Welcome to Issue 5 of our Visual Assembly series. When you get a new high-end tool or appliance, do you read the user manual? Some of us will jump right in and try to figure it out. Others will read intently before even unpacking the item. If you’re like me, you try a few things first, then turn to the user manual and say: OK, exactly how DOES this thing work? Often that little booklet transforms your expensive purchase into a daily joy instead of costly frustration. Your brand deserves the same kind of care and instruction. Think about it: you’ve invested countless hours building your business and crafting your visual identity. That’s worth protecting with clear guidelines, right? Yet most solopreneurs skip this crucial step, leading to visual chaos and inconsistency. This week, we explore how to create a simple and practical brand style guide that will make your visual presence more professional and consistent — whether you’re working solo or with contractors. Ever wonder how major brands maintain their look across thousands of touchpoints? From Nike’s swoosh to Apple’s minimalism, their secret weapon isn’t a massive design team (although they have those, too 🙂) — it’s a simple document called a brand style guide. The good news? You can harness the same power for your solo business without the corporate complexity. Why a Brand Style Guide Matters for SolopreneursThink brand guidelines are just for big companies? According to Lucidpress’ “State of Brand Consistency” report, consistent brand presentation across platforms can increase revenue by up to 33%. A brand style guide is even more relevant for solopreneurs, since consistent branding helps build trust and recognition with potential clients. But here’s the challenge: As a solopreneur, you’re juggling multiple roles. Without clear style guidelines — for yourself or contractors you hire — your brand can become: ❌ Inconsistent across platforms ❌ Time-consuming to maintain ❌ Difficult to delegate The Solo Style Guide FrameworkLet’s create your streamlined brand style guide. Unlike the 100-page corporate brand manuals that contain everything from vision, mission and values to editorial voice, you need something practical that works for your solo business. Here’s your essential elements checklist: 🔵 Core Brand Elements
🔵 Visual Do’s and Don’ts
🔵 Digital Applications
This Week’s Build: Your Streamlined Brand Style GuideReady to invest 15 minutes to create your solo brand style guide? Let’s do it. 1️⃣ Open your preferred document tool (Google Docs, Canva, or even PowerPoint) 2️⃣ Create sections for Logo, Colors, Typography, and Images 3️⃣ Add your specific brand elements to each section 4️⃣ Include examples of correct and incorrect usage 5️⃣ Save as PDF for easy sharing Pro Tip: Keep it focused and concise. Your Next Steps✅ Create your streamlined brand style guide ✅ Update your email signature ✅ Save both where you can easily access them This week’s SOLO Insight: “Guidelines guard quality.” Waitlist Open for Content Velocity, My 5-Day Sprint in MarchThis March, I’m teaching Content Velocity, a new 5-day sprint that shows you how to create months of high-quality content in record time with AI assistance. In just five focused days, you’ll build a repeatable system for creating quality content that showcases your expertise — without the grinding effort. You’ll get:
I'm having so much fun putting this course together, knowing it will save solopreneurs hours each week and make creating content more enjoyable. AI tools have transformed my writing process, I’m excited to share techniques that keep your work fresh and distinctly human. No robot-speak here! 💎 Fresh finds for creative mindsHere are three gems this week from around the Web for all types of visual thinkers and solopreneurs: 🖥️ Learn HTML the Human Way 🏃♂️ Running as Performance Art 📕 Inside Big Brand Playbooks ⭐️ Have an item I should share in this section? Don’t keep it a secret. Email me with your find! Did you miss our first three issues of Visual Assembly? You can find them here. 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. Thanks again for being a SOLO reader and coming along on this adventure! Until next week, |
SOLO is your weekly design and visibility lab — part of the Solo Business School, and dedicated to helping solopreneurs stand out with smart systems, sharp visuals, and tools that unlock your edge. Each week, you get fresh ideas to help you stay small and play big.
SOLO is your weekly design and visibility lab — part of the Solo Business School, and dedicated to helping solopreneurs stand out with smart systems, sharp visuals, and AI that unlocks your edge. Each week, you get fresh ideas to help you stay small and play big. When Clients Don’t “Get It” (And What To Do About It) Over the past 13 issues of SOLO, we’ve explored how strong visual systems bring clarity, credibility, and confidence to your solo business. That foundation is solid, but visuals...
Welcome to Issue 13 of our Visual Assembly series. Each week, you get a bite-sized lesson on transforming your visuals into brand-building assets. Behind The Scenes:Building The Solo Business School Brand Over the past 12 weeks, we’ve explored how to transform visual chaos into business advantage in our Visual Assembly series. Today, I’m sharing how these principles shaped the Solo Business School brand refresh, developed in partnership with designer Hollie Arnett. While the new logo and...
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. SOLO’s New Look (and the System Behind It) 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...