If you’re an interior designer trying to build a business, you’ve probably heard that you need a strong brand. But what does that actually mean? Is it your logo? Your color palette? The beautiful images on your website? While all of those things can help identify your brand, they aren’t what makes your business different.
The more important question is: Why should a potential client choose you over another interior designer? When designers look similar from the outside, clients can easily start comparing portfolios, services, and—eventually—prices. That can make it incredibly difficult for a small business or solopreneur to establish a competitive advantage.
In this episode, I talk with Jon Czeranna, co-founder of Wit & Craft and creator of the Brand Lab, about brand positioning for small businesses and interior designers. Jon shares a structured positioning framework that helps you identify your competition, uncover market gaps, understand your ideal client, articulate what makes your business unique, and build a brand story around that difference.
And if you’re a newer designer without a large portfolio, Jon shares something that can help you build your online presence right away.
Featured Guest
Jon Czeranna is the co-founder of Wit & Craft and creator of the Brand Lab. With more than 20 years of experience in advertising, branding, and graphic design, Jon focuses on helping small businesses and solopreneurs uncover and articulate their competitive advantage. Through the Brand Lab, he teaches entrepreneurs how to approach brand positioning, ideal client profiles, brand stories, messaging, and brand voice so they can better connect with customers, differentiate themselves from competitors, and build a stronger foundation for business growth.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
✳️ Why your brand is more than visual identity
✳️ How to identify gaps in your marketplace
✳️ How to define your ideal client profile
✳️ How to articulate your unique positioning
✳️ How to build an online presence without experience
Read the Blog >>> Foundation for Building Your Interior Design Brand
NEXT STEPS:
🎯 Join My Design Mentor and start creating a design career you truly love.
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📺 WATCH FREE WEBINARS 📺
Check out our Designer's Playlist!
*️ Start Your Interior Design Journey
*️ From Newbie to Confident Designer
*️ Switching Gears to Interior Design
Grab your freebies:
📌 Your Roadmap to a Career in Interior Design
🎨 3 Things I Wish I had known when I Started my Career
Connect With Me:
📧 Email: podcast@rwarddesign.com
🔆 Instagram: @rwarddesign
🌎 Website atrwarddesign.com
Thanks for listening! I hope this helps you discover if interior design is the career for you. See you next week...
Timestamps
0:00 Introduction and Guest Bio
2:12 Jon’s Journey Into Branding and Positioning
4:26 Where New Designers Should Start With Branding
7:48 The “Only Statement” Positioning Exercise
9:50 Building a Website Without a Large Portfolio
11:31 Identifying Your Ideal Client Profile (ICP)
13:46 The Story Behind the Brand Lab and Its Offer
19:06 One Branding Question Every Designer Should Answer
21:11 Using AI Without Losing Your Brand Voice
