The
Alisandra Photography Blog

Tomorrow, things will look differently on my blog and website. Like many others, I have been going through a small brand “refinement,” as I’m calling it. Nothing is really wrong with what I have now, but styles change. My brand is still, “Relaxed, Romantic, Real,” but the appearance will be simplified fairly dramatically. Although the change may seem significant, realize that things are not actually being rebranded.

Rebrand VS Brand Refinement. I’ve been wondering what to call this update, and although it’s easy to say, “I’m rebranding!” That’s actually not what’s happening. In fact, I love my brand. I don’t want it to change. Brand encompasses so many things, especially in the business where who we are is so connected to our brand. It becomes where I shop for clothes, the car I drive, the music I listen to… and of course the obvious – what I post on social media, my editing style, what I blog about, and what my website looks like. Rebranding right now would feel silly because I just did that 2 years ago, and the foundations of my brand haven’t changed. If you’re thinking about rebranding, may ask yourself these questions I pondered when I rebranded 2 years ago. If you answer NO to most of them, a rebrand may be for you!

• Do I get excited to share my website with potential clients?
• Is there anything unique to me about my website and professional identity?
• Am I attracting the type of clients I want to book?

This past fall, I could answer all of those questions with YES! So why did I still feel like I wanted to make a change?

3 Signs It’s Time For A Brand Refinement. There comes a certain point where my “look” needed a small update. How do you know when you’re at that point? Here are somethings I noticed…

1. Constant Tweaking. For me, I started changing the font sizes and rearranging some of the text boxes on my website. I wanted to make things simpler, but didn’t know how. Initially, I just start playing with it. I became increasingly dissatisfied with my own tweaks and decided to leave it, but all the while in the back of my mind knowing something wasn’t right.
2. New Period of Growth. For me, my editing had been constantly evolving. I finally felt I was in a place where I had a process and look I loved. Because I’d grown a lot in those two years since my rebrand, specifically in my editing style, I felt like my website wasn’t the best platform for my images. For you, this may look like a relationship change, a move to a new city, something spiritual, or just your everyday maturation!
3. Assuming Future Growth. I wanted a place for growth to be possible! My initial rebrand was exactly what I needed. I wanted to get out of a template website, move to ShowIt for the ease and community they offered, and something that represented ME. But two years later, I have new goals and aspirations. I’m going to offer mentoring sessions and potentially take on editing in the future! My site didn’t expand that far. For you, this may look like taking on some sort of education as well. Or phasing out portraits and moving into weddings.

These three signs really pushed me to contact my designer, Ravyn, from Three Fifteen Design. I was nervous because I didn’t understand how she could create something that was the same but different. But when she sent me her initial ideas for my site, I flipped. I totally fell in love with where my website could go and how simple and easy it was, yet had everything I was looking for! Here are goals for this refinement! If you’re looking to refine what you’ve got going on, I strongly recommend at least having a conversation with a designer. They are the experts and can guide you! So “Au Revoir” to this website… I can’t wait to relaunch tomorrow!