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Rebrand, Refresh, Redesign
62 Plays2 years ago
We're super excited to share this episode where we talk with brand strategist and designer Danielle Devening-Limon. She helped us transition from "Jackson Marketing" to "The B2B Mix."
Danielle talks with us about the process she takes with a typical client when it comes to a brand refresh (or total rebrand) and walks through some of the steps she takes with clients to achieve their goals with a website redesign.
Want to get in touch with Danielle? She's most easily reached by email (she gives her email address at the end of the episode).
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About The B2B Mix Show
The B2B Mix Show with Alanna Jackson and Stacy Jackson is brought to you by The B2B Mix agency. Need help with your B2B online presence? Let's talk!
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Transcript
Introduction to B2B Mix Show
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to the B2B Mix Show with Alaina and Stacey. In each episode, we'll bring you ideas that you can implement in your sales and marketing strategy. We'll share what we know along with advice from industry experts who will join us on the show. Are you ready to mix it up? Let's get started. Hello, Alaina. How are you? Hello, Stacey. I'm doing well. How are you?
00:00:25
Speaker
Oh, listen to that grammatically correct answer. You're doing well. I say good most of the time. And then I'm like, ah, she said, well, dang it. It's just, it feels more natural to say I'm doing good. Yeah. I'm good. Yes, I do. Well, whether you're doing well, doing good or doing great, or even not great, sorry to hear it, but we're glad you're listening. Elena, why don't you tell our listeners what we are going to talk about today?
Topic Introduction: Website Design & Rebranding
00:00:55
Speaker
Well, today we're going to talk about website design and rebranding and refreshing and all kinds of good stuff like that. So we've got a great guest coming on that helped us with our rebrand actually.
00:01:09
Speaker
Yes, and we recorded the interview already, so I'm giving you a snake fake. She actually brought up something that maybe some of you, especially if you're small business owners or really intensely tied to your brand,
00:01:28
Speaker
brought up that sometimes these designers and consultants really act like a brand therapist because it can be hard to make these changes. And a lot of what our conversation with this guest today is you're going to hear
00:01:42
Speaker
a lot of tips in general about how design goes, but you're going to hear primarily a lot of story about what our rebrand was like with Danielle, the designer we'll be talking to, and how she helped us make some important moves from Jackson Marketing to the B2B mix. Well, now that you've stole her thunder on the brand's therapy,
00:02:06
Speaker
Pretend you didn't hear it. Let me tell you a little bit about Danielle before we dig into the combo we
Meet Danielle: Brand Strategist & Designer
00:02:14
Speaker
had with her. So Danielle Devaning-Lemon, very fancy name, is a multi-discipline creative professional with 20 plus years of experience. She has an enduring passion for crafting and brand strategies and building the technical structures to support them.
00:02:30
Speaker
After freelancing and collecting a revolving list of clients in high school, she earned a BFA in digital design and technology. With an ongoing goal of developing user-focused web applications alongside scalable management solutions, she's found herself placed among front-end web designers as well as back-end developers.
00:02:51
Speaker
She joined a Tampa marketing agency as creative director for a few years. And then she became a full-time freelancer in 2010. And since then she's had the privilege of working with many individuals and businesses of all sizes and different industries around the world. So she is very great at what she does and she has a lot of experience.
00:03:15
Speaker
Danielle, thank you so much for joining us and welcome to the B2B mix show. Thank you so much for inviting me here. I'm so excited to talk. We are glad to have you. Yes. Awesome. It's been a little bit in the making, but we made it. We finally got here. We're here.
00:03:33
Speaker
So we are excited to have Danielle because she has been a big part of our transition from Jackson Marketing to the B2B mix. And she helped us so much in developing our look and feel and how we went forward with our new brand and our new website. So we're just really excited to talk to her and let you guys hear what she does with a typical client and what she does with weirdos like us.
What is a Brand Therapist?
00:04:03
Speaker
So Danielle, before you start working with a potential customer or any designer before they work with a new customer, for that matter, to discuss a brand refresh or a new design, what are the biggest things that you expect them to have already considered before they reach out to you? Are you okay with a blank slate person going, I don't know what to do, I just know I need to do something?
00:04:27
Speaker
to tell me what to do. Right. It really depends. I know that there's some kind of awareness that the person, the individual or the group have gone through a process where they've determined that they want to change something.
00:04:44
Speaker
Maybe because they're changing their business model or they're changing the market that they're trying to hit whatever. But it's funny because recently I had a bit of a realization that what I do sometimes is like brand therapy.
00:05:01
Speaker
It's like, yeah, because you think about it and it didn't occur to me until kind of recently, you know, you're asking yourself like, who are you? Why am I doing what I'm doing? And what do I want to change? And that process, I think that usually a client arrives at some point in that process realizing that maybe I need to improve something. So,
00:05:27
Speaker
That's kind of, but it depends. Sometimes people know what, that they want to change something and they don't really know how to start.
00:05:36
Speaker
And then other times there are clients who have a very clear vision of what they want.
Collaboration in Branding
00:05:43
Speaker
Now during the process of therapy, that could potentially change or become clearer or more articulated or whatever. So it just really depends. But yeah, I've kind of come to the realization that it's like therapy.
00:05:59
Speaker
So is that something you're going to start rebranding for yourself? I do grand therapy. Yes. Yes. I think I am actually because the more I kind of like dive into that analogy, the more it kind of makes sense because it is a process to really define those things as an organization or as, or even as an entrepreneur, a solopreneur.
00:06:22
Speaker
It's more than the identity. It's a lot deeper than that. It's the story, it's the voice, it's the anchor, it's kind of the plan. And they're usually kind of go hand in hand with goal setting.
00:06:38
Speaker
which I think is probably part of the, that's part of the therapy, that's part of the process, is really identifying what you're trying to get out of your business and what you provide, you know, what you give to your customers or your clients.
00:06:56
Speaker
I think that's a really good description of what you do, but it's what you did for us because I know sometimes we'd be like, oh, Janelle, we don't know. And you'd be that therapist listening to us, trying to help us get in the right direction. And what do you think?
00:07:14
Speaker
Yeah, it's funny and it is truly and you know, it's funny I also like with every client I learned I learned new stuff every all the time, you know, I think that's that's the ongoing kind of process but um That was something that I kind of realized through our work together. It was a really cohesive and collaborative Project you you guys were were feeding me ideas maybe without even realizing you were feeding me ideas and
00:07:42
Speaker
So in that kind of interaction, I totally thrive on. So it was easy for me to kind of like, okay, I know what can fit into this. All you might see is a missing puzzle piece, but you've given me the rest of the puzzle pieces.
00:08:03
Speaker
It's so it's really it's a symbiotic kind of thing and That doesn't always happen, right? So how do you handle those situations where someone a company may come to you and be like, okay We know we need to change you just fix it for us. Do you have those issues? No, absolutely. I have clients like that too where they're just kind of like
00:08:29
Speaker
that they're not looking for a therapy. They're not looking to go through a whole rebrand or a whole process. They just need something technical. And that's totally fine too. I've learned to kind of be flexible in that way. But the projects that I really enjoy are the ones where there's that kind of creative world building and identity building and stuff. That's what I really enjoy.
00:08:56
Speaker
Um, even though I can do the other stuff too. Yeah. So does it go ahead. I was just going to ask, is it more frustrating to work with a client when they are more, this is what I want. Don't go away from what I want. Just do exactly what I want. Or do you, do you prefer to have someone that gives you a little creative license to kind of put your own spin on it and do some things like that?
00:09:21
Speaker
Yeah, you know what? I'm going to answer this as diplomatically as I can. But I find actually the people sometimes who have no kind of input are oftentimes the most difficult to work with.
00:09:42
Speaker
because because don't know because they don't know I didn't even if and sometimes I realize that part of my job is giving them just something to say no to, you know, like, really, because because otherwise, I don't have anything else from them. So I have to kind of coax it out.
00:10:01
Speaker
by just, you know, giving them an example. And that can go one of two ways. It's one like, oh, yes, now I see the direction. Let's go with that. Or, oh, this makes me rethink the entire thing. And now I have a very specific idea of what I want. So it could go either in either direction. But I realize after doing this for so long, I realized this part of my job.
00:10:25
Speaker
is to not just give them the stuff that they think they want, but also the option to have clarity or a different direction that they may not have considered. And that could be totally way off base for them. But that's part of what I like about the therapy process, is that that gets examined further. It's not just,
00:10:53
Speaker
It's not just something that I want to stick with this color because I've used it for 20 years. There's a real examination of why and how it fits into the short term and long term goals. Do some people kind of freak out at the thought of changing their colors that they've had for like 30 years or whatever?
Handling Client Attachment to Brand Elements
00:11:13
Speaker
Because I know people get very attached and maybe feel like you're calling their baby ugly or something like that. Right. Yeah.
00:11:21
Speaker
No, there's definitely that element. I think you're right. We form these attachments. It's like, especially for small businesses, people who it really is like their baby. They don't want to change it. Or they'll be okay changing a part of it, but not all of it. And I totally understand that. I'm never going to push somebody and say, you need to change this. This looks like 1997 type of stuff.
00:11:50
Speaker
Even though it might, but I realized that's the thing that they feel confident in. At the end of the day, that's the clothes that they wear. I'm there to guide them and help them, but at the end of the day, they're the ones that have to wear it. Right. What would be your ideal customer? When it comes to working with a refresh, a redesign, a rebrand, what's your dream customer?
00:12:19
Speaker
I like the collaboration. I like being open-minded, the creative input, similar to like what I described before, you know, coming to the table with ideas, but not, but being open-minded and willing to kind of like explore different directions and to go through the examination process of it.
00:12:45
Speaker
That's that's my ideal. I like I like that. I think I think that's the thing that I really love about what I do is is the process of defining those things. And yeah, that I think that's it's collaboration, I think is my most favorite thing where I'm not just the the labor
00:13:13
Speaker
you know, even though that's fine too, it's easy, you know, I don't have to get too invested in it. But I like the back and forth input. I think that's because at the end of the day, that's also
00:13:28
Speaker
when somebody is happy with what we've collaborated on and created. And it's something that I want to show my portfolio because I have a lot of projects that I don't show because it's like, oh, that's their taste. That's not really my thing. But when it's something that I want to show people, then that's awesome. That's not always the goal, but I like that. Right. Well, and sometimes it's specifically what they wanted and it wouldn't necessarily be your
00:13:58
Speaker
your take on what you would have done, but that's what they wanted. So you gave it to them. Would you ever walk away from a project if you're just like, this is not going to work. It's terrible. I can't do this.
00:14:11
Speaker
for you because it will ruin my reputation. Oh yeah, Danielle designed this site for you. It's a throwback to the 1997 take. It's retro. I was just going to say, yeah, this is a vintage 90s website. That's a really fun idea, actually. You could have a lot of fun with something like that.
00:14:34
Speaker
I have, I have said no to projects, but it's usually for logistical reasons. I just, you know, I can't accommodate a timeline or something like that. I've never been approached with something that I would be really kind of like personally opposed to, but I think I would probably have a problem with that. But otherwise, I'm pretty, I'm pretty, I'm pretty open. Like I if somebody has, you know, kind of like a
00:15:04
Speaker
You know, even if it's, you know, somebody, I'm trying to think of like a crazy project that I've been approached about, but I can't think of anything that's recent. But other than that, I'm pretty open. If it's somebody who I don't think I can work with, which again, I haven't experienced that.
00:15:21
Speaker
I'm not saying that I would never experience that, but I don't think I'd say no. Or I'd try it out for like, okay, let's just try this, see how it works. Right, let's do a little pilot. Yeah, I think I'd probably be more willing to do that. And then that would inform a decision whether or not to continue working with them.
00:15:42
Speaker
Yeah, that's a good way to approach doing those baby steps, see if both of you can take it. Yeah, yeah, absolutely, absolutely. Yeah, I think especially for...
00:15:57
Speaker
That's the thing. I've learned a lot about how to work in different styles of because, you know, whether it's an organization and I have to work with a team of people where I might not be the only designer or the only front end developer.
00:16:15
Speaker
or working with individuals, everybody works differently. Every time I learn something new about not just their industry, because usually they're experts in their industries. I'm not an ex. I do what I do. But yeah, it's an interesting process.
00:16:40
Speaker
It is, it's fascinating getting to see how everybody works. Are you primarily on like B2B or do you work with some B2C? Yeah, mostly B2B. Yeah, I have done some B2C stuff. And I've done some stuff in the entertainment industry too, which is kind of interesting. Yeah.
Danielle's Freelancing Journey
00:17:00
Speaker
But yeah, primarily B2B. Fortunately, since I've been freelancing full time since, oh gosh, it's been like, it's been over 10 years now, but
00:17:13
Speaker
I've been mainly working off of referrals, which is, I'm grateful for that. But that means I stay kind of within a segment of an industry, which is fine. So I'm finally actually just a couple of weeks ago started, finally started building out my portfolio for the first time in over a decade.
00:17:37
Speaker
Our own stuff gets pushed off to the side. It's so true. It's the cobbler's children have no shoes thing. Yeah. Look how long it took us to do this podcast episode. We've been planning it for months and we're all just busy with our clients and didn't have time to do it.
00:17:56
Speaker
Exactly. No, that's absolutely true. Yeah. So I'm trying to give my own advice to myself on certain things, which I know is tough to do, but finally, building out a portfolio. Finally.
00:18:16
Speaker
So if you had a new customer or maybe pretend like you're your new customer building out your website, what's the process that you would generally expect a customer to work through with you? Like deciding on pallets, would you have weekly meetings? What should somebody expect when they're going to that rebrand process or even just a new website process?
00:18:37
Speaker
Right. Yeah. So it really depends on the person, on the organization. The first thing I would want to understand are the goals. The goals that they have in place now and the goals that they want to have in place. And I've learned that everything is kind of based around that.
00:18:59
Speaker
Everything kind of like can fall into place once those things are defined. So if it's more focused on a website, we really have to kind of examine what the website's purpose is. What is it supposed to do? Is it supposed to make an existing process easier? Or is it supposed to facilitate a new function?
00:19:20
Speaker
or whatever the end goal is and then kind of work backwards from there. When I first started working with clients,
00:19:36
Speaker
I would start with the design section first, because that's where my head was at. I've learned probably working with so many B2B clients that it has to work the other way around. You have to fill in the blanks to get to step one. Start at the end point and then work your way back. That's kind of what I've learned. So whether it's branding, whether it's a website, whether it's
00:20:05
Speaker
a trade show booth, whatever it is, whatever that end goal is, and then we kind of work to step one. So one of the questions I was going to ask you was, you know, what your ideal working relationship would be. And I think you kind of touched on it would be more of collaboration between you and the customer. Are there other things aside from that collaboration that would make it a good working relationship for you?
00:20:33
Speaker
You know, it's so funny, and I'm going to just close this right now. I'm thinking about you guys when you asked me that, because really, I had said, not only, I appreciate it when a client understands their role and my role, and then there's a mutual respect there. You know, I've had clients where,
00:20:55
Speaker
They expect me to drop everything and learn new tools because that's what they use, which I'm happy to grow and learn and all this stuff. But you need to know it by yesterday.
00:21:10
Speaker
Exactly. Let's make that part of the process because they're trying to facilitate business for their customers and clients. I'm trying to do the same thing. I think that when there's an awareness of that relationship, that helps a whole lot.
00:21:36
Speaker
And thankfully, in a B2B kind of sector, that's more common than not. Because I think when I've worked with other industries, it's a little bit different. Yeah.
00:21:49
Speaker
Yeah. So are there some industries that you find it more difficult, like technology versus health care or something like that? Is there a difference across those? It's their B2B, which most of the ones that I've worked with are. They're looking for essentially the same things. They're looking to sell that product or that service. They usually have a pretty good understanding of who their target market is.
00:22:20
Speaker
I think for me going through the process of really understanding their niche and how that will work, that changes every time. But I'm trying to think about the most difficult industry.
00:22:36
Speaker
I think B2C stuff or retail type stuff can be because there's a lot more opinions. I feel like when in those kind of projects, there's a lot of people getting the mock-ups and stuff like that and they'll have
00:22:55
Speaker
oftentimes differing opinions, which I can't really litigate those. I just kind of have to wait for something to happen. So in that kind of scenario, it's a little bit more tricky to navigate. But thankfully, I've had experiences where everybody walks away happy.
00:23:24
Speaker
So switching gears a little bit. When we approached you at the near the end of last year, I think it was, and we kind of came to you, we were just wanting to do a refresh of our brand and
Rebranding Experience with Danielle
00:23:39
Speaker
our website. And then we switched gears on you and said, oh, let's just change everything. We're going to change our name.
00:23:46
Speaker
We just want to do the whole shebang. You may have had a little heart attack at that moment when we did that to you. We didn't go too crazy. No, it was good timing. Can you talk through some of that, how you helped us through that process and all the different things that we went through and your process of going where you start and all that?
00:24:12
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, that was actually it was really good timing that because we were I think in the kind of early stages of the logo development.
00:24:23
Speaker
So the idea board was still open, you know, so it wasn't like we had finalized stuff or anything like that. So but that's the kind of collaboration that I totally thrive on. It's like, oh, we've got here's some ideas. And then you're like, oh, my gosh, this means like this means we could do something totally different.
00:24:44
Speaker
But that kind of exchange is exciting, I think. And so with Thay, I remember when we
00:24:59
Speaker
I think because we were originally, I can't remember if the B idea came before the B2B. It did. It did, okay. So it was when it was Jackson marketing and telling the story with the two Js and telling the story of the content pollinators and with the B and everything like that. And then finding that that kind of led to a new
00:25:25
Speaker
a new name. And that's what I loved about what you did because I think also because you know us because we've known each other for years now, you're a little bit of an insight on our personalities. And then you you didn't completely lose Jackson marketing in it because like like you're saying on the logo, for those of you who haven't looked at it very closely, the B is made up of two J's. There's a J on the bottom and then a J on the top to represent the two Jacksons.
00:25:55
Speaker
from going from Jax marketing to the B2B mix show. And I thought that was so cool that you did that and that you put so much thought into what you do and that you didn't lose who we were and you brought that into it. And I thought that was just such a cool way of doing that. Not everybody realizes that that's what happened, but
00:26:20
Speaker
When we talk about it, oh, okay, yeah, I see that. And it's just a little thing that- But people do notice it though. But people notice it, yeah. That's fantastic. Yeah. I'm really happy to hear that. This is part of the fun thing about the branding exercises is the storytelling. And the more and more I think about it, everything does come down to stories, right?
00:26:45
Speaker
whether you're doing sales or whether you're... it doesn't matter. And that's why building your identity, this symbol, this thing that was going to...
00:27:04
Speaker
it was going to represent what you do, who you are, and in this just little thing. So we have to wrap a lot of thought and intention into what it's going to communicate. So I was very happy with it. So I'm ecstatic that you both were very happy with it. But yeah, it's the storytelling part of it. And that's the fun part, I think.
00:27:33
Speaker
the colors and everything like that and you're right I did have um I cheated a little bit because I I knew you guys so I kind of I didn't have to I didn't have to dive deep to to to understand your personalities what to convey the kind of energy the kind of um vibe that you want to give off um
00:27:56
Speaker
And it's funny, it's easy. And I think honestly, and this is totally projecting, but I think honestly, even if we hadn't known each other and it was a brand new relationship, I would have been able to get there pretty quickly anyway. Because you guys are very kind of like, it just, it comes off of you, you know? Like quirky.
00:28:23
Speaker
and fun and knowledgeable and articulate and all of these wonderful things that get to make up a really fun and unique brand. It really is like therapy, just thinking about the whole process. Sometimes I'd feel anxious, like, oh, we're going to change this big thing in our lives.
00:28:47
Speaker
And I'd look at other people's website and I'm like, they look really serious and buttoned up. Are we doing the right thing by being ourselves and making it fun? But I have no regrets. But yeah, it is kind of a scary journey. Even if you know you're ready for it or whatever. Absolutely. Yeah.
00:29:06
Speaker
Absolutely, especially, I mean, this is something that both of you have this business. I mean, you guys have been doing this for a long time. You know, this isn't a new, this isn't a new thing. So we do get kind of, we get attached, but we also kind of use that as
00:29:25
Speaker
as a springboard that and that's the thing like the branding part of it when we have a new springboard when we have something that is you know kind of realigns us to the things that we want to achieve it feels it feels very freeing very liberating yeah it's it is a psychological process it really
00:29:48
Speaker
It may not be that crazy for people who aren't like owners of the brand and they work at a place, but when you built the company and you're going to make this, it is very like, ooh, Danielle's the perfect brand therapist.
00:30:04
Speaker
And help you achieve something really cool. Another thing that you did, which I love, is you made it very playful and interactive. So like as you scroll through the pages, something is moving here and there everywhere. So it like draws you.
00:30:19
Speaker
And that's what I love because you can get just start zoning out when you're looking at a website and scrolling. Nothing is catching your eye with these little, it's just subtle, these little movements throughout the website on the images and things like that. And I love that you did that. Awesome. Yes. I love, and that was the first time actually your projects was the first one that I really got to utilize.
00:30:42
Speaker
something like those animated SVGs, which I've been playing with for a while and testing out on other stuff, but I was really excited to see them all over the place and get really like...
00:30:57
Speaker
And since we kind of had those in mind, I think from like the first or second conversation that we had, it was a seamless kind of integration, visually. So that was cool. But that's also understanding the process where your clients are looking at your stuff and you've got a lot of information to share. You want them to read it.
00:31:25
Speaker
And so we've got to occupy their attention in some way to be able to get them to look long enough to read it. So there's a little bit about that user experience process in there for sure as well.
00:31:42
Speaker
Yeah, we had someone who we've worked with before. He didn't realize we had done a rebrand. And he was looking to bring us into a new company to help with some things that he's got going on there. And he's like, I went to your site and it was not Jackson. It was completely different. But a good different.
00:32:07
Speaker
That's so funny. Yeah, he was expecting to see something else. Yeah. But hopefully the new site and the new branding and everything was familiar enough that the vibe of it was familiar enough to be able to identify, oh, but this is still done. They've just done this new thing. OK. It just looks better than I finally heard the web designer to fix it.
00:32:32
Speaker
Yeah, we're definitely not web designers. We are content people. So getting Danielle to come in and do this was the best thing we could have done. Yeah.
00:32:41
Speaker
Now I've been involved with other companies that did a web redesign with an outside resource, but I don't think Alaina had ever done that before. And one thing though that we were both surprised about, because it hadn't been my experience before, is that you waited till the end to do the homepage. Why do you wait till the end for that? The anticipation. OMG. That was like one of the hardest things. It's like,
00:33:06
Speaker
When are we going to get to see the homepage? When are we going to get it? Because that's the money maker. That's the one that you really want to see. Exactly.
Why Design the Homepage Last?
00:33:12
Speaker
And that's on our toes. Yes. Exactly. That's why I've learned to leave it for last, because in the past, it used to be the first thing that I would go to. But inevitably, while the other parts of a site are getting built out, whether there's a shop in there, whether there's pages, whatever it is,
00:33:36
Speaker
Inevitably, the homepage will get redesigned because it's, oh wait, no, we're going to change this direction. So there's that part of it, the logistical, like, I don't want to redo this page over and over again. But again, speaking about the process.
00:33:52
Speaker
during the process and building out the rest of the site, kind of realize, oh, this is where we want, this is kind of where we want to take somebody or this is, this is what we want to highlight. This is so by, by kind of building out all the, all the ancillary, the accessory pages first, it gives us an idea of what needs to be highlighted on the homepage. And so that way we can
00:34:22
Speaker
go into the homepage. And I treat it differently. Like you'll notice, like, I think we did like a full mockup of the homepage and set it, but like the other pages, we kind of did like, like a general, like, okay, this section is going to be this and this section is going to be this. And then we kind of repeated that throughout. The homepage was a different formula.
00:34:47
Speaker
And it usually has to be because like you said, it's the moneymaker. It's the thing that people see first. And sometimes it's the only thing they see. They make a decision right away whether or not they're going to go see something else on the site.
00:35:04
Speaker
I think I've learned that it has to be very intentional. The homepage has to be designed with the knowledge and having gone through the process of the rest of the site to know where we want to lead them and what we want to highlight.
00:35:23
Speaker
Yeah, that's why I laid the homepage for last minute. But you guys are the only ones that I've had that reaction from. I get that a lot. So why do we, yeah, why do we have to wait to see the homepage? It makes sense. It makes sense though. It really does.
00:35:39
Speaker
Because you don't want to double your work by having to recreate it five times or whatever. Yeah, which would happen a lot. And then by the final iteration, it's usually after the rest of the pages are done anyway. So let's consolidate that. Let's make it
00:36:00
Speaker
But let's really just concentrate on the intention and the goal with the homepage. Because it is kind of like its own, it's almost like its own project in a way. We did a phenomenal job with our site and we enjoyed working with you as fun. And if, before we go on to the just for fun question.
00:36:22
Speaker
do you have any advice for someone that's maybe looking to do a rebrand or refresh or something, you know, what should they kind of do first and what kind of designer should they look for? Oh, that's a good question. Okay. I would say first,
00:36:41
Speaker
Get in touch with your goals. Figure out what you want and what you don't want. And not just in terms of your brand, in terms of your business, in terms of your growth strategy, in terms of all of that stuff, because that just ties into it. It's not an isolated thing. So get in touch with your goals. And I would recommend looking for somebody who has
00:37:09
Speaker
Some knowledge in being able to kind of guide you to those goals, not just giving you some beautiful stuff to look at. Because the beautiful stuff is great, but it's not going to be great if nobody sees it. It's not going to be great if you're not confident about it or if it doesn't match up with where you want to be.
00:37:35
Speaker
Yeah. I think that's good because I know you've added in things in our site that I wouldn't have necessarily thought of, like the little quiz at one point where, you know, what do you want to do today or what do you need to learn? And it helps take people to the places that are going to be most significant to them and their experience on the site. So yeah, user experience. And that goes hand in hand. What do you want your users to do and feel you need to know what your goals are? So yeah, definitely.
00:38:05
Speaker
Yes, exactly right. Everything is connected. I think a lot of times we get used to seeing how we do operations as businesses, as separate departments, but everything is so connected.
00:38:23
Speaker
as long as everything kind of falls in line with the goals, then it's gonna work. So yeah, I think that's important. Okay, so this is the big question. If you weren't helping companies create awesome websites and doing cool designs, what would your dream job be?
00:38:47
Speaker
Oh gosh, it's so hard because it would change on a daily basis. It really would. Oh gosh, you know what? I would, based off of today, I would probably, I would be, and I would farm orchids and do stuff to work outside.
00:39:06
Speaker
Oh, that'd be cool. Yeah, I love orchids and I love working in the dirt. I think because I live most of my life in front of a screen, getting my hands dirty and feeling all the tangible stuff is a really great antidote to it. It's my therapy. That's the thing that I totally love. Do you grow orchids now?
00:39:31
Speaker
Yes, I've got a small collection, probably about 20 or so.
00:39:38
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. But we're in the perfect place, you know, to be able to grow them. So I guess I tried to have one and it just died. I put on this board, you know, growing like air. Yeah. And I had moss on it. So the roots would stay moist, but not overdo it. But it just, it was okay for a while. And then it just was like, died.
00:40:04
Speaker
So like the most common thing that kills orchids is over watering. Well, maybe I did that. They will, you want to like air plants, you want them to totally dry out before you water them again. So I ended up watering mine maybe like every seven to 10 days.
00:40:24
Speaker
Oh, I was over there spraying that moss, like, oh, it's trying. Oh, yeah. There you go. I'm a murderer of orchids. Now you know. That's the most common way to kill an orchid. That's the most common. I feel like we need the more you know and the more scar thing going across the screen. So now our listeners got orchid advice and learned about website design or redesign. All right. Well, Danielle, if people would like to get in touch with you, what's the best way for them to do that?
00:40:53
Speaker
Um, email would probably be the best way and I keep it pretty simple. Just a Gmail address. It's D D Lamone. L I M O N. I like Bacardi Lamone. That's why a lot of people say like, oh, like Bacardi Lamone. I'm like, yeah, I guess so.
00:41:13
Speaker
at gmail.com and I am currently building out my site and my portfolio. It's still under construction, but you can go see the mess that it is right now at ddlamon.com.
00:41:28
Speaker
And we can include those in the show notes. Yeah, we definitely will. Thank you. Thank you. And we hope that all of you will contact and get in touch with Danielle and just find out more about her and what she does. If you want to get in touch with me or Stacy, you can find me on Twitter at Alaina underscore Jax. That's A-L-A-N-N-A at underscore Jax. You can find Stacy on Twitter at Stacy underscore Jax. That's S-T-A-C-Y underscore J-A-X.
00:41:56
Speaker
And if you're not Twitter fans, you can find us on LinkedIn. That's Stacey Jackson or Elena Jackson. We hope to talk to you soon.