Cue the confetti and the champagne pop…kvh. Creative is now Copy Uncorked!

I am SO excited to share this new brand with you, and give you the full ‘behind the screens’ of the rebranding process, after what’s been months of raking through my business with a fine tooth comb.

At times, I felt like I was starting over from zero, but I also knew that I was building on a great foundation and so many lessons that had come before then.

The whole thing felt like a discovery process and kept me endlessly motivated.

 

 

The Inspiration

I went on a month-long sabbatical last August where I was feeling stuck, overwhelmed, and a bit burnt out.

Running kvh. Creative in addition to a 9-5pm at a marketing agency (doing pretty similar work) was starting to wear on me.

I knew I loved my business, but I felt like I was having a hard time differentiating the brand and really creating brand stories around it.

Not to mention, the sheer fact that I was now married and my initials were no longer “kvh.” made me feel a bit like I was having an identity crisis. (Kidding, but kind of.)

The second part of the brand name – “Creative” – also felt a bit too broad and wasn’t a clear enough descriptor of the emphasis I was placing on conversion copywriting.

Which is a lot more scientific, strategic, and persuasive than cute, clever, or even ‘creative’ at times.

My husband and I also spent that October in France and I just absolutely fell in love with the culture, aesthetic, and ‘je ne sais quoi’ of each city we visited.

It became a huge inspiration to me and helped me discover that I wanted the brand to take on a more refined, mature, and confident approach, without sacrificing any of the fun.

And then, just like I mention here, I came up with the name “Copy Uncorked” with a glass of wine in hand!

I immediately started envisioning what you see now and felt like I’d landed on something that would lead me into my next season of business.

 

The Decision

It can be really hard to discern and decide whether it’s time for a rebrand or not. I definitely learned from the past in the sense that I went out of my way to ask a LOT more people (outside of just my family) for their input on rebranding.

I shared the initial concepts and the new brand name to hear their feedback, which was so insightful and helped confirm my desire to rebrand.

I also had a few calls with a copywriting mentor for the first time, as well as joined a community of copywriters that further cemented it was the right choice at this phase in my business.

 

The Visual Brand Identity

I was a bit nervous that when I told people the new brand would be “wine-themed” that they would picture a bunch of cheesy memes, quotes, bright pinks, and not at all the smart, refined brand I had in mind.

Given that, I thoughtfully decided to work with Kadie of Drop Cap Design and felt confident she would be able to pull together what I was feeling. And she absolutely nailed it!

I love the classic, minimal feel of the logo, with the corkscrew detail, monogram submarks, and the accompanying illustrations you see throughout the website.

Branding by Drop Cap Design

 

The color palette we landed on was appropriately named “Wine Patio”. It absolutely gives me the feeling of sipping on a Cab at golden hour in good company.

That’s the feeling I want to create for people when it comes to their copywriting.

Branding by Drop Cap Design

 

The Lessons

Here are 6 big things I learned and realized throughout my own rebranding process, that will hopefully guide you in yours! Not rebranding right now? Pin this post for later!

 

01 – If you’re at a stage where you can afford it, choose to work with professionals.

Now, I wouldn’t have been able to invest what I did over the past 4-5 months if I was just starting out. But after 2+ years of growing this business as a side gig, I had some money in the bank that I determined to be well-spent on professional talent.

I’ve dabbled in a lot of amateur design (mostly just because I love it, it’s cheaper, and it’s quicker), but that’s not AT ALL to say that I don’t 100% value and fully comprehend the difference in working with design professionals who take their craft as seriously as I do mine.

When I went to work on my website, PDF resources, digital products, email design, social media plan – you name it – every inch of it felt SO much easier to pull together after working with Kadie.

Premium design isn’t right for every entrepreneur, but when it is, it’s absolutely worth it in my opinion.

That’s why Copy Uncorked will be offering a referral list of “Design Pairings” for all of our clients so they can experience the magic of copy + design for themselves.

It felt scary to forego the DIY-route at first, but because I made the decision to go for it, Drop Cap Design is now even a client of Copy Uncorked! How cool is that?!

 

02 – Always talk to anyone you plan to hire on the phone (versus just email).

You can know within about 5 minutes if your energies feel like a good fit for working together and if the person you’re speaking with understands and grasps what you’re trying to accomplish.

Not to mention, it will make the entire experience more rewarding when you feel like you were able to establish an initial connection with the person you’re paying to do work for you, rather than just keeping things limited to email communication. (Where a lot can get lost in translation.)

I also believe that the end result is going to be stronger if you’ve been able to verbally articulate your needs – whether that’s  through an assistant, project manager, or design partner (which is what we do with a lot of designers for our clients.)

 

03 – Book things in advance, be realistic about your timelines…and SET A DATE.

I learned this one because unfortunately, I’ve gotten a lot of clients who want their copywriting & web design done LIKE YESTERDAY. I always do what I can to accommodate those quick turnarounds, but it’s not always possible.

Creating great things takes time. So think through it, leave yourself a couple of month’s lead time, and then don’t be afraid to set a date for your launch to work towards.

Had I never put a date on my calendar, I could have continued to work on things until I was old and gray. Sometimes you just have to launch even when you don’t feel completely ready! (What people are always saying is true!)

I’m all for high-quality and perfection to an extent, but you can’t foresee everything. Stay agile and know that just about all of branding and marketing is a constant work in progress.

 

 

04 – Don’t forget about the brand shoot.

Scouring through endless stock photo websites and picking out seemingly on-brand images, only to later see them on everyone else’s site, is just not all that fun.

I used stock photos for years, so I’m by NO means hating on that option. There are some incredible resources, sites, and generous contributors out there, but I also believe in the power of imagery to help further convey your message and tell your brand’s story.

A site just has a lot more life to it when you’ve been able to feature what makes you different, and really stand out; versus using images that are available to the masses.

As a copywriter, it also allows me to strategically think through wireframing a site if I know what images are available – or to provide some direction as to what images to obtain that will coincide with the copy.

It’s another big investment, but find yourself a photography and brand styling duo like Drewe and Kate and see the difference it makes! I absolutely loved working with them and am so happy with the end result.

I also had a chance to work with Elizabeth Friske Photography (a client and friend) on some transitional brand photography to help me go from kvh. creative to Copy Uncorked and I’m so glad I did!

 

 

05 – Templates can be a great solution.

Not every brand is ready for (or even in need of) a custom website. I’m a big fan of using templates to cut down on time and costs, without sacrificing quality.

I’ve been singing Tonic Site Shop’s praises ever since I discovered them and think they’re a perfect solution for any creative entrepreneur.

>> Head here to learn more and get 15% off a template of your own as a friend of Copy Uncorked! <<

And today, almost every website platform has a plethora of great template options. It’s just a matter of selecting the right one for your needs!

Templates aren’t just limited to websites either. I used Saffron Avenue’s social media templates from her launch kit and absolutely loved how they paired with my branding!

In the future, I’ll be creating additional copywriting-related templates in the Shop – so look out for those!

 

06 – Use a system like Trello to keep you organized.

I created a “CU LAUNCH” board in Trello to hold all of my tasks, checklists, and copy needs, broken out in a timeline.

For example, there were things to do a few months out, 1 month out, 1 week out, and then the day of.

A big one was creating a list of EVERYWHERE I’d need to change over the brand name and get it all linking again.

This is the tedious part, but when you map it out, it feels a lot less overwhelming.

*If you’re approaching a rebrand yourself, get in touch and let’s talk through helping you create a launch map of your own!

 

 

The Future

With renewed clarity, and a whole 40+ hour work week to now dedicate to Copy Uncorked as a full-time entrepreneur, I’m more than excited about what the future holds.

I can’t wait to meet my next clients, continue serving my current ones, add to the Copy Uncorked team, create more digital products, offerings, and solutions, so you can get YOUR words flowing and grow your business like a grapevine.

If you haven’t already, be sure to join the Copy Cru and get your free copy of The Copy Uncorked Master Checklist.

And since you’ve made it this far? Go ahead and browse our 1×1 Services, or pay a visit to the Shop!

Enjoy exploring the latest and let’s get growing, together!