Hey friends! We’ve made it all the way through the first quarter of 2024. WOOHOO!!! The first 1/4 of the year is historically a busy one for me, and this year was no exception. In March alone, I built 3 websites, created an online shop, designed a logo, and designed + developed 2 email newsletter templates. Plus, I had a handful of other miscellaneous projects for past clients and took a family trip to Arizona for almost a week. Phew! And it doesn’t seem to be slowing down quite yet, but I’m so excited to see what this next quarter brings. I’m hoping to spend some time doing some internal business work + also get away from my desk and out to network with more real life people. So, hit me up if you wanna grab a coffee!

There are about one bazillion things you need to think about when you decide to start a new business, and none of them seem to be any less important than the others. But the one thing can that separate you from your competitors is how you present your brand to the world.

Your business’s image is a vital part of your identity that can set you steps above the others. Creating a cohesive brand for your business can even help build trust with potential clients by projecting a professional image. Tell the world that you have your stuff together and that you demand to be taken seriously!

Here is my list of the 3 branding items you absolutely must have for your new business.

Hey hello and hi there! Once again we’re here at the beginning of a new month, and I’m hoping it’ll be a great one. January and February are hard months for me because 1) I’m usually busy with work projects that were scheduled before the holidays, and 2) being the coldest and darkest months of the year take a toll on my mental health. Even though we’ve had more 60+ sunny days so far in 2024 than I can count! I’ve also been working away behind the scenes on a handful of brand + website projects that I’m looking forward to launching either this month or next. Plus, I’m taking a trip to Arizona in a few weeks, and the warmth will be such a nice break! So, I think March will be a good one!

Hello and happy February, friends! It’s the shortest month of the year, even with the extra leap day. Which for some reason makes me feel like that means winter will be over sooner, even though logically that doesn’t make a ton of sense. I guess we’ll just have to see what ol’ Punxsutawney Phil says tomorrow (and yes, I did have to look up the spelling on that while writing this). I had a good first month of 2024 for Six Leaf Design, even if it felt a bit chaotic. I was able to book a few upcoming projects, launch a One Week Website, kickoff two new brand projects, and start to get my tax stuff in order (the least fun part of the new year!). So, while January was the longest month in all eternity, I’m still counting it as a good one!

If there's one thing I get super excited about, it's creating brand patterns for clients. It happens to be one of this pattern-obsessed designer’s favorite parts of a branding project. A brand pattern is a distinctive, repeating design that's used as part of a brand's visual identity. It helps to create a cohesive look and feel across different materials and platforms, making a brand more recognizable and memorable. The pattern can be abstract or representational, simple or complex, and I’ll sometimes pull elements from a client’s logo design to make it even more ingrained in the overall brand foundations. It's a versatile tool to inject your business's personality into just about anything and strengthen your brand's appeal and consistency.

So, let’s roll out the patterned carpet! I’m sharing some nifty ways to sprinkle a little more you into your universe with 35 ways to use your brand pattern:

Well, here we are. Start of a new year. All the hubbub from the holidays dying down as we enter into that long, cold, dark stretch before spring laid out in front of us like a never-ending corridor with no doors or windows. Does anyone else feel like these first 3 months of the year stretch on longer than the entire rest of the 9 months combined? December went by so fast that I don't even know if Bob is my uncle or not. I launched 2 websites + developed brand assets for clients in the first week of the month. Then over my holiday break I added a few portfolio entries here and launched 3 new semi-custom brand suites here before Christmas. And I've spent the last week avoiding work and just recharging with lots of coffee, snacks, reading, and kitty cuddles. I hope wherever you were, you were able to get some rest + recharging in yourself.

Hi friends! We’re in the home stretch of the year with just one more month to go! I always have a big push the last few weeks before the holidays, and this year is no different with two One Week Website packages scheduled back to back (who did this to me??!!…oh yeah…). But then I get to take the last weeks of the month off from client work and it’ll be a much welcomed break. I’m excited for some down time to rest, work on my own business, and celebrate. But until then, be sure you’re following along on my Instagram, LinkedIn, or Facebook to see when new brands and websites launch if you’re interested in seeing what I’ve been working on!

Hello hello fine people of the internet! I hope you had the spookiest of Halloween seasons and ate so much candy corn it made you want to barf. Or maybe just the thought of candy corn is enough for that! October was a whirlwind for me with two One Week Websites, a new Brand Foundations package starting, and another brand + website package wrapping up. Plus, I managed to book out the rest of my start dates for 2023, which is a big relief that I'll be all set with projects until after the new year. But I opened my calendar yesterday to suddenly realize that the month was gone and another wallpaper design needed to be created. So here we are!

Hello friends! We’re entering the fall season and each morning feels a little chillier than the last (even though it’s still getting up towards the 90s by afternoon here in Denver)! I’m trying to enjoy all the lovely things about this season before the doom and gloom of winter hits. So, let’s list a few of my favorite things about autumn that I’m grateful for, because gratitude can literally rewire your brain to look for the good: sunshine on a crisp day, the pretty leaves changing color, pumpkin spice everything except lattes, big warm hoodie season, yummy comfort food like soups and hot dishes, allllllll the Halloween decorations! That’s all I’ve got for now, but even just thinking about those things helps me remember how much good stuff comes along with the change of seasons.

🎵 Happy workiversary to me 🎵 happy workiversary to me 🎵 happy workiversary dear Six Leaf 🎵 happy workiversary to me! Oh, you didn’t know that September is my workiversary? And this one is a special milestone for me — as of September 1st, I’ve officially been running Six Leaf Design (and creating monthly wallpapers) for 10 years. An entire decade. That means 120 wallpaper designs! I can’t even believe it and honestly, I’m not exactly sure how I feel about it. On one hand, it’s hard not to think that I should be further along. On the other hand, I’m really proud of my business + the work that I do and how far I’ve come in these years. I’m gonna try to focus on the positive hand, and maybe put an ice cream cone in it to celebrate 🍦

One of the biggest jobs your website has is to build credibility for you. And there are lots of ways to do that, but social proof is a super powerful one. What does that mean? It means showing other people have already had a great experience using your product or working with you. Testimonials are one awesome way to do that, but another great way is to display the logos of big, reputable companies you’ve worked with or been featured by. Why does this help build credibility? Well, because if those companies trusted you enough to work with you, then so can Suzie who found you on Instagram!

Well, here we are again. The start of another month. And right when I feel like summer is just beginning, it’s supposed to be winding down. It’s like time is always playing tricks on me. But now is the time I appreciate being in Colorado, because we’ll still have a few more months of hot days and warm nights before that one week of autumn hits us out of nowhere (if you know, you know!). So, I’m gonna try to keep the summer spirit alive as long as I can and enjoy every ounce of it.

Hello summer! It’s here in full force and we’re all ready for it. Well, I am at least. My favorite parts of summer, you ask? For me it’s the slower pace, the warm night walks, and margaritas on patios to name a few. But I recently saw a meme saying the only reason we actually like summer is because we’ve been conditioned to from summer vacation off school as kids. Could be true, but it still feels like there’s a special kind of joy that comes along with summer time. How about you?

Hi there! Sorry for being a day late with this guy — I’m sure you’ve been sitting on the edge of your seats waiting for it. There’s only been one other time in the last 9.5 years that I can remember being late with the monthly wallpaper design, but life has been chaotic lately so I’m trying to give myself some leeway. And also, shhhh don’t tell anyone, but I repurposed this design from a 2020 wallpaper (bonus points if you remember it!). I updated the calendar and tweaked the colors though, so that counts for something.

I’ve been freelancing for 6 years now. And I think that I’ve finally come to accept that there are ebbs and flows when it comes to the amount of work I have. I used to panic every time I had a little lull (ask any of my business besties about the frantic phone calls they’d get). But nowadays I try to embrace the slower times and have faith that it’ll come back around. So when you find yourself coming down from a peak into one of these valleys, here are 3 things you can do when business is slow that continue to build your business and help you get more work coming down your funnel.

Hey party people! Summer will soon be arriving. Can you feel it? I’m seeing tulips blossom, trees budding, and tank tops are making their first appearances at the park (it’s still a little too cold for me, but it doesn’t seem to be stopping the guy doing pushups on the playground equipment while his 2-year-old plays). I’m so glad that May is here and I’ve got a strange little wallpaper design for you this month.

This month I’m starting a new series to help explain some of the common terms that I use everyday as a graphic designer, but that may not be as commonly known to others. I’ve found myself answering questions about these more than a few times, so I thought it might be helpful to start defining some of these terms that I commonly use when talking with clients. This time I’m starting with a few basic terms that anyone with a website or who is planning to have a website should know.

Hello April! I’m glad to welcome you here and hopefully warm spring weather will follow. March was a struggle, so I’m happy to be kicking it to the curb and embracing a fresh new month. What about you? I’m entering a season where I’ll be practicing a lot of patience and waiting, both of which are hard for me. So, I’m reaching into my tool belt for all those coping skills I went to therapy for and hoping for the best 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

There are three main categories that I typically group logo designs into: illustrative, iconic, and typographical. All three have many great attributes, and each also has drawbacks. But the best way to know which is the right one for you is to figure out how you will mostly be using your logo. Once you do, you may find that you want to focus on a specific style.

Well, February went by in the blink of an eye, huh? I guess it’s the shortest month of the year, but I feel even less prepared to go barreling into a new one than usual. This first quarter is turning out to be very full for me both personally and professionally — full of pressure, joy, grief, laughter, stress, relief, tears…all of the above! I’m looking forward to things hopefully evening out in the next months as things settle down and I get a grip on reality. And I’m hoping that for you as well if you’re in the same boat, my dudes!

But either way, I’m here with a fresh new free wallpaper design for March and we’re back to pattern land! I recently took a long weekend and stayed at a historical hotel that inspired an art deco style pattern for this month’s design. It’s two parts funky, one part traditional, and umpteen parts fun! Grab yours using the links below to fancify your digital screens this month. And as always, please share and enjoy!