Episode Details

In this episode, I have such an interesting chat with graphic designer Bhavini Lakhani, a specialist in brand identity and marketing collateral.

Get your notebook out because her tips are SO helpful. Bhavini shares her journey from an unexpected start in self-employment following a redundancy in 2011 to becoming an expert in branding for small, independent businesses.

Together, we demystify essential design principles, from color contrast and font legibility to the science of hierarchy offering simple, actionable tweaks that you can implement immediately to build trust and boost sales.

This episode is sponsored by Ivy Malik. Ivy has created a free training to help you understand how higher-paying clients actually think, behave and buy, so you can attract and sell to them more confidently. If you want sales to feel more natural (and less awkward), head to lizmosley.net/Ivy to watch the free training.

Key Takeaways

First Impressions are Critical: You get only one chance to make a first impression; intentional branding communicates professionality and builds the trust necessary for clients to invest in you.

Prioritize Accessibility for Sales: Using high color contrast and legible fonts ensures that potential customers can actually find your contact details and make a purchase.

Stop Center-Aligning Long Text: Left-aligned text is significantly easier for the human brain to process; center-aligning long emails can frustrate readers and lead to missed sales.

Lead the Eye with Hierarchy: Coordinating different font sizes and weights allows you to direct your viewer exactly where you want them to look first.

Consistency Boosts ROI: Using brand elements consistently across all platforms builds immediate recognition and can increase your return on investment by as much as 23%.

• 03:41: We discuss the flexibility of self-employment and working around family life
• 07:07: Common branding frustrations and the importance of tonal variety in colour palettes
• 10:55: Discussion on font legibility, the pitfalls of script fonts, and the importance of "kerning" (letter spacing)
• 16:38: Why you should avoid center-aligning email newsletters to prevent losing potential customers
• 19:54: Understanding visual hierarchy and leading the audience's eye through a design
• 23:14: How brand consistency impacts trust, recognition, and ROI

About the Guest

• Website: B81designs.com
• Instagram: @b81design
• LinkedIn: Bhavini Lakhan

• Ivy Malik: Friend of the podcast and sponsor of this episode! Get a free training video on co-creating sales at