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Welcome to Issue 12 of our Visual Assembly series.
Each week, you get a bite-sized lesson on transforming your visuals into brand-building assets.
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SOLO’s New Look
(and the System Behind It)
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Today is like Christmas morning. The SOLO newsletter has a new look. It’s the result of a six-month project refreshing the Solo Business School brand — and today I get to unwrap this new format.
But this issue isn’t about an updated logo or new templates. (A full overview of the new brand will be coming next week.) Today, I take you behind the scenes to show how a brand refresh creates an opportunity to strengthen your entire visual system.
Most solopreneurs approach rebrands backward. They focus on visual changes while neglecting the crucial systems that support them. The result? Shiny new brand assets that quickly become as disorganized as the old ones.
In some ways, I feel like I’m building the plane as I’m flying it — figuring out the systems as I implement them — but I want to share what I’m putting in place to help you consider the same.
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Why Systems Matter as Much As Design
When I contemplated refreshing the Solo Business School brand, I knew visuals are only part of the equation. The other part? Creating robust systems to secure, organize, and distribute these new assets across every business touchpoint.
Here’s what I discovered during my update process:
The Brand Reboot Multiplier Effect
- Each core brand element may need multiple formats (SVG, PNG, JPG, favicon)
- Every social platform requires specific dimensions (profile, header, posts)
- Marketing materials may need variations (digital, print, mobile, desktop)
A visual refresh isn’t just about developing new assets – it’s about creating a system that makes those assets more effective for your business. Because without proper organization, chaos quickly follows.
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My Three-Layer Approach to Brand Refresh
Here’s the three-layer approach I’m using to balance visual impact with system integrity in the new Solo Business School brand:
🔵 Visual Evolution, Not Revolution
- Refined and expanded the color palette for improved contrast and accessibility
- Updated typography system without sacrificing readability
- Refreshed the SOLO logo while maintaining recognition
🔵 System Restructuring
- Consolidated scattered assets into organized folders
- Implemented a FAST naming system for new files
- Created platform-specific template variations
🔵 Cloud Access
- Mirrored a folder structure to cloud storage
- Created platform-specific asset libraries for easy access
- Established backup protocols to avoid loss
Most solopreneurs focus on the first layer while neglecting the systems that make those visuals valuable. By addressing all three layers, this refreshed brand isn’t just visually stronger — it’s going to be more efficient systematically.
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This Week’s Build: Your Refresh Readiness Check
Is your visual system ready for evolution? Even if you're not planning a brand refresh, a system refresh could bring immediate benefits. Here's your 15-minute audit:
1. Map Your Assets
List everywhere your brand appears and identify your most-used elements. This reveals gaps and opportunities in your visual presence.
2. Check Your Systems
Review your folder structure and file naming conventions. Strong organization makes your brand assets work harder for you.
3. Plan for Access
Choose your cloud storage solution and create a mirroring plan. Ensure your brand assets are secure yet easily accessible when needed.
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Your Next Steps
Here are three practical actions, whether you’re planning a brand refresh or want better systems for your current brand:
✅ Create your master asset folder
Create a single “source of truth” location containing all core brand elements with clear usage guidelines.
✅ Implement cloud mirroring
Choose a cloud service and replicate your folder structure with automatic or scheduled syncing enabled.
✅ Establish maintenance routines
Schedule regular system check-ups and document clear protocols for managing and adding assets.
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This week’s SOLO Insight:
Brands need both style and structure.
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Your brand is a living entity that evolves with your business.
By creating systems that grow with you, you transform visual chaos into a competitive advantage. |
Fresh Finds for Creative Minds
Here are three gems I found this week for visual thinkers and solopreneurs:
🗓️ Create a Map of Your Life in Weeks
This app, based on Tim Urban’s popular 2014 article, “Your Life in Weeks,” creates a visualization of life as a series of small squares, with each one representing a week. For visual thinkers, there could be nothing more striking than seeing how your life has unfolded, and contemplating how you want to fill in the rest of those weekly squares.
🔁 Brand Evolution Quick Take
This Harvard Business Review article reminds us that the most effective brand evolutions focus on four key elements: product, story, culture, and customer. It’s a blueprint we’re following with the Solo Business School refresh, and is a must-read if a brand evolution is in your future.
💻 AI’s Visual Revolution
OpenAI's new image generator within ChatGPT 4o (announced last week) is transforming how we create and edit visuals with AI. This 4-minute video demonstrates the powerful capabilities: from generating original artwork to editing existing images through simple text prompts. Even if you’re not creating AI images now, staying informed about these advances is crucial for your visual toolkit.
⭐️ Have an item I should share in this section?
Don’t keep it a secret. Email me with your find!
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News about programs and resources at the Solo Business School:
🔵 Solo Business School Site Is Live!
The new site for the Solo Business School is open for its soft launch. Come visit and check out the programs and links to free resources. (And help me nab any digital gremlins by letting me know if something’s not working.)
🔵 Content Velocity Coming in Late April
I’ve heard from many readers who are eager to leave behind the painful slog of creating content but want to keep their unique voice and credibility. They're eager for Content Velocity, my new online course for solopreneurs to create AI-assisted content fast, without sounding like AI-speak or abandoning quality. Here’s where to learn more and get on the waitlist to be first in line for limited special offers. Final details are coming together for a late April launch.
🔵 Women Solopreneurs Coworking — Your Kindred Spirits
Marketing experts, professional organizers, attorneys, artists, and more — if these sound like your kindred spirits and you’re a women solopreneur, come join us on Tuesdays for an hour of focused online coworking. Sessions are free, friendly, and productive. A simple email to me will add you to the list to get full details.
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SOLO Marketplace
Introducing a curated marketplace of solopreneur resources and opportunities, supported by listing fees.
Spent Hours Writing the Perfect Post Only to Get 2 Likes?
Meanwhile, your competitor's ”quick update“ post got 47 comments and 89 shares.
What!?
Imagine what it would be like to sit down and write so your prospects have the “Aha” moments and say, “How’d they know that about me?”
Click here now to discover the exact approach that will make your prospects stop scrolling, engage instantly, and eagerly buy what you're selling!
Stop the Scroll Now!
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Want to check out past issues?
Visit the SOLO Newsletter archive.
Know someone who wants to know more about using visuals to communicate and stand out? Share this newsletter with another solopreneur!
And if you received this issue from a friend, I invite you to subscribe.
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That’s a wrap for SOLO issue #56 and Visual Assembly #12.
Thanks again for being a SOLO reader and coming along on this adventure!
Until next week,
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Terri Lonier, PhD
Founder, Solo Business School
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PS: That’s the new Solo Business School tagline, above. More about that next week in the brand recap.
Want to send a question or comment? Please do — I read my email.
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Authority By Design is a registered trademark, and Content Velocity and Working Solo are trademarks, of Make International LLC.
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