - we're all supporting each other in building our dream businesses, together.