Brand Stylist Archives - The Choice Umbrella

Ripped By Rycroft Rebrand

July 12, 2017 by TheChoiceUmbrella Leave a Comment

It’s been not only fun, but inspirational to work with Michelle Rycroft, of Ripped By Rycroft. Michelle is a personal trainer and nutrition coach, and helps women to overcome their fears of lifting weights! She is kind and comforting, but also has a no-nonsense approach to leading women.

Ripped By Rycroft has been an established business for a few years now, but Michelle felt like her brand was not really representing her voice. It had only 1 logo and needed a fresh look, as well as a few variations to use in other spaces. Michelle was striving for bold and edgy with bright pinks and bold charcoals. Here is a look at her new visual branding pieces!

Michelle also wanted to offer her audience a 30-Day guide, so we worked together to create a template that represents her new branding, but is customizable by her.

We also worked together on her social media cover, Instagram images and web graphics:

You can see more about Michelle and the Ripped By Rycroft business by giving her a follow on social or checking out her website! It has been a pleasure working with a fellow female entrepreneur and I am so excited about what Michelle has in store for others, and herself!

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Visual Branding Worksheet

January 4, 2017 by TheChoiceUmbrella Leave a Comment

Visual Branding Worksheet

2017 is here, it’s hard to believe! Are you a business owner who might need to up level your visual identity? A great first step is to take a few moments to fill out this Visual Brand Worksheet – as answering these questions generally prompts business owners to gain clarity around the mission of their business, which is very helpful during the initial phase of the branding process.

Some would say that the health and wellness industry is saturated with professionals
who offer and advertise the same services – if this statement resonates with you, this worksheet will help you to gain clarity about your vision how to help your business stand out.

Visual Branding Worksheet

If you would like to chat about your business’s visual branding needs, please fill out my Contact form and we can schedule a time to chat!

Nicky Spence Brand Launch

January 3, 2017 by TheChoiceUmbrella Leave a Comment

Photo credit: www.adonisvisionphoto.com

Nicky Spence, of FitCentric.com, came to me last fall about her visual brand and I was so excited about her business’s vision. Nicky is a busy soon-to-be personal trainer who resides in Dubai, but does quite a bit of traveling. We often laughed about finding times to connect based on time zones and changes!

Nicky wanted to brand her fitness business based on her encouraging, personable and approachable personality while helping other to achieve a broad range of fitness goals.

Here is a peek at Nicky’s inspiration – photo credits are listed below.

Nicky chose a hand-drawn logo with strong, sans serif fonts for her tag lines and sub-marks.

Social Media covers and profile:

Business Cards:

The Choice Squad Honorary Member of the Month – Stephanie Brewster

November 9, 2016 by TheChoiceUmbrella Leave a Comment

The Choice Squad Honorary Member of November is Stephanie Brewster!

Stephanie Brewster, fitness professional and transformation expert, is the first honorary member of The Choice Squad! I love how she answered her interview questions via video, enjoy some inspiration from this very wise entrepreneur. You can also view her brand launch by clicking here.

What is 1 consistent daily action that you did this year to help elevate your life and businesses and you would recommend to others?

What is the first thing you would tell someone who was struggling with self-confidence?

How many donuts are you capable of eating in one sitting?

If you could be stuck in an elevator with 1 person for 30 minutes, who would it be and why?

#RealLifeRealSuccess – preach it. I love your hashtag – what does it represent?

Pretend that everyone reading this is in a funk for the day…what is the #1 thing you would tell them to get out of it!

Please leave everyone reading and watching with an inspirational message.

We hope you have enjoyed this very special interview with a bright light in this world. Be sure to check back next month to see who will be featured as our Honorary Choice Squad Member of the month!

Inspire Blissful Beginnings – Brand Launch!

September 21, 2016 by TheChoiceUmbrella Leave a Comment

I am so excited to be launching this brand for Jennifer this week! Inspire Blissful Beginnings is an online business that specializes in retreat planning and offers products that encourage a healthy mindset. It has been so amazing to watch this business evolve over the past year – I am always so happy to see entrepreneurs gain clarity about what they want to pursue in their business journey. Here is a look into the branding process for Inspire Blissful Beginnings:

Inspiration Board – image credits are below:

Custom Business Cards

Brand Launch: Personal Hero

September 1, 2016 by TheChoiceUmbrella Leave a Comment

Personal Hero is a company that is founded on spreading Love + Kindness and focuses on sharing inspirational messages from around the globe with readers from around the globe! When I met Tania and heard her vision to create the Personal Hero brand, I was so touched by her mission. Her website is already completely inspirational – but I was excited to help her create a cohesive and recognizable visual identity that helps to represent her heart-felt mission.

Tania has put an immense amount of thought into crafting this brand and it has been such an amazing experience to see everything come to fruition. The following is a look at the Personal Hero branding process!

INSPIRATION BOARD:

Tania wanted to use earth tones in her brand – so her board is full of rustic tones and outside imagery.
She also wanted some cooler colors like blues and slates, so this is the result of her inspiration board.

Brand Style Guide:

Here are the final logo concepts and color pallets:

Brand Style Guide for Personal Hero

Tania is offering an amazing product line on her website – included are intention candles (there is seriously one for every occasion) and a line of beautiful and meaningful bracelets.

The matching hang tags are custom to each bracelet, as they explain the meaning of each stone and are assigned an intention.

The candle labels are similar – they are each printed with a thoughtful intention and adorned with the “Personal Hero” dust cover. These candles will make such meaningful gifts – I am excited to give them to teachers once the school year has kicked off!

brand launch graphics for Personal Hero Brand

New updates and services at The Choice Umbrella!

June 3, 2016 by TheChoiceUmbrella 2 Comments

The Choice Umbrella has made leaps and bounds in the first half of 2016 – so it’s been a super exciting time for me. Lots of amazing branding projects, new connections with completely inspirational entrepreneurs, new fitness friends and opportunities, nutrition clients – it’s been super busy, but I have learned so much and am so grateful for all of the opportunities.

One new service that I will be offering, starting in June, 2016, will be “Creative Mastermind Consultations“. I have spoken with so many people who feel stuck – and just need a fresh spin on their business’s vision – so I am now going to be offering 60 minute phone consultations where we can delve into your entreprenurial vision and creatively and strategically expand on how to help you stand out in the unique fashion that you deserve.

Also coming this summer – The Choice Squad! I find myself totally enamored with each one of my branding clients – at the core of their missions is always to help others by making positive changes, so I want to be able to share a bit about their stories with you each month by featuring them on The Choice Squad page. More information about this will be coming soon, so please check back for updates!

Sewl Sister Brand Launch!

May 27, 2016 by TheChoiceUmbrella Leave a Comment

Shankari Paradee is a talented seamstress who approached me about branding her very versatile TEA TOTE, and her new business idea – Sewl Sister. Once we had a chance to talk for a while, I realized how amazing her vision was for her new business. Not only is Shankari a powerhouse of a seamstress, she also has plans to offer sewing classes to young ladies as well as provide pieces for those in need and give back to various charities. The big picture of her business is truly inspiring and it has been an honor to help visually brand this mission – I cannot wait to see what is in store for Shankari and the future of SewlSister.com!

This is a look into all of the pieces of the the Sewl Sister visual brand:

Choice Inspiration Board:

Printed Collateral:

Web and Blog Graphics:

Social Media Graphics:

#TastyTuesday – Shredded Barbecue Chicken with Homemade Cole Slaw

May 3, 2016 by TheChoiceUmbrella Leave a Comment

It’s TastyTuesday, and it’s been a while since I have posted a recipe! I am happy to say that it’s been because I have been super busy – but I have missed cooking quite a bit.

Today, it’s warm, humid and rainy in Virginia. Everything is turning green – and everyone is welcoming the beginning of our warm season! Barbecue is generally a staple on the weekends in the south – from picnics to family gatherings and summer holidays, barbecue is front and center as one of the main dishes.

This recipe is pretty easy – it’s just chicken breast that’s been slow-cooked in the crock pot and then shredded – with a homemade sauce (also easy, and it’s a borrowed recipe from CivilizedCaveman.com) and a delicious (and….easy) coleslaw! If you’re eating lower carb meals, you can always go without the bun – or if you’re post workout (or just want the bun) go on ahead an sandwich all of these ingredients between them!

Chicken:
4 boneless, skinless breasts
garlic salt

BBQ Sauce:

3 tomatoes, diced
1 white onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, diced
1 (6 ounce) can of tomato paste
1 cup beef stock
2 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cayenne
1 can of diced pineapple (8 ounces for not too sweet, 20 ounce for sweeter)Directions:
- 1. Combine all ingredients above in a sauce pan and place on stove over medium heat stirring frequently
  2. Once your sauce starts to boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 60 minutes
  3. Once your sauce has simmered, turn off the heat and pour your sauce into a blender or food processor and run until you get a nice smooth sauce consistency
  4. Return to the pan to keep warm or place on the food of your choice
  5. Store in the refrigerator
  6. Enjoy

Cole Slaw:

1/4 head of green cabbage
1/4 head of red cabbage
1/4 grated carrots
1/4 cup of homemade red wine vinaigrette

Dice cabbage to desired size slices, and mix in bowl with carrots and red wine vinaigrette. Eat along side of barbecue or enjoy it on top!

Sewl Sister Inspiration Board – #MoodboardMonday !

May 2, 2016 by TheChoiceUmbrella Leave a Comment

It’s #moodboardMonday – and I could not be more excited about working with this amazing client. #SewlSister is a business founded on creating and marketing hand-sewn, inspirational clothing and products for women and children. Not only does Shankaree, Sewl Sister’s founder, plan to design and create, she also plans to empower others with seamstress skills. I am so honored to be working with women whose goals are to give back. Bright and vibrant colors are obviously inspirations in her brand and I can’t wait to see all of this come together!

Image Credits are listed below: