Building a Brand that tells a story with brand + web designer Courtney Slate
Sophie: For those that are new to you and your work, can you share what you do and a little bit about yourself?
Courtney: My name is Courtney Slate. Professionally, I am a brand and web designer, so I spend most of my days designing brands, websites, and email marketing campaigns for my clients across the US. I am a co-owner of my local women’s networking community, Women-Owned NC, and plan and organize events for up to 200 women. I am a new wife and dog mom, with dreams of buying a house to start a family soon. I am all of those things and still try to find time for myself, friends, and family. My life is SO full but everything I fill it with it brings my soul fulfillment.
Sophie: How long have you been in business for?
Courtney: I’ve been working professionally in the design business since 2014, going on 9 years! It’s hard to believe, honestly. That number makes me feel old!
Sophie: How did you get your business started? When did you decide to pursue it and how did you know it was time to go for it?
Courtney: My career started with my design internship I landed during college. I would also freelance for friends and family on occasion. Straight out of college, I was hired full time by my internship position and worked as a designer at that marketing firm until 2021. I loved the variety of work I was able to do there and developed many different marketing skills, but felt a little burnt out on collateral. In 2019, I started an instagram account for my design business and began posting my work. My business went through many stages (from invitations to shirts and mugs) and finally landed on what I love most: branding and web design. For someone like me who can’t see past the worst case scenario, it was really hard for me to take a leap into freelancing full time. I like to always feel secure and the way I did that was by taking on retainer clients that bring in steady income. I still feel like this is a great way to create stability and also introduce some variety into the projects I am doing so that I can avoid burnout.
Sophie: What was the hardest part about being a business owner during the early stages of your business + how did you overcome those things?
Courtney: Fear was, and still is, my biggest struggle. It manifests itself in imposter syndrome, holds me back from making big leaps in my business, prevents me from raising my prices when I know I deserve more, the list goes on and on. What if no one will book me if I raise my prices? What if I quit this full time job and I can’t afford my wedding or to buy a house? It is so easy to let fear paralyze me from making those scary decisions. What has worked for me is to formulate a “if, then” plan for every worst case scenario. For example, the biggest one for me was: “If my business fails, then I will update my resume and apply somewhere full time.” It’s important to know that even if I fail at something, everything will be ok. The reward usually outweighs the risks, and I have yet to fail at something I put my whole heart into.
Sophie: I was absolutely obsessed with the work you did for the popular content creator Mary Beth Wilhelm. The visuals were SO GOOD and this disco balls were everything. Do you have any favorite past projects you could share about? What was your favorite part about the work?
Courtney: There are aspects about every brand that I fall in love with, and each client I’ve worked with I feel so lucky to have been trusted with their hopes and dreams.
The Livin’ With MB project was special because of our friendship. Mary Beth (MB) and I became friends when I started organizing networking events with Women-Owned NC. She and I are now co-owners of the group with our girl Caitlyn Wright! The fact that I knew her personally made it so easy to design a brand that personifies her. I mean, MB is a disco ball IRL - she shines in every room! Plus, the photos I used in her digital collages were taken by another good friend of mine, Megan Black. The project was a huge heart warming experience where I just felt proud to know such amazing people who are making moves in their industries.
When the brand was finished, MB shared my information with her following and I gained a lot of new exposure from that, so I am so thankful but I was NOT prepared - haha! After I revealed that project, I had to get really serious about my client management systems, and invested in Honeybook to keep track of the new inquiries that were flooding in. I will definitely look back at that project as a big turning point in my business.
My brand and label designs for Jen at Blake Candle Company was one of the first branding projects where I felt like it was 100% the style I wanted to do. I posted about it and started getting similar clients almost immediately. This project really helped me hone in on my niche.
My work with Laynee from Sage Collective was so out of the box for me but ended up being one of my favorites. It’s colorful and retro and bold and everything opposite of what I was used to.
She is located in Iowa, so her project opened the doors to a whole new network of referrals almost 1000 miles away.
Kate’s Cocktail Lounge and State of Graze were projects I worked on with local female entrepreneurs and those will always be two of my favorites. These women, Katie and Julie, are paving the way for more women-owned businesses to open in our community, not to mention own two of my favorite spots in town. There’s also something super thrilling about driving through town and seeing your designs on a sign or window.
Every brand I design is a labor of love, so it’s very hard to pick favorites. I would say those projects were the most significant in terms of changing my business.
Sophie: What is one of your favorite parts of being a brand designer? The most challenging part?
Courtney: My favorite part is knowing that what I design is helping someone pursue their dream. I love being able to bring their vision to life and exceed their expectations. The most challenging part is making sure my creativity stays high and my imposter syndrome stays low. Every time I send off a brand I am on the edge of my seat until I hear back.
Sophie: What do people often get wrong about building/creating a beautiful brand?
Courtney: When I’m in the grocery store, looking for something new to try, I always choose the brand with the most captivating branding on the packaging that appeals to me. A brand should be eye-catching, unique, and speak directly to that customer you’re trying to attract. It should tell your story just by looking at it by the typography choice, colors, and patterns you use. It’s so important to know clearly who your audience is and what would draw them in before translating that into a brand.
Sophie: In your experience, what are some key components that make up a strong brand + website design?
Courtney: I really love to make the main logo of my brands very simple and timeless. The more frills that are added, the less likely that the logo will age well. I feel like a strong brand really relies on supporting elements to bring it all together. I spend so much time illustrating custom icons and patterns to embody the mission and message of the brand. When these elements are combined on the website and in marketing, they are able to tell a story immediately.
Sophie: If somebody is looking to hire a graphic designer to do their branding, what are some things that you would consider “green flags” for hiring a graphic designer?
Courtney: They ask you plenty of questions to get to the root of what makes you unique. They should also have a strong portfolio in a style that resonates with you.
Sophie: There’s a lot of content to consume on social media and sometimes it can feel difficult to cut through the noise. What’s one piece of advice you would give to somebody looking to develop a strong personal brand online?
Courtney: I struggle with this myself, but I think making sure to show your face and introduce some of your personality to your social presence is very important. I don’t take myself too seriously so I will occasionally post humorous reels related to design to make people laugh. I want people to know what they are getting into. Also, I feel like social media is a great marketing tool but I get most of my work from referrals. I try not to stress about it too much and just post when I feel compelled to. I make sure to post my favorite aspects of my projects in hopes that someone will stumble across my account and feel like I would be a great fit for them.
Sophie: Any exciting opportunities or new things coming soon for your business/customers that you can share with us? (If there’s anything for your business that you’d like to promote in this article, please feel free to share!)
Courtney: I’ve recently opened up my books to more branding projects, almost double my previous booking allowance, in hopes of being able to design brands for even more women looking to transform their business.
