About
Hi there
This is me, Lucy Paez. Yeah, I could’ve used my regular ol’ headshot here, but felt like this did a better job of showing you “me”. Getting a feel for who you’re working with is important for building trust. And branding, my friend, is all about trust.
Some good-to-knows to get us started:
The why…
I’m in love with all things branding, and have been since long before I started this business in spring of 2017. I’ve worked in ad agencies and Fortune 100 companies, with multi-million dollar brands, start-ups, small businesses and nonprofits, and what I know for certain is this: branding done right makes all of our lives better — as business owners, we connect with the people who need us; as consumers, we find businesses we need and love. It’s a win-win. And it’s why I’m focused on helping the world (or at least my small corner of it) brand better.
What do I do?
I help with all the conceptual branding stuff — you know, the “stuff” most people don’t consciously think about that influences essentially every decision we make. Conceptual branding underlies (or should!) everything from what you put out into the world as a business owner to the choices and habits of consumers. See more about my services here.
What don’t I do?
Design. Let’s get this straight now: your logo is not your brand, it’s part of your brand identity. So, look, I can tell you if your logo isn’t right for your brand, but I can’t design a new one for you. What I can do is help define your brand so you (and any designer you work with going forward) will know what your brand vibe should be — or more professionally stated, what your brand visuals should convey. Of course, I have some brilliant designers I am more than happy to connect you with!
What’s with the fire?
Well, I’m glad you asked. Conceptual branding can feel pretty abstract. Unlike most industries, there aren’t many clear or widely known icons to represent branding. But for me, I’ve always related branding to fire. Hear me out…
Fire was central to our survival. Obviously the whole cooking-food-and-keeping-warm-to-stay-alive thing, but, also, because storytelling so often happened around a fire. Stories were and are an essential part of our humanity and our survival, too. Stories are how we share information — important information about who we are, what we stand for, what we do, and how we do it. Stories help us know who to trust and how to navigate the world. And that’s kind of the whole point of branding… to tell your story.