Behind the Brand
I’ve spent the past year creating a brand from the ground up. Crafting an identity and building a web presence for PowerWith Consulting was a thrilling, multifaceted experience for me. I’d like to share how my personal intention translates to the PowerWith brand, as well as some of the resources I used on the journey to launching my new company.
Name | Power with is a term used in psychology, social justice, and community development. To power with means to identify common ground, despite individual differences, and seek ways to work together. It’s about equality—the opposite of power over. Power with is not a business buzz word. Yet. My goal is to introduce the concept to the business world, local governments, and nonprofit organizations.
Logo | The PowerWith logo was inspired by a photo of Sandy Verschoor, Lord Mayor of Adelaide, South Australia. Taken in honor of International Women’s Day and posted on her Facebook page, the photo shows the lord mayor making the sign of equality with her arms. That image is echoed in the PowerWith logo’s bold equal sign. Equality is the essence of our approach, because we believe every voice matters.
Colors | Canva.com was a fantastic resource for gaining insight into the meanings that colors convey and helped guide the color selection for the PowerWith logo. Blue is associated with trust and reliability—as a consultant and coach, I am often entrusted with sensitive client information. Green can bring luck and signify growth—as a start-up, I needed a little of both.
Font | I knew when my designer told me the name of this font that it was the one. Ubuntu is an African word that, broadly translated, means “a quality that includes the essential human virtues of compassion and humanity.” Not only is the font beautiful, the message of ubuntu is one that reflects the values of PowerWith Consulting.
Website Template | Squarespace has a plethora of wonderful templates to choose from, but Degraw resonated with me because of its simplicity. I wanted a template that would be crisp and user-friendly, with the ability to easily add content, services, and testimonials as PowerWith grows.
Designer | Wendy Clark of Wendy Clark Design in Freeport, Maine was an absolute delight to work with throughout the process. Our first meeting was at Arabica Coffee in Portland, Maine, where I handed over some rough sketches of the PowerWith logo. We worked through a few iterations and, with patience and love, the final product was born. I love that my logo is a unique, abstract representation of me and my passion for my work.
Wendy also did the build-out of the powerwithconsulting.com site in Squarespace, which coincided with COVID-19 arriving in the United States. We had to pivot quickly from a planned in-person photo shoot, and Wendy helped me select stock photos that captured the essence of what I wanted to convey about my clients, my process, and my product. From start to finish it was an exhilarating experience. Wendy is a superstar!
Content | While I like to write, I find it really hard to write about myself. Anyone else have that challenge? I suggest hiring a copywriter, like Martha Fenton, who can help polish your words into something much more magical and powerful. Martha was able to take the information and content that I provided her and give it more focus and impact. I loved working with her and was glad to have the personal referral from Wendy.
I hope my journey inspires you to create a brand, website, or anything new. And if the PowerWith vision resonates with you, please follow us on LinkedIn and FaceBook.
