How to Build a Brand Identity That Evolves With You
If you’re reading this, the likelihood is that you’ve built yourself a brand. You picked the colours, chose the fonts that felt good, slapped your logo on some pre-designed Canva templates, and white-knuckled your way through your website launch.
And for a sweet little while, that branding felt like you.
But now? You’ve grown. Your business has evolved. But your brand… has not kept up.
You’re not alone in this, outgrowing your branding happens to small business owners all the time. Most DIY brands are built on vibes for the business you thought you were, not the one you’re growing into. This leaves your visuals, messaging, and aesthetics feel like an old outfit from a version of you that no longer exists.
In this post I’m going to walk you through building a brand that will evolve with your business, rather than one that needs to be updated with every change of season.
Why Your DIY Brand Feels Outdated So Quickly
When you’re first starting out in small business, you latch on to what you can. Everything’s moving so fast, and the pace is so exciting, that it’s very easy to get swept up in the chaos of it all.
You choose a colour palette based on what you like, not what aligns with your values or strategy. You pick a free font that looks “fun” even if fun isn’t exactly the vibe you were going for. You find a logo template on Canva that doesn’t make you wince, and you run with it.
You hope that will be the branding portion of the new business set up finished. You can pat yourself on the back for your hard work and wonder what exactly it is that those pesky brand designers are charging so much for?!
But the thing is, your business is not static. Your offers evolve. Your energy shifts. Your clients change. You become more confident, more established, and more discerning. And suddenly, that Canva template logo that felt pretty great 6 months ago feels cheap, and not reflective of the level of expertise you’re offering (or the prices you’re charging!)
Your brand identity needs to grow and evolve with you, not force you to spend weeks rebranding every 12 weeks just to keep the embarrassment at bay.
What a Scalable Brand Identity Actually Looks Like
If you want a brand that lasts the test of time rather than just keeping you ticking over until next season, it needs to do more than sit there and look pretty. It needs to be built on a solid strategy. The design assets need to be flexible and usable across a wide range of applications. It needs to be designed for the business you want to build, not just the business you currently have.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
1. Visual Flexibility
Stop building your whole brand around a single logo and One Colour.
Instead, focus on creating a visual system. When I design brands, I like to think of them as visual languages, with flexible assets that communicate your values rather than just slapping a forgettable logo on everything you publish.
This may look like including multiple logo variations for different sized applications, custom illustrations and graphics, brand patterns or textures, and a defined colour palette with range (sorry but that gorgeous shade of pink just isn’t enough of it’s own).
Your brand identity should work just as well on an Instagram post as it does on a workbook, website, or sales page. That means building it with flexibility in mind.
2. Clearly Defined Typography & Design Elements
Knowing how and when to use design assets means you can use them more flexibly.
Instead of just relying on a single type style, choose 2–3 brand fonts you can use in different ways (headlines, body copy, quotes etc) and define how to use them. If you prefer a cleaner look, you can achieve this organised look with a single font by using different weights like bold, semi-bold or light or styles like all caps and italics.
Once you’ve got your font styled nailed, pair them with a small but effective library of reusable design elements. Things like icons, lines, stickers, dividers and shapes can really add your personality and vibe and help build a versatile brand that’s recognisable without always needing the same logo on everything.
These different branded bits and pieces become your visual language. Using this language should make your branding feel cohesive across every platform, not just your homepage.
3. A Strong Brand Voice with Range
Remember, you’re not just building a visual identity. You’re building a personality, and she needs a strong voice.
A scalable brand voice is clear on it’s tone, style, and language, but it’s also flexible. A strong brand voice can adapt to different contexts (LinkedIn vs Instagram, proposals vs sales pages) without losing the essence of what makes your brand special, your personality.
Having key words and phrases that are used often throughout all copy can help with this, as well as getting clear on the relationship your voice has with your clients. Do you speak to them like their work bestie? Maybe you offer support and advice like a caring big sister? Maybe your voice is a more loose and free good-time-gal?
Once you know the tone and relationship you’re working with, it should become much easier to write formally, informally and everywhere in between while still feeling like you.
Remember, you should be so clear on your brand voice that you’re able to pass it on to a copywriter or VA and have it still sound like you.
4. An effective Website Layout That Evolves With You
Don’t build a website that locks you into one offer, one service, or one type of client.
Instead, think modular when designing your website pages. Instead of focussing on creating a brand new layout for each different page, focus on consistent sections that you can duplicate, hide, or swap out as things shift. Having a ‘bank’ of website page layout styles will not only save you heaps of time on your next big landing page, but will actually help you keep your pages looking consistent and on-brand.
Squarespace not only offers tonnes of pre-designed layouts to choose from, it also gives you the option to save specific sections, duplicate entire pages or copy and paste specific branded elements.
When it comes time to launch something new (which, let’s face it, it very regularly in small business!) your website shouldn’t need a full rebuild. A few smart updates should be more than enough to keep the evolution going strong.
Questions to Ask When Building a Future-Proof Brand
Does this identity reflect where I want to be in 12–18 months?
Will this still work if I pivot my niche or expand my services?
Can I see this across multiple platforms without it falling flat?
Do I feel proud to show up with this brand? (No more cringing at your own Instagram feed, thanks.)
If the answer to any of the above is “not really,” it might be time to build something bolder, something with a little more staying power.
How I Help Founders Build Brands That Grow With Them
Whether it’s through my one-week Rebrand Rodeo, my 6 Month Brandsformation Partnership, or a lightning-fast Styled to Sell strategy session, I help women in business create wildly colourful, unapologetically them brand identities that actually work.
We don’t just pick pretty colours and fonts and call it a day. We build something rooted in who you are, where you're going, and what makes you unmissable, so you can stop reinventing the wheel every few months and start showing up like the go-to gal you are.
Your brand should be as bold, brilliant, and forward-thinking as you are.
Build it with intention. Design it for evolution. And most of all, make it feel like home at every stage of your business.
Ready to create a brand that actually grows with you? Book a free discovery call and let’s see what kind of magic we can rustle up together.
