Sian Richardson | Build a brand worth noticing.
We’re a rowdy tribe of friends dedicated to building the futures we want to see. You should come hang with us. Weekly-ish emails on all things Squarespace, design, creativity, and doing shit on your own terms. You in?
Let's break down some fire pieces of design. 🔥
Hey Reader, A couple years ago I did this mini series here in my emails and on my blog (which is no longer live) called What Makes Good Design, where I'd grab a few sick designs off Pinterest or Instagram, and break down why I think they work really well, and offer a couple take aways for you if you need some inspo or some design quick tips. So anyway, I thought I'd bring it back today for you! I've chosen 3 diff pieces of design I LOVE, so let's take a look & break 'em down. 🎨 Design #1 —...
Pick one thing.
Hey Reader, Today I've got a super simple & practical tip for using inspiration in your work, which might help you in finding your own style, too. First, before we dive in I want to start with this — everything is a remix. Nothing is 100% original… It’s all a miss-mash of things that have come before, looked at in new ways. If you know me & my vibe, you know I’m all about carving out a niche that’s based on your unique perspective (not trends, or specific services, or really anything...
Stop making obvious choices.
Hey Reader, Ever wondered why I use photos of mountains in my business, that has nothing to do with nature? 🏔 I’m gonna be real — it’s just not my vibe, or my brand to use basic white flat-lays, boring laptop photos, or things that are really obvious & expected. Using a picture of a simple af white room with a desk and a computer to sell a Website Template? Sure, it works. But it’s also been done (a LOT) and it's not exciting to me, at all… So when it’s not exciting to me, I can’t expect it...
What do you actually want?
What do you actually want, Reader? Somewhere along the way this year, I think I stopped asking myself this question. It’s the end of the year and it’s also my bday in a couple weeks which naturally always leads me to be a little more contemplative, looking back on this year, and thinking about where I wanna go next year and beyond, and this was something I’ve been thinking about lately. I was listening to an episode of the Morning Microdose Podcast with Mel Robbins, and she was talking about...
A few things I've learned about creativity & business.
Hey Reader, I have a few things I've been thinking about (and reminding myself of) lately when it comes to creativity, and business, so I thought I'd share 'em here with you too. 😉 👉 No matter how long you’ve been in the game, it will always ebb & flow. Don’t fight it… unless you want the lows to suck even more. I don't know why this one is so bloody hard to remember when you're in a low, but the sooner you can detach from it, the sooner you can get some perspective to move through it. 🪄 Know...
Charging your 'worth' isn't the answer.
Hey Reader, I wanted to share a story from a situation that came up a few months ago, something that at the time *majorly* threw me off balance, but I took a breather, and also got some advice from my brother (ha), that helped me get past it. 🙃 If you get frustrated by the convos surrounding the whole 'charge your worth' thing (because WTF does that actually MEAN THO?!), and you're keen for another perspective, well, this story is for you. Earlier this year I spent some time putting together...
Stop trying so hard to make your website so damn fancy... (and other KEY website tips) 👉
Missed the other posts in this series? Check em out here — Part 1 | The vibes are off?Part 2 | The Branding deep-divePart 3 | Let's get designy Hey Reader, Now we're getting to the tail end of this re-branding series, it's time to get into the biggest part of the entire project — re-building the website. 📷 I'm not gonna lie, this is the part I was dreading the most because of how much work it is to rebuild your entire website (aka business), pretty much from scratch. I'm splitting this email...
Without solid branding, you're just another business.
Hey Reader, We're into the second part of this series! Today's focus is all things BRANDING, so really figuring out the strategy behind WTF you're doing. Then next week, we'll get into the visuals & design (I can't wait, I've got some cool shit to share with you on this one!). Before we get into the BTS of some of my branding process, along with some more tangible tips for you, I think its important to start with why the hell Branding even MATTERS. Why branding is so damn important — 4 Things...
Need some help building a long form sales page?? I got you. 🤠
Side note — Things are looking different around here because I'm re-branding! I'm merging Good as Gold with my personal brand, and going back to doing everything under my own name. I'll be slowly rolling out the new branding, starting here in these emails & on Insta first, with the new website launching in a few weeks. 😎 Hey Reader, I wanted to get designy today, and share some tips & inspo for a LONG FORM SALES PAGE. No shit, sales pages are probably my number one fave thing to build because...
Embracing the seasons of your biz
p.s. If you missed my last email, I'm re-branding! I'm merging Good as Gold with my personal brand, and going back to doing everything under my own name. I'll be slowly rolling out the new branding, starting here in these emails & on Insta first, with the new website launching in a few weeks. 😎 Hey Reader, I don’t know about you, but if you’re self-employed too, I’m willing to bet that one of the main reasons you made that move was because of the freedom-fueled lifestyle it can help you...
We’re a rowdy tribe of friends dedicated to building the futures we want to see. You should come hang with us. Weekly-ish emails on all things Squarespace, design, creativity, and doing shit on your own terms. You in?