Branding & Identity for a Seasoned Seattle Agent Making Her Own Move

Early in 2023, our friend Valerie Garcia recommended us to a prominent agent in the Seattle area who was looking to expand into a new venture as an entrepreneurial coach, educator, and speaker.

Diane Terry came to us with big goals and dreams of building a business that would not only grow and evolve her own career, but would benefit others as well. She asked if we would develop the brand for this new venture. After our first meeting with Diane, we were excited and nervous. She is highly successful and respected. To say she commands a presence is an understatement. Not only that, but she has a high regard for design and a beautiful sense of style. Her clients and colleagues know her as wise, insightful, and an incredible listener.

As part of our brand discovery process, we utilize the personality archetypes that were established by Carl Jung, and continue to be used in brand strategy today. It was clear that Diane epitomized the Sage archetype; wise, influential, and dedicated to finding answers.

We created a positioning strategy that captured the essence of the Sage and focused on Diane's point of difference:

"For female entrepreneurs who want to accelerate their growth, Diane Terry brings 30 years of hands-on experience and unparalleled wisdom to her coaching. Diane Terry sets herself apart from other business coaches by teaching her clients how to connect, collaborate and be effective listeners so they can find the best solutions for their clients."

Before diving straight into the visual identity design, we shared a series of mood boards and color palettes that we felt aligned with Diane's style. By reviewing these visuals with her, we were able to get a better sense of what she was looking for and we landed on one that has a delicate blend of black and white, with soft, earthy neutral tones.

Like other REALTOR®s, Diane's name is integral to her new business, so we developed an icon of her initials, to be the centerpiece of her visual identity. The use of a more traditional style of typography for her name, is juxtaposed with a clean, modern style of the icon to create an identity that suits her personality beautifully.

When we first suggested square business cards to Diane she was adamantly opposed, until we showed her this pattern we created for her brand, and how we could build upon the design throughout her materials. By rotating and repeating the DT monogram, it not only creates visual interest, but becomes readable at any angle. She loved it so much that we won her over with the square business cards and she even asked us to integrate it into her website design, which we also developed for her!

With in-depth discovery and positioning complete, the visual identity and brand palette in place, we set forth on creating a website for Diane. Working closely with her on the copy, the visuals, and other elements we have built dianeterrycoach.com. In 3 months time, we were able to bring Diane’s brand from concept to fruition.

Working with Diane has been a wonderful experience overall and we continue to collaborate with her on marketing her new venture. And if you want to know more about what Diane is up to, head over to dianeterrycoach.com and make sure to sign up for her forthcoming newsletter, Noticing.

And if you'd like to see more of our work or collaborate with us, please visit us at https://www.postandbeamcreative.com/our-work or reach out to us at hello@postandbeamcreative.com.