Behind the Bold August Design Studio Rebrand

Aug 7

Let’s Go Studio has now changed into Bold August Design Studio. Don’t worry: the bright colors, terrazzo, tigers, and more are staying. I’m adding more pops of color, I have a better logo, and my vibe is the same. The name and a few of my goals are changing, that’s all!

“Olivia, you’re rebranding AGAIN?”

I sure am! Despite time acting especially strange lately (did we all collectively go through something really big globally recently?), Let’s Go Studio is 3 years old. That feels perfectly aligned with another shedding of skin, another period of growth. Throughout that three years, my studio went through a pandemic, a move, a divorce, new relationships and old relationship changes, and the standard aches and pains of a business. She’s seen a lot with me, and I’ll always treasure where that business took me.

However. Don’t fall out of your seat: Let’s Go Studio was never official. I never had it as an LLC, a trademark, a DBA, anything. This is NOT the way to do things! If you are a client or a friend or really any human running a business, I repeat: this is NOT the way to do this. I could never get the name trademarked because, well, it’s a common expression and not usable. All this time I’ve been operating loosely under Olivia Design + Co and my LLC is a whole other story!

I now will be Bold August Design Studio, LLC and have the name trademarked. I also got boldaugust.com, which is so awesome I can’t even stand it. Having a simple and clean .com is so helpful for a business, and bought that domain last November when I was dreaming of a future.

There are a few other reasons for the rebrand, of course, but overall I couldn’t be happier with where I’m going with my business and direction.

Here are the three core reasons I’m rebranding.

1: Let’s Go Studio no longer aligned with my goals.

At the heart, this is why any business or brand should rebrand when it’s time. My goal at the time of Let’s Go Studio was to run a small, quaint, brand design studio. Boy, did I not expect the level of growth that happened the last three years. Let’s Go Studio always felt “cutesy” and approachable, but never at the level of sophistication I wanted it to be.

My design style is bright, but not childlike.

It’s fun, but not unserious.

I had such a hard time balancing that throughout these years! How does a brand feel energetic and fun but not like a kindergarten classroom? I think I missed the mark more often than not, and I’m excited to remedy that. Let’s Go felt cute and it rhymed but I always felt the level of investment was a bit jarring with the name itself.

I want Bold August Designs to feel approachable still, and colorful, but elevated in a way that I could not get Let’s Go to reach. Full service brand and website design is a full investment and a large focus for a lot of businesses, and I needed that level of trust to be 10x higher.

2: Don’t do what I did: I could never get it trademarked.

Let’s Go Studio was a business in name only. My LLC is still being worked on but will be Bold August Design Studio LLC - and I have the name pending trademark! PHEW. I have a DBA for Olivia Design + Co, a brand name I used 5+ years ago. Is your head spinning yet? Trust me, mine was too!

I’ve gotten everything all tidied up, including a name change (if you didn’t see above, I also got divorced last year!) and I am going to head into 2024 with literally all my T’s crossed and my I’s dotted. My ducks will be in a row. This is going to feel so good as a business for me inside and out, and feel so strong and firm!

We always recommend getting a trademark. We used Sprout Law and they were FANTASTIC - answered all of my questions, put up with my constant back and forth, and a very start-and-stop situation. They’re a woman-focused law practice so I felt comfortable and respected throughout the entire process. (They are also who I recommend for contracts!)

3: I didn’t love my old branding.

I tossed the Let’s Go logo together in a way that appeased an audience. Which is fair, your brand should feel good to your audience, but it should also feel good to you, too. I had a lot of great, memorable components: terrazzo, the usage of tigers, bold colors, but they never truly aligned with the actual core logo or name. The new logo I am OBSESSED WITH.

I love the font, the lighting bolt, how the lightning is in the letter O for Olivia.

I love that it feels bold but fun.

I love how it’s symmetrical and balanced but still wild.

I love how it blends so perfectly with the terrazzo, flowers, and all my bold colors.

I love that it matches my identity and my values.

This new branding feels fresh and fun and I’m so proud of it.

Plus….Even though my friends told me I’m overthinking this…I had a handful of people ask me if “Let’s Go” meant anything political.

It happened more than once. And who knows how many other people thought it: Let’s Go Studio has never been and never was a nod to “Let’s Go Brandon” or associated with that phrase in any way. Even typing the words here makes me feel unsettled and disappointed. Though I ran this by a few friends and they insisted that the name felt totally separate, the question echoed around in my brain too much. I never got clients that didn’t align with me, but my TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest….these things don’t have my face helping to offset the ambiguity. It was time for this to GO. I don’t even want a hint of it associated with me in any way, shape, or form. And honestly if it comes out that Bold August somehow turns into a rallying cry for something I don’t believe in, well, I’ll change that too.

To reiterate the brand values of my studio and how I want to run my business:

We value communication, kindness, and balance
We are pro-LGBTQIA+ and will always aim to enhance and amplify those voices
We are pro-Black and Black Lives Matter, and are constantly working on dismantling the racism that comes with growing up white
We are open to addressing any of the above open-heartedly, and welcome questions and being challenged

Even if there was only a 5% chance that someone would mistake the name….anything that’s not a 0% chance was to much for me. And, after all, I have three separate people who asked me if that is what it meant! My goodness.

Why “Bold August”?

I was born in August. I’m a child of the summer and spent many of them with my toes in the sand, visiting relatives in Pensacola, FL.

I’m a Virgo through and through. If you look Virgo up in the dictionary it might as well have my face. I’m organized, focused, anxious, but also loyal to a fault and so caring about those in my communities.

Many of my major life decisions have been made in August. It’s the perfect transitional month: kids are going back to school, businesses are ramping up again, and the holiday season is so tantalizingly on the horizon. August is full of notebooks and fun pens and papers, and is the last month firmly in the summer. (Fall starts Sept 23rd.)

Bonus points…I changed my last name to August. I’m now Olivia Hutto August, a decision that I know is confusing and strange to some (sorry Mom if you’re reading this) but it feels perfectly right, and I hope to never ever change my name again and live 100% in my own truth.

I’m settled.

I hope to never change my name again, to keep this brand name for years and years to come, and grow into balance and strength and see what life feels like when everything isn’t set in stone and everything is so fragile.