We recently caught up with Jackie, owner + designer of Burtch Designs, to discuss her journey on becoming an entrepreneur, what her inspirations are, why rebranding is impactful and so much more. Continue below to read all about her story and the amazing services offered within her business!

Tell us about where your passion for graphic design began, and how that has led you to where you are now.

“I actually really loved all things art, color, and design from the get-go. I was always crafting and took a ton of creative electives in high school, like ceramics & metals. I thought I wanted to pursue interior design, but didn’t get into the program at Miami University so I went in as a general art major to the University of Dayton, instead. I hated my drawing class freshman year but fell hard for my typography class and the rest is history! I’ll never forget the professor starting the class with a lecture on the importance of typography and comparing it to shutters on the house — like they go unnoticed and just totally accepted unless they are in bad shape or in need of updating! I was hooked on the details of it all.”

What was the inspiration for Burtch Designs? 

“My family! I was burnt out on corporate culture and I was having my first baby at the end of 2019, but it was important to me that I find something else with a more flexible schedule, more creativity, and just more personal connection in supporting another business… entrepreneurship and a branding business is where I’ve been able to find that. I loved logo work and how you could transform a business with a fresh look and was so inspired by the businesses who started out with the ‘right’ look and made a big impact.”

What outlets have inspired your creativity and designs over the years? 

“My top two inspirations are traveling and connecting with fellow entrepreneurs.”

What design services do you offer?

“The main two packages I offer are branding, called the Silver Birch Package, which consists of a strategy session, a brand roadmap, 3-4 logo variations, colors, fonts and a brand guide for best practices. And the other is branding & website design, called the River Birch Package, which is all of the aforementioned pieces plus website strategy & implementation (and a few videos on how to use your new site). The additional package I added this year are VIP design days. These are days when you can get on my calendar for a half-day or full-day of design support, ranging from a condensed logo package, website in a day, or miscellaneous design needs.”

What are some key aspects to consider when rebranding?

“A rebrand should be a carefully considered strategic decision. It involves analyzing the current brand’s strengths and weaknesses, understanding the target audience, and creating a new brand identity that aligns with the business’s vision and objectives. When done thoughtfully and effectively, a rebrand can breathe new life into a business and open up exciting opportunities for growth and success. Things to consider when you’re thinking about rebranding include;
Brand Refresh: Keep your brand current and relevant to who you are and what you offer.
Competitive Edge: Stand out from competitors with a distinctive and captivating brand that’s unique to your niche
Business Evolution: Reflect changes in focus, products, or target audience through a rebrand.

And the benefits of rebranding this are;
Stand out from your competition: When your brand is crafted to capture the heart of your ideal audience, it’s that much easier to stand out and stop their scroll! It’s a great way to make a killer first impression with the people you most want to work with.
Charge a premium: Good branding combined with powerful messaging allows you to charge a premium for your product or service. Consider the value you put forth with cohesive branding and messaging that has your future clients saying “Oh, I need that” and “I know exactly where to get help.” From discovery to booking, those clients will understand why you charge what you charge.
Increase customer loyalty: A well-crafted brand, paired with excellent customer service, saves you time and money by increasing your number of repeat customers.”

What is color theory and how do you use that in your work? 

“Color theory is the study of how colors interact, how they are perceived by the human eye, and how they can be combined to create aesthetically pleasing and effective designs. It is a fundamental aspect of design and plays a crucial role in visual communication. It guides the strategic selection and application of colors to effectively communicate the brand’s personality, differentiate from competitors, maintain coherence, and ensure inclusivity and accessibility in visual design. One of the exercises we do when we work together is to move through a series of adjectives describing your brand’s culture, voice, clients, and more. These help formulate the essence of the brand we want the viewer to identify with. A lot of these words help my color selection and then I use the color wheel to pinpoint analogous and/or complimentary colors to fill out the brand’s visual identity.

Here are a few ways color psychology play a role in branding;
Emotional Impact: Colors have the ability to evoke specific emotions and psychological associations. For example, warm colors like red and orange can elicit feelings of excitement and passion, while cool colors like blue and green can evoke a sense of calmness and trust.
Brand Differentiation: Colors can help differentiate your brand from competitors by creating a unique and recognizable visual identity. Your brand colors become a key to understanding your values, positioning, and unique selling proposition.
Visual Consistency: Consistency is key in brand building, and color plays a vital role in maintaining visual consistency across different brand touchpoints. Use the fact that colors “click” with customers to your advantage by using your brand colors in your logo, website, marketing materials, packaging, and other brand elements, you reinforce brand recognition and create a cohesive brand experience.”

You mentioned your love for typography, how does that play a role in creating designs? 

“Most of the logos I create are typography based. I play with the letterforms, letter connections, and less so with icons and graphics. To me, that’s what makes a logo truly unique.”

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If you’re in need of strategic branding and/or web design, be sure to give Jackie a call! And, don’t forget to tell her SCOUT sent you!