By Erica Chastain, Founder & Creative Director · 3-minute read
A plain-language guide for Stockbridge and Atlanta-area business owners deciding where to spend their first design dollars.
Start with the problem you actually have
Most business owners I talk to open with the same request: “I just need a logo.” That makes sense. The logo is the piece you can picture on the truck, the sign, and the Facebook page.
A logo alone won’t tell you which color to use on a flyer, which font goes on your price list, or how your business should look on Google. That gap is where marketing starts to look thrown-together. The flyer uses one blue, the website uses another, and the business cards match neither.
One business, three blues
Flyer · #2B4C7E
Website · #3A5F9A
Business cards · #1F3D66
Before you pay anyone for design work, figure out which of the three pieces below you’re missing.
The three pieces of a working brand
01 · The logo
Your logo is the mark people learn to recognize, so it has to work on a shop sign and as a tiny profile photo. That takes more than one file: a full version with your name, an icon-only version for small spaces, and a light version for dark backgrounds like navy work shirts.
02 · The brand kit
A brand kit keeps everything matching after the logo is done. It records your exact colors as hex codes, your fonts, and simple rules for using the logo. With it, your printer, your sign shop, or a relative who’s handy with Canva can match your look without guessing.
03 · Your Google Business Profile
When someone searches for a service near them, your Google Business Profile shows your hours, phone number, photos, and reviews in one box. Set it up under your own Google account so you keep ownership, and match your name, address, and phone number to your website exactly.
Which one should you start with?
Brand new business. Build all three at the same time. Your logo, colors, and Google profile match from day one, and you make the big decisions once instead of three separate times.
You have a logo you like. You may not need a new one. What you’re likely missing is the kit around it and a Google profile that’s complete and current.
Your logo was a placeholder from launch week. Replace it before you print anything else. Each flyer or card you print with the old logo is one more thing you’ll reprint later.
How I handle this for clients
Brand Starter covers all three pieces
Custom logo design with two initial concepts and up to two revision rounds, a full brand kit with colors sampled from your final logo, Google Business Profile setup under your own account, and five SEO-focused service page blurbs.
Brand Starter: $200 · Typical turnaround: 2–3 weeks
Want blog posts like this one, social content, and print materials too? The Brand + Content Launch package adds them.