Steeped. — Ideas Worth Letting Steep.
Some ideas need more time in the cup.
Steeped. is where I explore the ideas, observations, & questions behind creative work. From illustration & visual storytelling to branding, culture, strategy, & the occasional curiosity that sends me down a rabbit hole.
Part creative thinking. Part strategic perspective. Always brewed with curiosity.
Discover why strong branding is vital for marketing success and how consistent branding influences consumer perception and brand identity...
How to Create a Strong Marketing Campaign. The marketing PB&J is the foundation of a strong marketing campaign and business. I see marketing research as the toasted bread to my peanut...
Every generation of creatives has had this conversation. Traditional artists rejected digital artists. Same energy. Same fear. Same outcome. Digital is now the industry standard & nobody questions...
AI let everyone into the kitchen & you know we can’t trust everyone’s cooking. Why “No AI Slop” Is The New Creative Standard for AI in Marketing In marketing today, the...
Visual Language in Branding: How to Build One That Works A consumer lands on your Instagram. Clicks your link. Hits your website. & in under three seconds, before reading a single word...
AI as a Creative Tool A while back, I discovered a song I genuinely liked was made with AI. Someone asked me, “Did it change the fact that you liked it? Does it even matter?” My answer:...
Influencers are brand amplifiers, but more importantly, they’re cultural translators. The strongest partnerships happen when the creator’s voice is trusted, the brand’s values are aligned, & the...
Digital marketing today lives on rented land. You can build an entire ecosystem on a platform, then lose access overnight. I’ve had friends & clients lose tens of thousands of followers...
Brand purpose is strategic infrastructure. Like Marty Neumeier says, “The brand is not what you say it is. It’s what they say it is.” Purpose gives people something to believe in, internally &...
Track Key Metrics to Maximize the Impact of Your Visual Marketing Stop wasting time & resources on visual marketing that doesn’t deliver results. Tracking visual marketing metrics ensures your...
Over the years, I’ve accumulated about 30 certifications in hashtag#marketing, business, and creative programs. Some were for work and school, but the majority were fueled by my passion for personal...
Building a strong visual identity with essential elements: logos, color palettes, & typography. Discover how these components boost brand recognition & create an emotional connection...
Suppose you got paid to create a design/work of art, but no one ever saw it. Would that bother you? To me, it’s like that tree falling in the woods but no one around situations. Yes, you got...
The Key Elements of Storytelling Through Conceptual Illustration Storytelling is an art form that has been around for centuries. From ancient myths & legends to modern-day novels & movies...
Less is More: The Benefits of Simplicity in Visual Design Simplicity is an important principle in visual design. Simplicity makes things clear, concise, & easy to understand. Here’s why simplicity...
Influencing the Viewer’s Behavior and Interpretation with the Power of Color in Visual Communications I utilize the power of color in visual communications. See, color creates an emotional...
Knowing When to Kill Digital & Traditional Media Investments in a Marketing Campaign Listen up Brains, I mentioned once The Importance of Monitoring the Strategic Planning Process A.K.A. monitor...
The trick behind personalized digital communication tactics is to know your audience because you want to get that person's attention and connect with them as fast as possible...
The Importance of Monitoring the Strategic Planning Process. Remember, one of the best things about digital marketing is that you get to see data/results just about instantly or by the next day. ...
The human brain loves familiarity, patterns, and repetition because they become easier to remember as they appear again. See, familiarity triggers the brain’s cognitive long-term memory. So if we take...
How the Food Industry uses the AIDA Model to Influences Consumers through Visual Tricks There are so many ways that the food industry influences consumers to make purchases. If you haven’t learned by...
How the Cell Phone Industry Impacts the Consumer Decision Making Process for the Better Think of all the times you were up late and wanted something sweet, but you know there’s nothing in the kitchen;...
Should Art have Censorship if it’s Art? I’m on the fence about this topic because I disagree with the criteria of how social media platforms algorithms flag artwork. There have been countless...
Anime, a Stylized Genre of Art I discuss this topic all the time with my younger students. To make better sense of anime in the art world, you have to understand that all art can be placed on a...
How Brand Awareness and Price go Hand-in-Hand The power of one’s brand credibility is sometimes overlooked. Let’s take this question, “What is the going rate for a logo?” and “How much do...
Using the 5 W’s to Understand Your Customers Story: Where Should You Contact Your Customers We have done over the Who, What, and when of the 5 W’s already. If you missed those, don’t worry, I have...
We have done over the Who and What of the 5 W’s already. If you missed those, don’t worry, I have links to those at the end. Today I’m going to focus on When, when should you contact your consumers? ...
Create the Right Content for Your Consumers by Listening to Your Consumers We are in a time where the consumer can talk back to us. The consumer can provide us feedback about their experience, and...
Using grade school literary tactics to better understand your customer’s story and their challenges to build trust. You may recall the 5 W’s from back in grade school when your teacher asked...
The Magic Link between You Ad Spend and Market Share There’s a magical link between your ad spend and market share. This magical link can dictate whether or not your business will increase its market...
Organizing Your Business’s Data with Visual Charts & Graphs Organizing your business’s data with visual charts & graphs is the best way to present data. Having good visuals when you’re showing...
8 Strategies to Use When You Want to Expand Your Brand Just to make sure we are all on the same page, a brand extension is when a company uses its leverage to launch a new product in a different...
Finding and Using Your Artistic Style as an Extension of Your Brand Once you find your artistic style, it becomes a part of your brand. Your artistic style is what separates you from millions of other...
The Importance of Knowing the Brand’s Core Values When Designing When you’re designing something for a brand, it’s important to design with the brand’s core values in mind. These values should be used...
Checking Your Brand’s Awareness with a Quick 6 Question Survey It doesn’t take much to check your brand’s awareness. I say you only need 6 easy questions to determine if your brand is making...
The Way Your Product’s Packaging Can Influence Your Consumer’s Purchase A product’s packaging can make or break a sale, especially if it’s the first time consumers are buying said product. Think about...
Focusing on Your Highest Quality Services that Lead to Brand Success As a freelancer, you have to position your brand for success and make the switch from generalist to specialist. Every freelancer...
The Power Behind a Strong Brand’s Message Words can spark emotion, inspiration, motivation, creativity, even destruction. When choosing which words to associate with your brand, think about what...
How Price Elasticity Affects Your Consumers One of the hardest decisions in running a business is setting your prices for your products/services. If you undersell, you’ll go bankrupt. If you...
Your Brands Personality Creates Opportunities and an Audience One of the best things a brand can do is be unique, confident, and have their own personality. If I were to tell you to imagine Apple...
Using a Consistent Identity and Customized Content to Speed Up the Buying Process. Listen here, Brains. Your goal is to help your consumers find what they want faster, and the way we are going to do...
When I create a campaign, I make sure I use a minimum of three sensory elements as possible. This was something I’ve learned over the years through close observation. Sensory elements can be anything...
Deciding what’s more important for your company Engagements or Sales? I get this question from my clients all the time, and it depends on your company’s goal. If your goal is to increase engagements...
Increase sales by eliminating transaction cost The amount of emails we deleted in a week from sales that sound good but aren’t worth the effort is ridiculous. It’s never that the sale(s) weren’t...
3 Steps to obtaining success as a freelance artist & designer using specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based (SMART) goals When it comes to obtaining success for an artist or...