Corcoran Means Home II
This Fall 2024, Corcoran kicked off the “Corcoran Means Home II” campaign to showcase the brand as a key player in real estate across new markets. The campaign highlights messaging that emphasizes Corcoran's leadership in the industry.
This Fall 2024, Corcoran launched the “Corcoran Means Home II” campaign to establish its brand as a real estate leader in new markets.
Challenge
Corcoran aimed to refresh its outdoor campaigns and infuse them with vibrant colors to stand out in a crowded advertising landscape while reinforcing its status as a real estate leader.
Solution
By incorporating the Corcoran color bar—a key brand element representing our core markets—we created a striking visual connection. This approach reinforces our bold message: “Wherever you are on your real estate journey, we’re right there with you.”
Client
The Corcoran Group
Sector
Real Estate
Discipline
Advertising
Project Team
Christina Chou
Latoya Burris
Matthew Phenix
Leah M. Forney’s Website Launch: A Brand Refresh Success Story!
Leah’s new site perfectly reflects her passion as a sexual assault advocate. If you’re looking for a brand refresh, I’m accepting new clients—let’s elevate your brand together!
I’m absolutely buzzing to share the incredible results of my latest project - a website refresh for my amazing friend, Leah M. Forney, a dedicated sexual assault advocate!
Here’s what we achieved:
Explosive Growth: Since launching on November 14th (built on Wix, by the way!), Leah's website has seen a 23% increase in site sessions and a whopping 36% jump in direct traffic.
Engaged Audience: The refresh has captivated visitors, with an average time spent on the site of 2 minutes and 12 seconds, allowing Leah to truly connect with her audience. ⏱️
Cohesive Brand Identity: The refreshed website creates a clear and unified online presence for Leah, perfectly reflecting her passion and expertise as a sexual assault advocate. ✨
The impact is undeniable! Leah’s brand is now cohesive, efficient, and driving results.
Looking for a similar brand refresh for your business? I'm currently taking on new clients and would love to help you achieve similar success!
Contact me today for a free consultation and let’s discuss how I can elevate your brand online!
P.S. Don’t forget to check out Leah’s amazing new website: leahmforney.com
Meet Latoya Burris
We recently connected with Latoya Burris and have shared our conversation below.
Smart vs. Straight Quotes
Seeing straight quotes in text often makes me cringe. Many people use them out of innocent ignorance, so I feel I must share how to avoid this mistake. Straight quotes were a necessity for typewriters due to limited keyboard space, but in today’s digital age, we can and should use curly quotes for better typography. Learn how to enable curly quotes automatically and say goodbye to straight quotes forever!
I often find myself pulling out my already short-cropped hair when I see people using straight quotes. For most, it’s likely out of innocent ignorance, so I feel it’s my professional duty to share some insight on how to avoid this completely. Not sure what the difference is? See the example below.
Example of straight quote vs. smart quote in set with the font, Playfair Display.
Many may not know this, but straight quotes were invented for use on typewriters. Due to physical and mechanical constraints, only so many keys could fit on a typewriter’s keyboard. Using straight quotes instead of curly quotes freed up two slots for other characters, making them preferable at the time. However, today we no longer use typewriters, so we can abandon straight quotes completely.
Typography Tip: Curly quotes are the gold standard in good typography! Say goodbye to straight quotes forever and use these shortcuts below:
Mac OSX:
Alt + ]: Opening single curly quote ( ‘ )
Alt + Shift + ]: Closing single curly quote ( ’ )
Alt + [: Opening double curly quote ( “ )
Alt + Shift + [: Closing double curly quote ( ” )
Windows:
Alt + 0145: Opening single curly quote ( ‘ )
Alt + 0146: Closing single curly quote ( ’ )
Alt + 0147: Opening double curly quote ( “ )
Alt + 0148: Closing double curly quote ( ” )
To learn more, check out my sources: Apple, Practical Typography, and Chris Bracco.
Note that this content was created with AI assistance.
Meet Latoya Burris | Brand Design Expert
We had the good fortune of connecting with Latoya Burris and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Network Design Kit
Sign up now to be the first to access our Network Design Kit, available for personal and commercial use in early March.
Coming in early March, the Network Design Kit will be available for both personal and commercial use. This kit includes customizable logo, print, and digital templates for email, social media, and landing pages, which can help your business in the mentoring and professional career development sector. You will be able to find the kit here and at Creative Market.
Example of Network Billboard. Credit: Latoya Burris/Mockup Designs.
Example of Network full page advertising spreads. Credit: Latoya Burris/Mockup Designs.
Example of Network posters. Credit: Latoya Burris/Mockup Designs.
Example of Network social media assets. Credit: Latoya Burris/Mockup Designs.
Example of Network landing page. Credit: Latoya Burris/Mockup Designs.
Example of Network email campaigns. Credit: Latoya Burris/Mockup Designs.
This post was updated March 1, 2024 at 1:40pm EST.
Southeast Queens Residents Environmental Justice Coalition
Web design for the non-profit environmental organization Southeast Queens Residents Environmental Justice Coalition.
The Southeast Queens Residents Environmental Justice Coalition is a collection of grassroots civic organizations that have collaborated for several years on a variety of important environmental issues. Towards the end of 2023, the coalition approached me with a request to establish their digital presence. Having a website is still a crucial component for any organization as it provides the opportunity to share the organization's story, build a community, and become a valuable resource for the people it serves.
Challenge
The Southeast Queens Residents Environmental Justice Coalition realized the significance of having a digital hub during their fundraising campaigns. They were frequently asked if they had a website, and not having one could potentially harm their efforts to raise funds. Additionally, the Coalition wanted to demonstrate that their work in Southeast Queens has been ongoing since their inception, and not having a website was hindering their ability to do so.
Examples of Southeast Queens Residents Environmental Justice Coalition interior pages.
Solution
I started by researching environmental agencies and their websites and gathered information that would appeal to both the community and government agencies. It was important to create a clean and sophisticated image for the Southeast Queens Residents Environmental Justice Coalition, a non-profit organization that focuses on addressing issues like environmental racism, chronic flooding, and poor air quality in Southeast Queens.
By using clean and rounded typography, such as ITC Avant Garde, along with green and yellow colors, I managed to develop a style for the website that can adapt to the brand identity's future evolution.
I understand that the Southeast Queens Residents Environmental Justice Coalition is committed to expanding its efforts to gather data from the community, including identifying new victims of the environmental issues that are affecting Southeast Queens. This has been achieved through their impactful survey page, which highlights the growing number of victims and calls for action. I hope that their efforts are successful in finding solutions for the Southeast Queens community, my hometown.
Client
Southeast Queens Residents Environmental Justice
Sector
Civic Organization
Not-for-Profit
Discipline
Website Design
Project Team
Latoya Burris
Collaborators
Andrea Scarborough
Bill Scarborough
Elizabeth “Nikki” Miller
2024 Ins and Outs
Decided to jump in on the Ins and Outs trend. Check it out! Plus a free self-love playlist to turn up to when you’re bossing up this year.
Photo by Ekrulila and Corelens. Customized by Latoya Burris.
Happy New Year!
While scrolling on Threads I noticed my favorite wellness content creator, Madison England, had shared her list of Ins and Outs for 2024. Not sure if any of you have seen the popular Ins and Outs trend on social media, but it got me thinking about what I want to focus on in 2024. Thus, here’s my list of professional Ins and Outs below.
In
Become proficient in new programs. I have been learning Adobe After Effects and Figma, but would take it up and put it down. This year, I want to feel more comfortable in those programs.
Career change. I’m considering pivoting into the tech sphere because I honestly want to make a whole lot more money. Furthermore, I think I’m no longer motivated as a designer. I enjoy design and the design world, but not sure if I want to do it for work.
Become a Brag Queen. I struggle with recognizing my own value and I’m working on that on a personal level. So I’m going to be super intentional with my wins and losses by documenting them vigorously.
More compassion for myself. I tend to be my biggest opp (opposition)! This ties in with becoming a Brag Queen but most of my life I have struggled with self-esteem and confidence. I hope to make progress in this space by speaking to myself nice and hugging the negative little girl inside of me.
Producing more digital products. I want to release at least four new digital products this year to generate passive income for myself. That being said, I’m excited to really get that going. Stay tuned for a new product releasing in March 2024 to help you with launching your own brand.
Bonus for me, I definitely want to write more. So I’m going to drop a new blog post every other month. So now you have another reason to come back to my site if you care about what I have to say. However, don’t stop there. Go ahead and subscribe to my website or follow me on Medium.
Out
Not hustling or overworking at all. Capitalism has everyone, myself included, in a chokehold. I no longer desire to be a hamster on a wheel. So my work life balance is getting an upgrade. Only doing what is required.
Being my own biggest opp! No more negative talk or thoughts. I’m going to do a lot more meditating, journaling, and speaking affirmations to myself in the mirror to help me in this area. It has been such a barrier in my life and I’m over it.
No more work that doesn’t allow me to grow creatively, professionally, and / or financially. The economy is too jacked up for that foolishness.
Taking things personally. I’m going to keep my pokerface in the meetings, but I will let things just roll off my shoulder, even if I don’t agree. I have to remember it’s not an attack on me or my work, it can just be a silly decision that is out of my pay grade. So this corporate baddie is going to keep it cute.
Stand on my boundaries. No more checking emails or anything related to work after hours or on the weekends. I’m a strict bae.
Thanks for reading this post but I’m curious to hear your thoughts so please feel free to share. Finally, I thought I would share my new 1 (800) DAT-GIRL playlist. Since I’ve been on a self-love journey one of the challenges in my workbook was to create a playlist for myself that would be like my hype music. Something to listen to remind me that I’m one of a kind, a baddie, and worth it all. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Check it out on SoundCloud.
Playlist cover created in Canva by Latoya Burris and Sassy Nails Sticker by Bryson Williams.
This post was edited by Nabila Lovelace.
Get in the Holiday Spirit with Vintage Gift Cards by Black Designer Dominique Webb
Black Designer Dominique Webb created some vintage gift cards for Sucré Couture a Black Woman-Owned demi-fine jewelry brand founded by Kimberly Fomby in 2010.
Photos: Dominique Webb / Threads
Black Designer Dominique Webb created some vintage gift cards for Sucré Couture a Black Woman-Owned demi-fine jewelry brand founded by Kimberly Fomby in 2010.
As a self-admitted Dominique stan there is nothing that she creates that I simply don’t love. Her creativity is inspiring and refreshing. As the Creative Director of Cult Creative Agency, she empowers many Black-owned businesses with top-notch brand solutions and sophisticated copy. It’s nice to witness such high-level work from Dominique but nevertheless, this isn’t all about Ms. Webb. How do you feel about these gift cards? I love them and would love to see what other Black-owned brands are doing creatively for the holidays. If you see something, please share with me in the comments.
Book your 1:1 consultation before October 31st and save 20%!
That's right, for a limited time only, you can get a 20% discount on your 1:1 consultation with Latoya Burris. This is a great opportunity to get personalized advice and guidance on your brand’s creative strategy.
That’s right, for a limited time only, you can get a 20% discount on your 1:1 consultation with Latoya Burris. This is a great opportunity to get personalized advice and guidance on your brand’s creative strategy.
Whether you’re looking to refresh your brand identity or increase brand sales, Latoya can help you achieve your goals. And with this special Halloween promotion, you can save even more money on your consultation.
Here’s how to book your consultation:
Visit the Consults page
Select the “Book a Consultation” option
Choose the date and time that works best for you
Enter the promo code HALLOWEEN20 at checkout
This offer is valid for new and existing clients. Don't miss out on this opportunity to save money on your 1:1 consultation. Book yours today!
Elevating Design Horizons: The Artistic Journey of Latoya Burris
In the vibrant tapestry of New York City, where dreams are woven and ambitions take flight, a visionary creative force has been quietly redefining the landscape of graphic design.
This 18-post Social Media Template is now on AppSumo
Get the Canva Seminar + Brunch Puzzle Grid on AppSumo.
If you’re hosting an event targeting women and looking for a social media template to meet your marketing needs, then look no further than the Canva Seminar + Brunch Puzzle Grid social media template which is now available on AppSumo. AppSumo has been an incredible way for me to get more customers, exposure, feedback, and hype around my product.
AppSumo was founded in 2010 with one intention and that’s to provide “the tools you need to grow your business…”. To date AppSumo has provided its customers with $500M+ in savings and other brag worthy stats. AppSumo has successfully empowered its platform by:
Partnering with the hottest tech companies.
Getting access to insane deals on their products.
Saving its customers thousands of dollars.
I have joined AppSumo as a partner to help me get my designs in front of more people and to continue to create passive income for myself. If you’re a creator like me, AppSumo is an easy to use platform that can get your products in front of their 2M+ customers. Take advantage of their easy to use partner portal and become a partner of AppSumo today!
Finally, if you’re looking to purchase the Canva Seminar + Brunch Puzzle Grid social media template, please visit here or shop this template on AppSumo or CreativeMarket.
New Look for Black-Owned Luxe Lifestyle Brand Fine Wine Series™
Some of you may not have known this, but over the past few months I have been hammering away at a brand refresh for the popular experiential events brand, Fine Wine Series™. They have become famous for their wine tasting and dress-to-impress events in major cities like New York, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. After a kind introduction by a close friend we quickly jumped to work on creating a cohesive brand voice and identity for their pivot during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In this new world, many of us were not attending events at the time and didn’t know when we would be able to go to our next one. Businesses that couldn’t figure out how to evolve unfortunately met their end. However, this is not the case for Fine Wine Series, who realized that this was the perfect time to reposition themselves as not only an experiential event series but also a luxe lifestyle brand for Black Millennials.
Ladies Get Paid Helped Me Increase My Salary by 21%
Recently, I was featured in an article to share my story and experience with the organization Ladies Get Paid and founder, Claire Wasserman.
Recently, I was featured in an article to share my story and experience with the organization Ladies Get Paid and founder, Claire Wasserman. Claire and the community she has fostered was integral in helping me land my new position and earning a 21% salary increase. I am thankful to her and Ladies Get Paid for empowering women like myself and to share this article and video which will appear on 61 stations across the country.
How to Craft an Effective Brand
If you’re interested in what it takes to craft an effective brand. Look no further and read my latest blog post.
Written by Latoya Burris | Edited by Ellice Peck
My opinions and thoughts on branding are not original; they are a compilation of concepts and proven tactics by brand strategy masters. A master storyteller and idol of mine, Marty Neumeier, defines a brand as “… a person’s gut feeling about a product, service or organization.” Therefore, what I hope to offer is insight and clarity into what branding is, how it impacts every day life, and how to create an effective brand.
“A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service or organization.”
What does branding mean to me? Branding is a functional organization of the cultivation of your product or organization’s reputation that is then applied to multiple touch points and experiences for the end user. Now, I’m not going to ramble on and on about the definition of branding because I think at this point you may have a pretty clear understanding of what it is. However if things are still unclear, then let’s go further.
Nothing works better than an example.
Now, let’s take a look at Nike. Many of you may be surprised to hear this, but in 1964, Nike wasn’t the global shoe juggernaut that it is today. It takes an effective strategy and unique brand positioning to dominate a market. It takes more than knowing what the consumer thinks about the brand to make it successful. Therefore, what do most people think of Nike? Nigel Ng, a student studying business in Singapore says “[Nike has great] quality, design, comfort and not to mention constant innovation to keep things fresh. Collaboration with other big brands also makes them so appealing!”
Photo: Peter Aroner/Unsplash
What people think and say about the Nike brand.
• Great Quality
• Great Design
• Great Comfort
• Fresh
• Innovative
Therefore, in order for Nike to build the reputation that it has today, it had to:
Create a product that competes and stands out amongst competitors.
Meet an unique need and position.
Resonate with its audience on an emotional level.
In 2019, Nike shook up Twitter with their ‘Dream Crazy’ campaign featuring the controversial Colin Kaepernick. Nike aligned themselves with an athlete who was being mistreated through displaying empathy for his cause. Altogether, this is how Nike has maintained an effective and consistent grip on how a brand can dominate a market by being real and consistent.
Photo: ‘Dream Crazy’ billboard by Wieden+Kennedy
How can you craft an effective brand?
It takes research, strategy and execution. I’m always surprised when clients come to me and don’t know anything about the market they are entering or their target audience.
Here are a few first steps that I recommend you take:
Research your audience and competitors.
Develop a personality and hone it.
Choose a business name.
Write a unique positioning statement.
Choose the look of your brand (colors and font) and the voice (words, tone, personality).
Hire a professional designer to work with you to create your brand identity.
Create a brand system that can evolve with your business.
For more information on crafting an effective brand please contact me directly or check out these articles below that inspired my post.
Brunch Goals Achieved: The Instagram Puzzle Template That Makes You Look Like a Pro
Elevate your next brunch event with this template. The perfect solution for promoting conferences, seminars or brunch events for women on your Instagram page.
As promised, I’m releasing my first Instagram template here on my site for free until Monday, March 1, 2020. Thereafter, it will be available for purchase for $25. This template is the perfect solution for promoting conferences, seminars or brunch events for women on your Instagram page. The design is easy to edit using the powerful online design tool, Canva.
Features Include
18 posts in one template
Fully customizable in Canva
Free stock photos and fonts