Substack studio sessions: Tweak a brand colour palette with me
Working through a real project, thinking out loud
One of my Studio members who is working her way through the Brand Foundations Pathway shared her mood board and colour palette with us in the members chat, and asked for some feedback.
There were a couple of things that stood out to me immediately, so rather than responding with words — and since Press Publish is founded on practical detail — I thought it would be better to show you where my thinking goes as a designer.
So that’s what this screen share is!
It’s me rolling up my sleeves and working with a real brand world. Sharing the process. Thinking about the feeling we’re trying to create. Looking at the colours that have been sampled and considering what might need refining. Not because I have all the answers — I don’t because I haven’t done the full brand discovery with her — but because sometimes the process of thinking is more useful than the finished answer.
And hopefully, it might spark something in you too.
Maybe you might think a little differently about the feeling you are evoking with your brand palette.
I’ve approached this project as I would any brand design project - to make it fit for the real world. Because we’re not just building Substack worlds, we’re building ecosystems that extend far beyond Substack.
This is the first of these short Studio Sessions - and if you’d like my eyes and experience on your brand / Substack, please read to the end for an opportunity :)
Ready to shape your brand and Substack world intentionally? I’m a brand strategist, and Press Publish is packed with practical step-by-step support to help you craft your legacy. Subscribe and let’s do it together.
Colour Palette Walkthrough
If Josette wanted to apply this palette to her Substack, she’d probably want to be using the pale neutral cream for her background, choosing a primary emotional colour for accents, plus one or two others for use in sections and footers etc.
Would you like my eyes on your brand or Substack?
If you have a colour palette you want help with, fonts you’re wondering about, a visual direction or world you’re exploring, but you’re wondering how to translate it practically - perhaps I can help?
I’m offering a number of these Studio Sessions, where I’ll work through real life branding scenarios, and explain the thinking as I go.
It’s a way for you to get some practical support with your brand, and for others to see how things are shaped behind the scenes.
Feel free to come and get started in the Studio Member chat or submit your project here
Just Press Publish
Lucy x
Associated posts you might like:
Start your brand discovery here:
Craft your vision board
A little about me
Hi, I’m Lucy. I spent twenty years in corporate before walking away to build work that was actually mine. What I discovered on the other side — about energy, alignment, and what it means to express yourself honestly in business — is everything I teach from now.
I’m a brand, web and messaging designer working at the intersection of identity, brand energetics, and soulful expression - helping founders build a presence that feels as true on the outside as it does on the inside → Fresh Leaf Creative
Press Publish is the rolled-up-sleeves, hair-in-a-topknot version of its sister publication The Business of Becoming — where you’ll find musings on creative expression, anti-hustle marketing, building a sustainable brand ecosystem, and returning to your natural rhythms → The Business of Becoming
Need a little more support?
If you’d like some creative and energetic direction to help get your Substack world off the ground, I offer a Substack World Creative Direction Session for founders who want a designer’s eye on their identity decisions → Drop me a DM.