For months (okay, it’s probably been over a year) I’ve been considering a rebranding effort.
Here are some random thoughts that are now coming together in a new website.
I built my brand as ArtBizCoach.com. It seemed cool in early 2002 to be a dot-com company. Now it seems lame. I’ve always called it ArtBizCoach.com, but I’ve discovered that most other people think of it only as Art Biz Coach. And so it shall be.
A little bit of red goes a LONG way. The red background of Art Biz Coach has gotten in the way. It limits what I’m able to show on the site and is too bold. So does this funky logo. I want my Web presence to be a backdrop for my consulting work–not the main show. I also want to show of artists’ artwork appropriately.
Four and a half years is a long time to have a website without a major overhaul. I’ve made big changes to the home page, but the rest has mostly stayed the same.
I created a fan page on Facebook as Art Biz Coach / Stanfield Art Associates. Because my brain was chewing on all of this, I purposely left the .com out of the fan page title.
I use my name and @abstanfield with social media. This allows me to shine as an individual rather than a business.
Now, many people know me through social media. They’ve connected with me on Facebook as a friend or on my Art Biz Coach fan page.
Many more people know me because of the Art Biz Blog. At least I think they know me. My name hasn’t been in the header since last summer. It was a deliberate decision at the time because I was reconsidering how the blog would work. It was also a mistake to leave my name off the header. That’s about to change.
The work that I do with artists is personal. It’s critical that my clients, members, and fans are able to trust a real person.
The result of all my hard thinking is the discovery that I am my brand. It’s what I tell artists all of the time. YOU are your brand. The work we do contributes to the brand, but we are known by our individual names.
I’ll be working on my new Art Biz Coach site throughout the month of July, with a target launch date of August 2.
Rebranding
- Alyson Stanfield
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11 thoughts on “Rebranding”
Love your posts, they are always so informative. Good luck with the rebranding efforts.
I am with you on the re-branding: you do NOT need the “.com” on your ArtBizCoach. =)
I know it is YOU even though your name is not on the blog header. You do an excellent job of linking everything in your website….
Thanks!
Good luck with the overhaul! I can’t wait to see it!
Good for you, Alyson! I never think of you as Art Biz Coach but as Alyson Stanfield, or just Alyson.
I’m thinking of doing the same thing with my website; getting rid of the cutesy name and going with MY name, the artist.
Alyson,
Sharing your reBranding with us is going to be so helpful & inspiring – after all … if an expert like you revamps and re-examines her brand & websites as needed, shouldn’t the rest of us?
I have no doubt the final transformation will be great – can’t wait to see 🙂
I’m with you on all of this Alyson. I, too, am redoing my website. And I just recently decided that I AM MY BRAND as well. (Great minds must think on the same channels!) After trying on several cutesy names, I called my solo exhibit simply: Kasia’s LoveLights, which is exactly what my art is. The new website will follow in this same vain. I am projecting a Sept. 1 release date. It will be exciting to see what we come up with. Thanks for always sharing your thoughts. You are a ‘Dear One’ to me.
Kasia
Hi Alyson,
As you are the consummate professional I’m sure that whatever you
decide to do will be exactly right. Sorry about the red though, I really
love it, and it looks magnificent on all of your products, business card, bookmark too.
It’s true that change is exciting, and I’m sure the changes you’re contemplating will be fantastic.
I love that you’re rebranding to your name. I actually didn’t put two and two together for a while after I began following you on twitter because so many people “Retweet” interesting blog posts, links, etc.
I started my band with my name just so I could keep the same name even if I changed mediums, or names! Getting married last year made things a little complicated and there has been 1 press release gone wrong. I decided to put my “brand” name on everything and keep my new last name a bit of a secret.
Best of luck on your rebranding! I love love love your blog.
I like your new brand. A lot!
Alyson, one of the things I had set as a goal was redesigning my web site and blog to better reflect my more firmly resolved brand. It had been quite a few years since I coded my website (it predates CSS!) and of course for that reason alone could have used an update. I gave myself a launch date for the website and actually got done the important core pages two days before I had them due. A couple weeks ago I started revamping my blog theme. I’m not finished but I am pleased with my progress.
I know you, too, will feel great about this change in your branding. As artists, humans, and entrepreneurs, we are not static but rather evolve over time. Rebranding is part of this growth. I congratulate you on your well thought choices and I admire you for not holding back.
Patricia
(who invites everyone to visit her re-themed blog at http://vener-art.com/beadblog/ to see this work in progress)
As I previously commented, some of us are definitely NOT known by our names. “Lana” is bad enough–almost everyone gets it wrong, even when it’s spelled out in front of them–but add “Gramlich” to it & people’s brain cells start to explode. Brains will do mental gymnastics to avoid dealing with that combination & it’s cost me a lot of potential exposure. As a result, I’ve changed my business name to something more easily remembered (with my name in the tagline, instead.) It’s cliche, but at least it’s memorable!