lifestyle and cooking blog brand book

contents This brand standards document explores the message, visuals, and expression of your brand.

1. Brand Message 2. Design & Visuals 3. Words & Content 4. Live Your Brand

Brand Guidelines nelliebellie.com

moodboard The moodboard was curated to express the “mood” of the brand and to inspire the visual decisions. The kitchen is a powerful symbol of your brand. It’s where you connect, create, and love on your family. It’s the place you drink coffee and laugh over cocktails. The vibe of your brand is slightly retro, handmade, a little quirky, and bright.

brand message

POSITION

CORE IDEA NellieBellie is an extension of the life that you live. It’s a “teaching by example” collection of ways that people can create a happy and thoughtful life.

YOUR GOAL Even if it’s just a little, we want to brighten people’s days and give them tools and tactics to improve their life (whether that is a recipe, craft, or an idea.)

HOW YOU ARE DIFFERENT You don’t live by the stereotypes and are proud of that. “Tiny living” “minimalism” and “simple living” are great ideas, but you need to make them work for you. If you love owning several pairs of shoes or buying fancy shampoo, embrace that.

WHAT YOU DELIVER You create content and brand experiences through recipes, ideas on thoughtful living, crafts, and lifestyle.


brand message

1

PERSONALITY

INNOCENT & GIRL NEXT DOOR PERSONALITY ARCHETYPE

Your goal is to make a small positive impact on the lives of the people who encounter your brand. At every opportunity, we want to delight and uplift people.

When they encounter your brand, your audience FEELS: delighted, accepted, inspired, hopeful, positive, empowered, and happy.

You are: • Joyful • True • Genuine • Warm-hearted • Open and accepting


brand message

1

POINT OF VIEW

CHARACTER COUNTS. Become the best version of yourself on the inside. Live with good intentions. Be purposeful. Don’t follow a fad or movement because it’s trendy… do it because it makes you feel good.

IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE PERFECT TO BE WONDERFUL. Our recipes may not grace the cover of “Gourmet Magazine” but gosh, they taste good. The crafts may not be quite Martha’s standards, but we have fun making them.

PLAY IS IMPORTANT. Don’t take life so seriously. It’s important to laugh, giggle, and even occasionally snort milk out of your nose at a slightly inappropriate joke. Slow down and enjoy your life.


brand message

1

It’s what is on the inside that counts.

manifesto

UNFAIR ADVANTAGE

Your ‘unfair advantages’ are your:

• Effervescent optimism and tangible joy (share that freely through your content!)

• Thoughtful way of life. You’re living what you “preach.” And you’ve thought it through, you’re not just doing it to do it. Keep sharing that.

• You have a massive body of work created already. Find ways to repurpose and repackage some of it to meet your current goals.


brand message

1

design + visuals

LOGOvisual identity

Your main logo is happy, friendly, and simple. The layout has a bit of a ‘retro’ vibe. Yet, I could see it gracing product packaging, book covers, a subscription box, or whatever you choose to pursue. It’s strong and timeliness enough to grow with you. The alternate mark gives you a watermark that could be used to brand your Pinterest images and other places where you don’t want to use your full logo.


2

PRIMARY COLORS

visual identity

Your primary brand colors are bright and happy. The blue comes from your gorgeous vintage cake stand. We want people who encounter your brand to smile… and these colors are sure to help.

#f36a3a

20% 40% 60% 80%

#5ac3dc #f4b937

20% 60% 20% 60%


2

SECONDARY COLORS

visual identity

The secondary colors offer a bit of balance to the warm primary hues. The greens are a nice contrast and the natural colors give the brand a more palatable balance.

#9ac650 #cab1a0 #fff7ee


#6a7733 #3a3d3f #fffff

2

PATTERNSvisual identity

In leu of patterns, your brand will use natural textures to complement your designs. These textures come from crystal and marble - deep, everlasting, and stable materials.


2

TYPOGRAPHY

Headlines: Bree Serif ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890 !@#$%^&*()

visual identity

Body: Gotham Rounded

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890 !@#$%^&*()

The fonts used in your designs give a very friendly and casual vibe. Bree Serif feels like a ‘modern vintage’ and has a great bold aspect for your headlines. Gotham Rounded (or similar rounded fonts) are clean, easy to read, and friendly because of their round shapes.


2

FONTS IN ACTION

Headline Level 1 This is a description paragraph. It explains the purpose of the page and describes the title to the left.

1. Example 2. Example 3. Example 4. Example

“This is a quote from a very impressive person.” -IMPORTANT PERSON

Headline Level 2

This is a description paragraph. It explains the purpose of the page and describes the title to the left. This is a description paragraph. It explains the purpose of the page and describes the title to the left.

• Example • Example • Example

visual identity

Headline color: #cab1a0 Main font color: #3a3d3f Links: #ac4056


2

image style

IMAGE DO’S

visual identity


Your amazing end photos. Keep it up. Try to keep the aesthetic bright and warm.

Photos of you… especially where you are smiling, lively, engaged.

Vintage and country dishes, towels, and interesting texture backgrounds (wood,

chalkboard, etc.)

Photos where you are actively engaging with the food/craft. It makes it feel more

friendly and human.

When choosing images for your brand, pick ones like these.

2

IMAGE DON’TS


Don’t fade the colors on your photos… your brand ethos is bright and happy,

keep the colors that way!

Photos with predominantly dark backgrounds. It’s gorgeous but a

bit too “moody.”

Photos that feel too “perfect.” Include bit of mess, vintage,

texture, or human-ness whenever possible.

Stock images, unless they feature something deeply personal to you

(like a photo of MN)

When choosing images, avoid ones like these.

visual identity

2

WEB MOCKUP


These mockups are a demonstration of how the brand could be brought to life on your current website. The new logo is added, the menu color and fonts are updated. The sidebar elements are redesigned to feel “retro” but clean. The background pattern is replaced with a muted gingham.

visual identity

2

ICONS


The hand drawn icons add a sense of warmth and character to your designs. They can be used for categories on your site or anywhere else you’d like to add a bit of flair.

visual identity

2

words + content

TONE OF VOICE


brand communication

Content and communication from your brand should be warm, optimistic, and friendly. Examples should include stories from your own life and family.

You’ll sound: • Joyful • Curious • Accepting • Self-depreciating • A little sassy • Warm-hearted • Compassionate • Casual • Caring

Not: • Formal • Competitive • Staunch • Too direct • Cynical

3

WORD BANK• Camp crafts • Good for the soul • Purposeful, have purpose • Practical • Core character • Sensible • Work hard. Play hard. • Slow down. • You can choose your life. • Meaningful • MN slang and colloquialisms • Terms of endearment


brand communication

3

TAGLINE happy living

OTHER OPTIONS • live your happy • choose your happy • joyful living


Your tagline is a “catch phrase” that describes your work to others at a glance. It is also used as your main headline on your website.

brand communication

3

STORIES

LOW TO HIGH ORIGIN STORY Your low to high origin story is how you starting “living tiny” not by choice, but by circumstance. Since then, you’ve embraced and crafted this new lifestyle that makes you happy.

VINTAGE STORIES Share stories about your heritage, grandparents, growing up with 9 kids, etc. Let people in on how your own character was forged (leaving out stuff you don’t want to share, of course.)

HUMAN ELEMENTS Share stories about disliking sweating and heights. About your family and your hometown. Connect with your readers like you would with a good friend or one of your sisters.

VULNERABILITY Share your process of creating your happy life. Let people in on the fact that you feel self-conscious about not being “simple living enough” or “tiny living enough.” Let people know when you change your mind or discover something new. Make sure they know you are on this journey with them… you’re not an ‘expert’ telling them what to do.


brand communication

3

CONTENT

OVERALL THEME: MAKING A HAPPY LIFE Life isn’t something that happens to us. It is a constant evolution and thoughtful process of deciding what makes you happy. Honor what makes you unique… because comparison and judgement stink. Be aware of the “rules” you are living by (throw out the ones that aren’t serving you!)

EATING AND DRINKING Food, coffee, and cocktails connect us and deepens relationships.

CRAFTS / DECORATING Making things with our kids or making our house a home are fantastic ways to spend our time. It’s thoughtful, meaningful, and fun. Just don’t make too much stuff you don’t need. :)

STYLE / BEAUTY Capsule wardrobes (or not), style and beauty choices that make you happy, can’t-live-without choices.


You are a wealth of content! Keep living by example and creating content that demonstrates it. Filter everything through the question, does this help me and my readers make a happy life? If YES, share it! If anything feels like something you “should” do, scrap it!

brand communication

3

live your brand

ACTION STEPS

GROW THE EMAIL LIST Give people more invitations to join the list (sidebar, after each blog post, pop ups). Have your RSS-to-email is set up. This will 1) deepen your relationship with existing readers and 2) drive more traffic back to the site.

CREATE A SUPER-SIMPLE EBOOK FOR YOUR EMAIL OPT-IN Organize your most popular posts (or perhaps most popular in one category) into a short eBook that you send to people if they opt in to your list.

UPDATE YOUR WEBSITE & EXISTING DESIGNS Use the new brand fonts, logo, colors, etc to update all of your brand touch points. Also, go back to your most popular posts and update the pin design for each.

CREATE AN EMAIL AUTORESPONDER SEQUENCE Streamline the “getting to know you” process with new subscribers by sending a series of 3-5 emails. Share your story, your beliefs, and your best posts. (Work smarter, not harder!) - Email one: Here’s your gift, here is what you can

expect from me, forecast emails to come. - Email two: your low-to-high origin story, include links

to your most popular posts - Email three: your point of view (share what you

believe) - Email four: share a story related to one of your

products and invite them to purchase it (Book?)


live your brand

4

PRODUCT IDEAS

DIGITAL PRODUCTS FOR READERS This isn’t as exciting to you, but it is the low-hanging fruit. And you aren’t adding to the physical clutter in people’s lives. I could see a whole series of mini ebooks: different categories of recipes, camp crafts, etc.

COFFEE RECIPE BOOK Please don’t keep sitting on this one…. map out what would need to happen to make this. Perhaps approach a few publishers with the idea?

DIGITAL PRODUCTS FOR BLOGGERS You obviously have a skill set that is valuable to other bloggers, and you are looked up to in your industry. Package up that web design know-how into a course.

MARKET YOUR SPEAKING Create a speaker’s page with your favorite topics, examples of events/places you’ve already spoken, testimonials from people who have heard you, and a way to contact you.


live your brand

4

Criteria to judge an idea by: - Validated by market: what is already

popular with your readers? What are people asking for more of?

- Speed to market: what can you create most easily?

- On brand: is it something that helps people live a happier life? Does it keep things simple? Help them connect with family & friends?

- Impact potential: do lots of people want or need it? Will it make a big impact on your business?

BRANDEMIESIDEA ENEMIES • Comparison, feeling unworthy, judgement • Perfectionism • Following “rules” that don’t make you happy • The never-ending pursuit of “more” • Negativity • Sense of entitlement

NOT TO DO LIST • Feel apologetic for living outside of a label’s

“ideals” (i.e. for not making your own soap) • Look too “Pinterest Perfect.” Keep sharing the

messy process of creation

WE ARE NOT • A living stereotype for ‘minimalism’ ‘tiny living’

or ‘simple living’


live your brand

4

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

lifestyle and cooking blog brand book

Small Business & Entrepreneurship