Good design is more than a pretty logo, tasteful colours and trendy fonts. It’s about bringing the story and purpose of a business to life, capturing the feeling and heart of what a brand does.

Designer Joyce Vacca creates brand identities that are always thoughtful and rich in meaning. We collaborated with Joyce for the ceramics business Barton Croft, creating a compelling story to go with Joyce’s brand design, including the beautiful table illustration. Working for a pottery brand was a natural fit, as Joyce describes her work and approach as ‘like a potter moulding clay…shaping a brand from its raw potential, transforming it into a beautiful and sustainable expression of what they do.’

Like her designs, Joyce runs her own business in a soulful way, focusing on balance and well-being. In our conversation, she provides helpful insight into finding a sustainable way to be a successful business owner; wisdom many of us could benefit from at the start of the new year.

Q: January is often a time of reflection and setting goals for the year ahead. What is your advice for small businesses that want to do their best work and drive their business forward in a sustainable way in 2024?

I love the sense of newness that January brings! I think the best thing you can do is take a moment to step back and reflect before you jump into action. Reflect on the past year and ask yourself what things no longer serve you - either financially (because financial health is important) or passion and interest-wise. Priorities that you cared about a year ago may have shifted and it’s important to pivot your business efforts accordingly. I find that it’s especially important for small businesses where personal life and business are so intertwined. Life changes and so our businesses need to shift with them. Don’t be so wrapped up in the frenzy that you run in a direction that’s diametrically opposed to where you actually want to go. List the things you want to cut down or reduce but also expand on the things that get you excited and/or provide the stable foundation to allow you to go after the things that matter to you. Your plan always needs to be a blend of grounded realism and heartfelt vision.

Joyce Vacca, shot by Salsabil Morrison

Q: A lot of your work involves helping brands truly understand what their values are and what makes them unique. Do you go through a certain process with each brand to help them uncover their story?

I do and it’s one of my favourite things to lead my clients through. I have developed my own twist over the years which I lovingly call my ‘Wayfinding Workshop’. My framework takes us through your why, what and who through a series of starter questions that serve as an intentional springboard into unique (yet guided) conversations where we find the gold and connect the dots. I find the brand story always emerges in dialogue and I love the part where I can see things click in my clients and things suddenly become clear. That clarity of knowing who you are and your place is a powerful thing.

Q: How important is having a strong brand story when designing and creating visuals for a brand?

Every designer’s brain works a little differently but for me, it’s integral to the process. I love linking back visual decisions to the brand story, researching relevant cultural and historical references and pulling those through into their brand world in a way that echoes their story. You can harness our shared visual language in wonderful ways and it adds so much depth to the work! In practical terms this can take many forms, for example, I would look at typography that reflects both the tone and the context of the brand or develop icons and imagery that may have a personal connection to the brand founder but also tell the overall brand story. For a recent project, I did a deep dive into William Morris’ patterns since the client’s interior styling approach was inspired by his work, so I had a lot of fun building a vintage typography system. I always want to feel like the audience steps into a little brand universe when they interact with the brand.

Packing slip designed by Joyce of All Trades for pottery studio Barton Croft

Q: You’re someone who really prioritises your own wellbeing and creating a business that’s sustainable for you long-term. How do you manage to maintain those boundaries and ensure you’re doing work that inspires you creatively without getting overwhelmed?

It always is a bit of a work in progress. But I think it’s really important to not let your work consume your identity. Your business is something you do, not something you are. It’s something that you cultivate, nurture and steward, a little bit like a plant. Seeing my business as its own entity that I get to shape and harness has helped my mental health massively. I have discovered, I benefit from some routine although I don’t have a very fixed schedule, I try to maintain rhythms that are helpful for me to stay on track. I would also say I’m less ambitious than some business owners so that helps with not constantly feeling like I am behind on my goals and maybe in some ways that’s more sustainable. I do believe good things take time and it’s ok not to be the biggest name in the game, as long as I know I do my work with excellence and leave things better than I found them (and can make a living whilst doing so).

I also keep an eye out for my ‘give out/recharge’ balance, if I feel like work and life has been a constant pouring out recently I try to claw back some margin doing things that recharge me. So if I have a big few weeks, I schedule in a slower admin day afterwards or even just a potter around my local book shops to give my brain some space to collect itself. Sometimes that’s not possible but I found that there are always modifications for something to at least help me tilt the balance a little bit. I like to look at my energy levels distributed over the week not the day, some days just require me to be all in and other days don’t, so I try to keep an eye on the overall trend of energy expense - and being mindful of other things on my plate that also require emotional and mental energy especially outside of work, sometimes we forget to ‘budget’ for those things.

I would also say boundaries are not necessarily rules set in stone, different things work for different people.

Q: Does having a clear and strong brand story help you run your own business, for example, does it help you to make decisions and connect with Clients?

Absolutely! If you know what you’re about, you’re not so easily sidetracked by what everyone else is doing. It’s like a compass that helps you stay true to yourself and when I haven’t followed it in the past, it did not go well for me. For example, all the thoughts on boundaries that I shared with you are rooted in my brand story centred around grounded craftsmanship, design with soul and substance for artisan souls - people and brands that do things well and beautifully.

Because of that my marketing strategy is rooted in inviting honesty and an emphasis on collaboration and dialogue. My brand is never pushy, never forceful and I will not encourage someone to invest outside their means for example - I have actually talked some potential clients out of a rebrand because it was not the right move for them at the time and one of them thanked me relieved and teary-eyed, so yes I missed out on a contract but it was the right thing to do in her situation.

This also goes for my pricing strategy, I deliberately have crafted packages for people who want to do things properly and want to give their brand the time and headspace it deserves, structured in a way that allows me to do work that is thoughtfully constructed and well executed whilst being fairly compensated. I don’t lower my prices because it would mean to cut corners and that goes against my brand story, however I offer different services to meet different needs in a way that is congruent with my brand story.

So yeah, getting clear about your brand story can definitely help you make big business decisions.

Image: Tote bag designed by Joyce of All Trades for jewellery brand Studio Adorn

Q: What other brand(s) have storytelling that you particularly love? And is there a brand with a story you'd love to work with?

There are so many!!! I love the concept of Maison d’Etto, designed by Lotta Nieminen, she distilled the story and visual references into such a striking and elegant brand identity, truly one of my favourite brand identities to date. A. N. Other perfumes also have a really strong brand story that weaves through everything they do.

Personally, I am a huge fan of Joanna Eliza’s photography & videography, they have such a strong brand narrative around slow living and emotional intimacy which would be such an honour to translate into visuals. Another dream project would be some local bakeries that work with regenerative wheat and spearhead other sustainable practices, I would to collaborate with them!

Want to discover more brilliant brands? The stories continue on Instagram @simplemattersmedia and sign up for our monthly newsletter ‘StoryWorks’

The Art Of Brand Storytelling With Design Studio 'Joyce Of All Trades'