Teri Holland (00:01.582)
Hi Ami, welcome to the show.
Ami DeMelo (00:03.487)
Hi, thank you for having me. I'm so excited to be here.
Teri Holland (00:07.104)
I'm excited to have you here. So let's start with, I think the first question that's gonna be on people's minds is what is a brand identity designer? What do you do? Yeah.
Ami DeMelo (00:18.333)
Yeah, this is a common question because everyone's familiar with the term, what a graphic designer is. And basically a brand identity designer is a specialized graphic designer. So we're trained a little bit more on the strategy side. We're trained to kind of ask more questions and design from a different approach than a graphic designer. So basically,
When I design things, there's a purpose and a reason. It's based on strategy. It's based on research that we do before I ever touch my iPad pencil or my laptop pen. So there's a big intake process first that we do before we get to designing. Essentially though, from a technical standpoint, graphic designers and brand designers can do the same thing.
Teri Holland (00:55.831)
Hahaha
Teri Holland (01:11.476)
Okay, interesting. And how did you get into this? Like is this something that you always thought you would be doing? Or how did you find your way here?
Ami DeMelo (01:21.009)
that is an incredibly long answer. So, inversion, I've worked in design and creative fields my whole working life since I was 15 years old. But I used to work in fashion and I worked in all kinds of aspects in that. I owned a brick and morter store where we sold local
Teri Holland (01:25.486)
That's okay.
Teri Holland (01:37.634)
Wow.
Ami DeMelo (01:50.451)
businesses and through that I really realized how much I loved to build other companies and not my own and a bunch of other things I realized owning a retail store that it's a lot of number crunching and not so creative. So when I ultimately chose to kind of pivot my career, my dad had been telling me for at least a decade that I should be a graphic designer. So he eventually won.
Teri Holland (01:59.256)
Thanks.
Teri Holland (02:17.182)
Yeah.
Gotcha. Yeah, that's really cool. My dad always told me I should be a lawyer because I argued with him too much, but that didn't turn out. That never happened.
Ami DeMelo (02:21.523)
Yeah.
Ami DeMelo (02:27.775)
Ami DeMelo (02:31.785)
Yeah.
Teri Holland (02:33.582)
Yeah, so, you know, the reason I want to have this conversation today was that you and I were talking recently about print media and the relevance in today's world. And I thought this would be a really cool topic. do you think, and I know your answer to this, but I'm curious, do you think that print media still matters in our digital world?
Ami DeMelo (02:56.105)
potentially a controversial or unpopular opinion, but I think it matters more than it did before. Yeah. Well, we have so much digital fatigue. everybody is online. We're all doom scrolling. And I'm starting to feel and getting a pulse on everything that people are just burnt out of online. It's not as effective.
Teri Holland (03:01.864)
how so?
Teri Holland (03:24.237)
Yeah.
Ami DeMelo (03:25.651)
we're not even seeing what we're looking at on the screen half the time anymore. It's kind of like, I joke, it's the billboard theory. So we see billboards all over the place, but do you ever see them anymore? They have just become kind of part of our surroundings. I don't even notice that they're around very often. And I'm feeling like the digital world is becoming that. And now when somebody gets a really beautiful...
Teri Holland (03:48.386)
Yeah.
Ami DeMelo (03:55.615)
keyword, beautiful, well designed, we'll talk more about this I'm sure, printed physical item, it resonates with them and they pay attention.
Teri Holland (03:59.022)
you
Teri Holland (04:05.93)
Absolutely. it's so interesting. It's so interesting that you say that because I was reading recently that the younger generation, the Gen Z generation coming up, they value print materials far more than previous generations and they want something real in their hands. And so I think that's also important generationally looking at who's coming into the business market and who the future buyers are, that they're looking for it. So interesting.
Ami DeMelo (04:14.367)
Mm.
Ami DeMelo (04:35.775)
That's absolutely what I feel like too. And they're making a resurgence with like independent magazines and zines are coming back. Those were so popular in maybe the 90s. A lot of the nostalgia items from the 90s, which includes a lot of print is very much in or coming in. And I really do believe that Gen Z is gonna have a big push.
Teri Holland (04:47.277)
Yeah.
Teri Holland (04:52.802)
got.
Ami DeMelo (05:05.487)
in getting us back to a lot of printed materials.
Teri Holland (05:09.728)
Yeah, I could see that. It also reminds me, I had Destini Copp on the show a couple episodes ago, and she was talking about how excited she used to be to run out to her mailbox to get the latest subscription to whatever magazine it was. And I think we're missing that. We miss that anticipation of something exciting in the mailbox.
Ami DeMelo (05:22.75)
Yes.
Ami DeMelo (05:28.911)
I totally agree with you. mean, we do do a lot of online shopping and of course packaging matters. So that's one thing that we can get excited about. But I think that subscription based like magazines or a cool printed item, what that could be. We could probably evolve that in today's world. But how fun would that be getting one every month? Yeah.
Teri Holland (05:50.894)
Yeah. Right? Yeah. Well, speaking of, I was just telling you about this before we started recording. I brought this to share, just to kind of illustrate this. I should have closed the box before we started recording, but whatever.
Ami DeMelo (05:58.239)
Thank
Ami DeMelo (06:05.029)
I know.
Teri Holland (06:05.55)
So I order from Il Maquillage for makeup and I love their packaging. so this is, for me anyway, this is a good example because I get excited whenever their order comes, but it's like, it looks good. And then, the most exciting part that I love is they have all these little touch points inside, quotes, untraditional, uncompromising, undeniably extra. And then they always send a gift and their gift always has...
Ami DeMelo (06:24.083)
Yes, yes.
Teri Holland (06:34.702)
like a little extra sleeve on it, that comes on it, but it says, we hear you love, sorry, we hear your love language is receiving gifts. And it's always just like an extra full-size product. And I don't know, it's just like, it's a, just a better experience opening it and seeing all these little touch points than say, when I get my Amazon order and it comes in that plastic wrapping and it's,
Ami DeMelo (06:37.567)
Hmm.
Teri Holland (07:03.566)
or in just a brown Amazon box and it's not nearly as exciting.
Ami DeMelo (07:09.599)
Oh, that absolutely. I mean, I call it the Apple experience. I don't know if anyone else refers to it at that, but I yeah, like the Apple experience is literally everything that you just said. When you get a brand new MacBook and they spend millions of dollars on this, by the way, when you open that box, the way that the box slides up and opens is part of the experience of opening that box. And they have researchers who have
Teri Holland (07:14.126)
Bye.
Ami DeMelo (07:39.871)
planned that out. Everything from the sound and the feel and the touch and the look and a great company will do that. So, Bill Mackey out, clearly for us.
Teri Holland (07:49.058)
That's, I just got excited like, yeah, they do. But I just got excited even thinking about that, because I'm a Mac girl myself and I love unboxing a new Apple product. Like it always excites me. It's so well done.
Ami DeMelo (07:58.422)
Me too.
Ami DeMelo (08:04.799)
It's incredibly well done. They're always my top example because most people are familiar whether they've opened an iPhone or a computer from them or even the earbuds or something. Most people own an Apple product and have experienced it. So the Apple experience is always what I call the top tier experience. And they spend so much money designing the packaging, but from every sense. So all the senses.
are included except for probably smell, but that is to be debatable. There's new, lots of new tech of all that. There kind of is, right?
Teri Holland (08:42.142)
a new apple smell though. Yeah there kind of is like I think there's a smell but maybe it's not intentional it's just the smell of the product but I don't know it's there for me. That's so cool I didn't realize that they put so much intention I mean I knew they intentionally designed their packaging but I didn't know they put so much into it that's amazing.
Ami DeMelo (08:51.859)
Yep.
Ami DeMelo (09:04.019)
They absolutely do. And Il Makiage obviously does too. And one thing that you just pointed out with what you showed me, that they're nailing, is the personal touches. So how do you bridge the gap between printing large quantities of something so you can't really put everyone's individual name on it, but how do you make it still feel personalized? And they've done that with like the overlay packaging that
You just showed the little silver piece with a little message that feels like it's directed at you and exactly how you're feeling opening this. So they're still getting that personalized touch without your actual name being printed on it because that of course is a production issue.
Teri Holland (09:50.222)
Right, oh that makes so much sense. And I didn't even think about that. Like it made me feel that way, but I didn't consciously think about, they're making it seem like it's personal to me. That's so cool. Are there, yeah. Are there industries where print makes more sense than in other industries?
Ami DeMelo (10:02.163)
Yeah, yeah, lots of thought into that.
Ami DeMelo (10:12.381)
Well, most commonly any product base, of course, super, super important, more so than anywhere else. But I think that you can dive deep into your own personal touch points in personal brands and find ways to incorporate print, even if it's just in the business card or if you create a digital product that you have, but make it real life and hand that out selectively.
I think that you can incorporate it into any kind of business.
Teri Holland (10:45.166)
That's a good point. And I'm glad you brought the business cards because you converted me on business cards. I was anti-business card before I worked with you, where I was like, and I remember even having this conversation where I said, Ami, we live in a digital world. I have a digital card on my phone. I don't need a printed card. And then you designed these beautiful cards for me that I was excited to print. And even then I was still kind of hesitant. And I was like, I don't know. I don't know if I need them.
Ami DeMelo (10:48.543)
Thank
Ami DeMelo (11:07.699)
Mm-hmm.
Teri Holland (11:13.602)
but I ordered them and when I hand those out at networking events, I always get compliments on the design, on the quality, on the shape, the feel of it, everything.
Ami DeMelo (11:23.519)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, because we did go with a custom shape for you, right? Yeah, so a little bit of an added cost to the overall print because we did a custom shape. We did quality paper. But the payoff is that people are commenting, they're remembering it at a networking event where maybe you're handing out 10 to 40 cards or more, depending how big it is. You want to be memorable. You don't want that square or rectangular flimsy cheap card.
Teri Holland (11:27.342)
Hmm. Yeah.
Teri Holland (11:36.258)
Yeah.
Ami DeMelo (11:53.491)
that's templated from online web stores that you just purchase a card from because people hand it, like you hand it to them, they take it and they put it in their bag or with the rest of their cards and it ends up on their desk, but they don't remember it. They might not remember you. There was no experience in the handover. And I'm a big believer in that experience that Apple.
experience but in a business card where when you hand it to them they're going to touch it. So how does it feel? What can you do to make it elevated so they remember it? So they look at it and you have like that little moment of connection.
Teri Holland (12:36.054)
I love that. what kinds of, you other than the business card, what kinds of print materials should we be considering for 2025 and kind of thinking of ways we can incorporate this into our businesses?
Ami DeMelo (12:37.139)
Mm-hmm.
Ami DeMelo (12:51.067)
It's so hard to give a blanket answer for that because I think what it really comes down to is doing a little mini touchpoint audit on your own business and then looking for opportunities to connect with your ideal client and target market. So it'll vary for everybody and every type of business. But definitely if you have print already in place, brochures, cards, typical
Teri Holland (13:03.116)
Yeah.
Ami DeMelo (13:20.351)
things that a lot of businesses have, including direct mail, consider how you can elevate them. And there are ways to do it so it's not extremely expensive. When you work with a good brand designer, they probably know the ins and outs of where you can cut costs or what is worth the extra cost or how to make it more elevated on a budget. So there's ways you can do print in a somewhat affordable way, but definitely just taking an inventory of
Teri Holland (13:31.214)
Okay.
Teri Holland (13:47.383)
Okay.
Ami DeMelo (13:50.685)
Where do you connect with your clients already offline and how can you elevate that experience?
Teri Holland (13:56.28)
Nice. Do you have some suggestions for how brands can make sure that their print and their digital presence are consistent?
Ami DeMelo (14:06.45)
I guess you want your online world and your physical world in your brand to complement each other and still look like they're related. So if you have a specific style and look to your website and to your social profile and your grid and your email newsletters, you want to bring that into the world consistently.
So if it's a luxury brand online, you need luxury offline, luxury papers or finishings and whatnot. If you're really corporate online, you want to stay corporate offline. So you just wanna make sure that what you have online is living the same in the real world.
Teri Holland (14:58.84)
Good to know. Good to know. you know, speaking of like those, like you've mentioned, like the paper quality and the finishes, the texture. What should we know about that? What, how is that communicating to our audience, different finishes and stuff?
Ami DeMelo (15:00.041)
Mm-hmm.
Ami DeMelo (15:15.761)
Yeah, so one easy example I can give is wedding invitations. often, not everybody, but a lot of people in wedding invitations, they're going for a luxe higher end experience. So they probably have a thicker paperweight on the invitation. Maybe a soft cotton texture is common in that industry. But things like die cutting and
Teri Holland (15:22.798)
Yeah.
Ami DeMelo (15:44.987)
embossing or debossing are common in that industry but very expensive to do. So that's part of the reason invitations are expensive. You want to kind of, there's just so much, there's so much paper right available and it's really a process. So right now I have an entire box, it's a clear box, my feet are on it.
Teri Holland (15:51.896)
Okay.
Ami DeMelo (16:11.581)
right now as we're talking and it is just jam-packed of paper samples that I refresh from the printers that I often work with and I get to know their stock in their inventory so I can make suggestions. It's an ever-changing field so it's really hard to kind of give a response on what paper types you should know about but generally speaking something thin and flimsy it comes across as cheap and
Teri Holland (16:12.185)
Laughter
Teri Holland (16:21.534)
wow.
Ami DeMelo (16:41.767)
low budget and something with more structure comes across as more quality.
Teri Holland (16:50.414)
Can you share with us maybe how print has had a major impact for one of your clients?
Ami DeMelo (16:57.311)
Okay, so if I practice what I preach today, I'm a big proponent of doing something cool and doing something different with my clients when we can. And part of the process of working together is we do do these touch point audits. So I worked with a local company here in the Vancouver area last year on a big
Teri Holland (17:01.312)
Hahaha.
Ami DeMelo (17:24.179)
brand refresh, rebrand, they've been around for a long time, family run company. It's BJ's Floral Shop on Granville Island. So they're the original floral shop. They've been there since the open market started on the first day of Granville Island and they've been selling flowers in the family ever since. So last year, she really wanted to, one of the owners, the daughter, really wanted to up her bouquets, you know, and up.
Teri Holland (17:32.747)
yeah.
Teri Holland (17:40.886)
you
Ami DeMelo (17:54.547)
the experience with her flowers. So we made an actual newspaper on newsprint, which let me tell you was very hard to source because newspaper printing has shut down all over the place. So we were able to source it and we created something called the Petal Press. In the Petal Press lives her brand story about her family-run business, tips on
Teri Holland (18:04.221)
Hahaha
Teri Holland (18:10.627)
right.
Teri Holland (18:16.494)
Cool.
Ami DeMelo (18:24.095)
keeping your bouquet longer, cool DIYs or things to do with dried flowers. And this is gonna change approximately quarterly. And she actually wraps her bouquets with them as well as other wrapping so it doesn't get wet. And it's just incredible. The feedback she's gotten has just been amazing and people are always posting it on social media. And it's kind of a really cute, cute addition to.
It helps get the messaging out there when somebody comes in and they're just buying a bouquet of flowers. But now they're taking with them her brand story, her branding. It's an extension of her brand that people will look at, interact with and read beyond just picking up a bouquet of flowers.
Teri Holland (19:11.33)
That's so cool. I love that. That makes me want to go buy some flowers today because I I want read it now. I'm so curious. That's really cool. I love that. What about some common mistakes that you see brands making with print?
Ami DeMelo (19:12.933)
Mm-hmm. I really loved it. Yeah.
Right. Yeah.
Yeah.
Ami DeMelo (19:30.911)
The most common is just going onto a website, getting some cheap printed business cards because you just need business cards with no kind of strategy or thought behind it and printing a templated version on the stock in the lowest cost. These to me are like you're throwing money out. You're flushing it down the toilet. Like you're not...
Teri Holland (19:41.208)
Yeah.
Teri Holland (19:56.152)
Yeah.
Ami DeMelo (19:56.393)
There's no purpose to those business cards. You're not gonna get a response out of them. And I see people do that often with other things like direct mail, postcards, they're sending out that kind of thing. You're already spending for a direct mail campaign quite a bit of money, even when you do the cheap design version, like the templated version that I don't know, why would you spend upwards of a few thousand dollars?
and not spend the extra couple hundred to get it designed correctly and printed nicely.
Teri Holland (20:30.494)
That's such a good point. It's, yeah, I just, I just thought of this that I had, often my podcast guests will send a thank you card after, not always, but once in a while they'll send me something or they'll send me their book. And when I had Glen Van Peski on the show and he was talking about minimalism, he's an ultralight backpacker.
Ami DeMelo (20:31.965)
Mm-hmm.
Ami DeMelo (20:41.555)
Okay.
Teri Holland (20:51.8)
He sent me a thank you card with a signed copy of his book, but with it, his business card, which was like one of the mini ones you can get from, I know Moo does them. And it was a mini one. And I thought that's so perfect for him because his whole message is do less with more or do more with less, do more with less. Yeah. And so like sending a little mini business card was perfect for him. And so I think there's so many opportunities today where we can be creative in that way and think of what does the brand actually stand for.
and how can we represent that, which is what you do so well.
Ami DeMelo (21:25.193)
That's exactly, well, thank you for saying that, but that's exactly what I was meaning. Like there's so many ways you can achieve a really thoughtful and creative print. And you don't always have to spend the extra money on, you know, expensive finishings like die cutting and gold foil can add a significant cost to something. you know, that fits the brand. So.
Teri Holland (21:28.683)
you
Teri Holland (21:43.01)
Yeah.
Ami DeMelo (21:52.407)
That was really well done that he has those little cards Those are so cute. I've never actually got to make them for a client and I've always wanted to, but it's never made sense yet. So I hope I get to make those one day.
Teri Holland (21:56.856)
So cute.
Teri Holland (22:02.734)
Yeah, that was the first time I've ever actually seen one in person and I thought it was really cool.
Ami DeMelo (22:08.351)
I do have the samples of those from from Moo. Yeah.
Teri Holland (22:14.348)
nice, nice. And then are there any, do you see any trends that we should be aware of right now, trends or technologies when it comes to our print materials?
Ami DeMelo (22:25.215)
So one interesting trend that I'm exploring and I don't know a ton about yet is people trying to bridge the gap between that online experience. We're seeing it commonly with QR codes, of course, so you can just quickly review further information. But I'm starting to see at the print trade shows some more creative ways of incorporating the online to
like making your QR code more than just going to a website. It's a little bit more involved and it's pretty interesting and it's something I'm learning about right now. So I'm excited to see how this kind of technology develops in the next couple of years, but it's kind of bridging the gap between design and physical and digital world.
Teri Holland (22:59.735)
Okay.
Teri Holland (23:09.687)
Yeah.
Teri Holland (23:17.396)
interesting. So what like what are you seeing with it? What are they doing differently?
Ami DeMelo (23:21.607)
I've seen it kind of instead of just going directly to a lot of times it's being used to look at avatars. It's a very like non grown up way yet. If that makes sense, like corporate yet people are kind of using it in a super creative way where it's going to avatars speaking about things instead. But I can envision it going to some kind of different landing pages where there's videos that are more.
Teri Holland (23:35.136)
Okay, yeah.
Ami DeMelo (23:50.303)
and interactive and it's kind of bringing in the whole idea of the immersive interactive online space as well. We're slowly starting to see that trending into websites too where they're less static and more movement. So I think it's kind of the whole how all of that's gonna come full circle and how we can create the codes or your phone to pick up things.
Teri Holland (23:52.601)
interesting.
Ami DeMelo (24:17.823)
on your print material that kind of brings you back to digital. So it's a little bit counter what I'm saying, but at the same time it ties it both in if that makes sense. Yeah.
Teri Holland (24:28.823)
Okay.
Yeah, that just makes sense because we are in a digital world. At some point it makes sense that the two have to connect and yeah, makes that totally make sense.
Ami DeMelo (24:42.001)
They do because we have we need to track too. I mean the ultimate goal of course of print material is either outreach and and people discovering you or guiding them towards that sale or that connection with you. So usually that has to bring you back online somehow in your call to action.
Teri Holland (24:59.256)
Yeah.
Teri Holland (25:03.234)
That makes sense. Yeah, that totally makes sense. you know, speaking of that, like we have an event coming up in May, Five Peaks Summit, which Ami is speaking at. And the number one way that people are buying tickets is from
me going to networking events and handing them a postcard of the event that has been so far the number one way that people are buying their tickets, which surprised us. It really surprised us. We thought it would be all the social media content, but it's people I've physically put a card in their hands. They're the ones that are buying the most. so, yeah. And it was just an afterthought. Like it was...
Ami DeMelo (25:34.483)
Mm-hmm.
Ami DeMelo (25:40.487)
Yeah, I mean, it's that fatigue, right?
Teri Holland (25:46.944)
One day I was sitting on my couch and I thought, well, what if I make some postcards and went to all these networking events, I'll make something I can give to them. And I told Yahel who's co-hosting it, I told him, said, I'm gonna make some cards. He said, sure, yeah, whatever, do whatever you want. And that has been our number one conversion.
Ami DeMelo (25:52.734)
Mm-hmm.
Ami DeMelo (26:04.477)
Yeah, I'm surprised but not surprised because it kind of ties in everything we've talked today about. It's people, I mean, how many times are you scrolling or on the internet, on Facebook, Instagram, everything, emails, and you're getting invited to conferences and events and you might file it like, yeah, I want to go to this one. This one sounds great.
Teri Holland (26:12.322)
does.
Ami DeMelo (26:29.649)
I'll put this on my to-do list, I'll leave this tab open, I'll get to this soon. But printed materials give you that focus time. You're not looking on a phone that's getting notifications, you're not getting distracted by apps, forgetting where you were on the phone. You have this physical thing in your hand that's telling you to do something that you're interested in, and you're like, cool, I'm gonna do this right now.
Teri Holland (26:30.168)
Yeah.
Teri Holland (26:47.852)
Right.
Teri Holland (26:56.556)
Yeah, and it has a QR code.
Ami DeMelo (26:59.739)
Exactly. Yes, yeah. QR codes, they're an iffy topic. I get asked all the time, should they be on stuff? And again, it just comes back to the strategy behind it. Why is it there? And what do we want to do with it?
Teri Holland (27:11.234)
Yeah, yeah, that makes sense because they're not the prettiest. But yeah.
Ami DeMelo (27:15.823)
No, but they can be colored and they can blend in and they don't, you know, they can be incorporated into design and they can look decent because we're all used to looking at them now.
Teri Holland (27:28.216)
That's true. Yeah. Like the one you put out. I'm pointing this way because my business cards are sitting there. Like the one that you put on my business card. The brand colors. It looks good. It looks like it's part of the design and not like something just stuck on top.
Ami DeMelo (27:33.428)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Ami DeMelo (27:43.431)
Yeah, exactly. Yeah.
Teri Holland (27:45.058)
Yeah, very cool. Do you have a favorite piece that you've created?
Ami DeMelo (27:50.579)
of a print material. a favorite piece. Honestly, I have a personal love of magazines. I originally, like in high school, always thought that one day I would work at a magazine. Of course, though, magazines kind of died out as I became an adult. those jobs weren't really available.
Teri Holland (27:51.788)
Yeah.
Teri Holland (28:12.59)
Great.
Ami DeMelo (28:16.959)
So I haven't actually created. This is an answer to your question of what is the one I've created. It's the one I want to create. I really want to make some kind of local supporting newspaper, magazine-y printed thing. So that would be my favorite because unfortunately a lot of the printed stuff I do, while I love it all, is business related and you know,
Teri Holland (28:24.322)
Cool.
Ami DeMelo (28:45.957)
it's not as creative. I don't get those totally creative off the rockers cool projects that are just to create. I get things that are made for my clients for strategy reasons for their business. So they're amazing and they're cool. I did just finish a few kind of magazine esque books for a client in the real estate industry.
Teri Holland (29:05.016)
Yeah.
Teri Holland (29:11.51)
Wow.
Ami DeMelo (29:14.705)
And those are super, super cool. There's two of them and they're many pages long. So he gives those out to clients and I really like how those turned out. So my favorite items would be book, making books.
Teri Holland (29:29.186)
Very cool. Yeah, I'm curious if you ever do that or when you do that to your magazine. I'm excited to see it. It'll happen. Yeah, it will happen. It will for sure. And then do you have any tips for how we can stay eco-conscious with print materials?
Ami DeMelo (29:30.504)
Mm-hmm.
Ami DeMelo (29:37.487)
Mm-hmm. It'll happen. I don't know when, but it'll happen.
Ami DeMelo (29:50.417)
Eco-conscious. So more and more we are getting eco-friendly printers and printers are, you know, paying attention to sustainability. So there are now print shops that you can use that even have eco-friendly print. Like the ink itself is not so toxic for the environment. There are so many paper types now that you can use that are eco-friendly and
Teri Holland (30:09.317)
nice.
Ami DeMelo (30:19.231)
cool things that you can do too, like paper that you can plant and it turns into flowers. So, right? Super, super cool. And there's tissue paper and boxes and stuffing for boxes and all these great products that are hitting the market. Before it was a barrier because it was really expensive, it's slowly getting cheaper and cheaper to use these different resources. So sustainability is
Teri Holland (30:25.974)
I've seen that.
Ami DeMelo (30:48.383)
top of mind, I think, with everyone in the industry.
Teri Holland (30:51.778)
Yeah, like those, you I'm just reminded of those packing peanuts, the ones that dissolve in water. It's just like corn starch. And it's, yeah, one of my friends who has a skincare line, she uses that for her packing and gets all these videos from parents sending videos back to her of their kids playing with them. And it becomes a whole sensory thing for them to dissolve them in the sink. And they love it. They have a great time doing it. So it's kind of a, multipurpose for them. Keeps the kids entertained.
Ami DeMelo (30:56.223)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, those are cool.
Ami DeMelo (31:17.791)
I'm sorry.
Teri Holland (31:21.314)
Yeah.
Ami DeMelo (31:22.047)
Absolutely and keep the environment a little bit cleaner.
Teri Holland (31:26.26)
Absolutely, yeah. So I have a couple questions that came through my Instagram community. These are sort of more general on branding, and all three of these came from Lizzi She's always, she's my number one question asker on Instagram. So the first thing she asked is, is minimalist a current trend?
Ami DeMelo (31:27.923)
Hmm
Ami DeMelo (31:32.68)
Okay.
Ami DeMelo (31:36.511)
Okay.
Ami DeMelo (31:42.751)
Amazing.
Ami DeMelo (31:50.322)
Minimalism is always a trend, I think. And I don't think it comes and goes. Maximalism, if you want to call it that, is trending right now because it's been very, and I think going to be trending more into this year and into the next couple years, which is big, more eccentric fonts and typefaces.
Teri Holland (31:51.406)
Yeah.
Teri Holland (32:05.889)
Okay.
Ami DeMelo (32:18.439)
more color palettes with multiple colors and less of the nudes and pages but I think the aesthetic of minimalism is a staple. It's like your little black dress in design. It's always around.
Teri Holland (32:32.012)
Nice. And then she has going along with that, how many colors? How many colors should we be using?
Ami DeMelo (32:39.729)
Okay, so I do have some pretty strong opinions on this. This depends on two things. This depends on one, if your company has an internal design team who's going to be making everything moving forward, or if you are a solopreneur, a small business with just a few staff and multiple people who are not industry designers are going to be making anything for you.
Teri Holland (32:43.97)
Good.
Ami DeMelo (33:09.755)
In that case, you should have one or two primary colors with supporting neutrals. And if you have an in-team design team, then yeah, you can have a more robust kind of color palette. So there's no solid amount of, let's say, five colors. But if you're a small business who doesn't have an internal designer or a freelance designer that you're working with regularly, then you should just keep to one or two colors.
Anything after that, you can get convoluted. The effects of having staple colors could be lost in the translation and you might run into issues with legibility and contrasting if you're not professionally trained.
Teri Holland (33:55.566)
that makes sense. And then her final question was, what are the top three basic rules for finding a brand identity?
Ami DeMelo (33:56.819)
Mm-hmm.
Ami DeMelo (34:04.959)
the top.
Teri Holland (34:06.699)
and
Ami DeMelo (34:10.469)
I do not know how to answer that in a really simple form. I'm curious what she means though by finding a brand identity because I think it is found through the process of research. So I think what it comes down to is really defining your business strategy. So your brand messaging, your
Teri Holland (34:22.126)
Mmm, yes.
Ami DeMelo (34:40.335)
really nailing who your target market is and really knowing your business from an internal way. And that will dictate what your visual aesthetic will be.
Teri Holland (34:56.055)
Perfect.
Ami DeMelo (34:56.607)
That might not be three things, but that's kind of the direction I think you would have to go.
Teri Holland (35:03.232)
Yeah, that sounds like the great place to start with. And I have some rapid fire questions for you if you're ready for them. All right. What is your favorite book or your favorite book to recommend?
Ami DeMelo (35:07.017)
Mm-hmm.
Ami DeMelo (35:11.239)
Okay. Okay.
Ami DeMelo (35:19.835)
I love Atomic Habits by James Clear, is it? I think. I love that book. I think I'm due to read it again. I should read it every few years, I think, but the first time I read it, my mind was just blown and I absolutely love that book.
Teri Holland (35:38.198)
It's a great one. That's one of my favorites too. What is your favorite food?
Ami DeMelo (35:39.485)
Mm-hmm.
No, by far Mexican. I could just eat Mexican every day, all day, never eat anything else again.
Teri Holland (35:46.016)
Nice.
Yep, fair enough. Biggest pet peeve.
Ami DeMelo (35:55.735)
okay. I think it would be the people who bag their dog's poo but leave it places.
Teri Holland (36:08.878)
yeah.
Ami DeMelo (36:10.833)
Like you see the little green and blue and red bags just random locations all over the place, especially the ones that are deep into the woods. There is no fairy coming to pick those up.
Teri Holland (36:25.42)
Right? I fully agree, I hate that. Who inspires you?
Ami DeMelo (36:32.877)
think my parents combined, they are my reason for a lot of things, but especially the work ethic that I have. Those two are powerhouse work horses and I really respect them a lot.
Teri Holland (36:38.605)
Nice.
Teri Holland (36:53.004)
Amazing. And three things you would take with you to a deserted island.
Ami DeMelo (36:56.159)
that is a hard one. So I was thinking you might ask all of these because of course I listen to the podcast. And every time I hear others answer this, I'm like, what would my three even be? So I've put some thought into this. And I'm going to go with my dog, a camera with and a life straw, so that I always have clean water.
Teri Holland (37:05.281)
Yeah.
Teri Holland (37:10.836)
Yeah. Cool.
Teri Holland (37:16.406)
nice.
Cool.
Teri Holland (37:26.03)
Perfect, so smart. I think you're the first one to say, my dog. I think you be the first one for all three of those, and those are all great things to bring, but I think it's the first one for my dog. Nice. Yeah.
Ami DeMelo (37:30.579)
Really?
Ami DeMelo (37:35.647)
Absolutely, because she'll keep me safe and give me company.
Teri Holland (37:42.958)
Who's a celebrity you'd like to have dinner with, dead or alive?
Ami DeMelo (37:47.783)
Again, this one always stumps me and I was not sure what I was gonna say. So I'm not a big pop culture celebrity kind of follower person. So I thought of this from a more like, who would I wanna talk to right now in the current climate that we live in? And ultimately I think I would have to go with somebody like Warren Buffett or my favorite
Teri Holland (37:52.92)
you
Ami DeMelo (38:17.189)
woman entrepreneur Arlene Dickinson. I would love to hear what they just have to say about life right now. Yeah.
Teri Holland (38:20.696)
Yes.
Teri Holland (38:25.258)
Yeah, both great choices. And the final one, what is your go-to karaoke song? Anything Spice Girls. Perfect. And then Andrei Mincov sent you a question he was the last guest on and his question for you is how do you know when you don't know that you don't know and what do do about it?
Ami DeMelo (38:32.059)
anything Spice Girls. I don't know which one, just anything Spice Girls. They get me going every time.
Ami DeMelo (38:53.503)
Oh wow, how do you know?
Teri Holland (38:54.883)
Yeah.
when you don't know that you don't know.
Ami DeMelo (39:01.257)
Think if you're in tune with yourself and you are able to listen to your intuition and kind of just sit there in a moment of I don't know with your authentic self. You'll know that you don't know. So how do you deal with that? I mean, I guess it would depend on the problem. Is it a personal problem or a business problem? But for me, when I'm not sure what to do, I get out a good old pen and paper and do a brain dump or
a good old pros and cons list and it usually helps me sort things out. So I hope that's what he was meaning.
Teri Holland (39:34.606)
Nice.
Yeah.
I think so, yeah, I think so. It works for me anyway, I think it's a great answer. And then do you have a question you would like to pass along to the next guest without knowing who they are?
Ami DeMelo (39:45.695)
Perfect.
Ami DeMelo (39:52.101)
Yeah, how about...
if they... how am gonna word this?
Teri Holland (40:07.82)
You
Ami DeMelo (40:12.262)
If they...
Ami DeMelo (40:16.295)
If they knew the impact that we'll keep it on topic from today. So if they knew the impact that print could have in their business, why are they not implementing it?
Teri Holland (40:36.18)
is a good one. Great question. And lastly, any final words you want to leave the audience with?
Ami DeMelo (40:45.971)
Just that take into consideration your business as a whole and check in on yourself sometimes. So are you doing okay and how is your business doing? And do those little mini audits like check in. Are you connecting with your customers the way that you did a year ago? Are you still on brand? Where can you improve on little details, you know, with your...
with your digital world and just checking in with yourself as often as you can.
Teri Holland (41:20.754)
advice. And what would you like the audience to do next? I know you have something that you're coming out with soon. Do you want to tell them about it?
Ami DeMelo (41:28.295)
Hmm.
Well, so for my talk at the event that we are doing together, I will be giving out sort of a DIY checklist on how to do these little brand audits and check-ins with yourself. So I would love to also give it to any of your listeners.
Teri Holland (41:53.742)
Perfect. Great. And so we'll include information in the show notes for you to download that. Thank you so much, Ami. It's been great having you here.
Ami DeMelo (42:02.899)
Yeah, thank you so much for having me.
Teri Holland (42:06.858)
Okay so I'm gonna hit stop.
