A “Brand” New Journey

This is a story about a brand new journey…

Life throws us unexpected curves. It is times like these that offer us the gift of introspection and the opportunity to decide where we should invest our time and energy. And in times like those, I’ve always asked myself how I want to make a difference in the world.

Back in May of this year, I began feeling in my heart that it was time for a re-brand. I mean, a very intentional and diving deep into the heart of this brand type of re-brand. I was heading into a big change and transitions – in life and in business, and believe me, it was messy – and it forced me got into the process of re-branding.

I’ve spent the last of couple years working in this business by producing books and all the behind the scenes things that go along with that, and I simply hadn’t stopped long enough to work ON this business and visit the items that weren’t quite working well or to step back and see what my brand was portraying.

Sometimes it takes just a lot of noise to wake us up and then to get away into the quiet for things to become clear to us. More often, feel your heart.

After spending some time over several months really digging deeper into what the heart of this company is, getting super clear on where we were headed, and charting a course for the future, we decided it was time to refresh. And the work hunt for a new branding began.

Brand Background

It’s been 12 years since I found “Ade Aprilia” in 2004. At that time, I hadn’t loved myself enough, but I had no intention of hiding behind something else. It’s nothing personal for using my real name as a brand. It was never about me. It’s about us. It’s about empowering ourselves to be seen and to be vulnerable. It’s about choosing to share our best talents and gifts with the world, even if it scares the absolute crap out of us. And it’s about supporting each other within a community. I’ve always believed that real connection is where a community is born from. People want to see a real human with flaws and talent, with a living spirit — someone that they can genuinely connect with.

I have the vision to give my readers – yes, YOU! – the BEST and warmest advice that helps you live the life you love. And I’m on a mission to help you rediscover and love your true self.

No matter where you are right now — whether you’re the anxious newbie who struggles with your talents or the responsible creator I strive to be now — I see you. And I am here for you. We are here for each other.

And The Journey Started…

First, let me say that designing for yourself is one of the hardest jobs EVER! But I love what I do. I was so excited to take out the ideas I had in my head and made them become a reality. As I imagine what I can deliver, I feel the love.

It took me a little more time to pray for the direction we were about to take and make sure we were making the right move as a company. I did a lot of releasing for months, and it became so clear to me that we had to make this move. I knew we were ready!

Making Intentional Decisions About The Brand

Personal branding IS a journey. Your brand is being built, either with your conscious effort or without it. The power lies in shifting your mindset and making a CHOICE to get in the driver’s seat. I choose to invest my energy where it is valued.  I choose to move forward on a path to make a positive difference in this world. My hope is you choose the same.  No one is going to build your brand except for YOU!  Accept it . . . Own it . . . Drive it!

Every single decision about this new brand has been thought through and has an intentional purpose. With all that in mind, my team and I began to work on this project.

And I want to share some of the behind the scenes with you today! It’s been a tremendous labor of love.

What did we want to communicate with our customers?

    desk |  lettering | croissant | bedroom |  shirt | leaf | flower | watch  | workspace

First and foremost, our audience live a well-balanced and happy life, achieve their career goals, and discover their passion. So, we wanted to communicate that we are in this together. We are about building a community. My heart’s desire is to encourage every each of us to grow and create things that draw people into what matters most in life. In the meantime, our brand and website can communicate that we care about you and give you a helping hand along the way.

Choosing to keep simple

I, of course, wanted to maintain the brand simple. “Ade Aprilia” is not about complexity. The philosophy has been a part of our brand since the beginning, and it’s never going to leave this brand. Its significance is so important to the mission of our hearts and why we wake up every day to continue doing what we love and serving others.

“Ade Aprilia” brand identity appeals to aspiring independent-minded, socially responsible, quality conscious individuals. Its refined style reflects the quality, passion, and professionalism behind the brand.

The infinity symbol sends the message of spirituality, positivity, connections, and never ending possibilities. It shows balance and eternity. The “Ade Aprilia” brand is insightful yet trendsetting and breaking the limitless. We wanted to attract ladies who eager to scoop some fashionable finds as well as open up for soul searching.

I wanted artistic elements (icons and patterns) that were unique to our brand and something that didn’t fit on the trendy scale.

Being intentional about our colors

Choosing a color scheme was easy. I love every color under the sun – in fact, I wrote a lot of books talking about color. I said to my team; we were keeping a scheme very similar to what we had as well as the pink. We empower women, so yes, pink is a must. Pink is intuitive and insightful, showing tenderness and kindness with its empathy and sensitivity. And it’s very clearly that we are a spiritual-based company. Pink is a sign of hope. And God commands us to never lose hope in His mercy and forgiveness.

Black and white is a must. It’s the color for TEAM D, and it’s my TEAM.

So we went with charcoal + blush + white.

What’s a better way to represent God’s creation that the unpredictable colors in nature?

I knew that the color scheme for our brand would represent my favorite piece of God’s creation!

Deciding on our website design

Once we started seeing the branding pieces come together, we began brainstorming our new website design. It was just amazing that Restored 316 helps us to bring this dream to life – right in time!

What can you expect?

The one thing that we felt needed improvements was the tools we provide for those of you just getting started to honor yourself. There are so many questions when you’re starting this whole journey, and I really wanted to help with that process. After all, that’s what we do! So we organize more tutorials, tips, articles, and set a library to help answer all those common questions we get since they tend to get lost in blog post section. It is available as a PDF download so you can easily print it off and follow the steps as you’re getting started. We welcome any feedback on this.

I can’t wait to see what the universe holds for “Ade Aprilia” in this exciting new chapter of the brand story!

Now you.

Are you considering a rebrand? Have you been through a rebrand recently? Tell me about your experience or why you think you need a rebrand in the comment below.