First, I want to say that I’m no branding expert.

Ironic, considering that I’ve been doing it for years, particularly whenever I start a new business or project. And while I admit that it’s usually a lack of funds that leads me to DIY my own branding, I do find enjoyment in the process of creating something that I hope will resonate with people beyond a first encounter.

The name The Write Home came to me as I reflected on my personal brand, Write On Kiah. I wanted it to be an extension of who I am as a writer, and to attract fellow storytellers while alluding to my interest in real estate. And so The Write Home was born— a collection of rental homes for storytellers and story lovers.

It took me a while to develop the brand for The Write Home. In fact, it wasn’t until I was halfway through the construction of the first rental space that I started to get a vision of what this brand could be. As always, I first started the process by creating a Pinterest board of visuals that caught my eye. In this part of the process, I let my natural instincts guide my designs. In this case, I found that I gravitated toward warm tones and sophisticated font types. Ones that said, “Take me seriously.” But also, “Relax, you’re at home now.”

While colors are cool, logos are the foundation of longevity for a business. As the first experience a person typically has with your brand, your logo often speaks before you do. And what better place to get a logo on a budget than Fiverr? I submitted some sample designs and within a couple of days had four mockups to choose from– one guess which design I chose. ;)

Having the logo made this business feel real. But still, I was struggling with the color palette. So this time I invested in one of my favorite designer’s brand style workbooks. Even if my budget is limited, I believe in not re-creating the wheel or wasting time trying to figure out a bunch of things on my own if there are resources that can make the process faster.

The workbook walks you through your personal and business values, ideal customer, and brand style and personality. The words Urban, Luxurious, Industrial, Edgy, and Warm caught my eye, which led me to the Fall color palette, with tones that evoked feelings of sophistication (Black), reliability (Gold), trust (Blue), and comfort (Brown). After popping these colors into the provided color palette template and then into my Milanote mood board, I ultimately came up with a color scheme that would guide everything from my website to social media.

The Saffron Avenue color palette template.

My Milanote Mood Board

So whenever you encounter The Write Home, I hope it gives you a sense of warmth, and that you feel welcome to explore, be inspired, and create.