The story behind Dear Bhav (and how to get free small business branding advice).
I’m sooooo excited to announce the launch of something brand new here at B81 Designs: Dear Bhav - your new design-led agony aunt column.
Starting this month, I’m opening up my inbox to solve the real, unspoken, and frustrating branding dilemmas that keep small business owners up at night. No corporate fluff, no gatekeeping; just honest, practical, and actionable creative direction to help you cut through the noise.
The spark behind the idea
Like all the best ideas, the concept for Dear Bhav didn’t come from a sterile brainstorming session. It was planted after a brilliant workshop, run by my amazing friend Leila Ainge.
We got talking about my recent conversation with Liz on the Building Your Brand podcast. Liz and I spent some time talking about small design tweaks that business owners can make to their branding and their marketing collateral that would help their businesses look more confident and more professional. Leila then suggested something (which we’ll talk about once I’ve made that happen) and after some time mulling it over I came up with Dear Bhav.
How it works (real advice, zero exposure)
Whether you feel like your logo has lost its spark, your colour palette is causing a headache, or your visual identity just doesn't reflect the quality of what you do…people often don't know who to ask, or they feel uncomfortable sharing their struggles publicly.
I wanted to change that. I wanted to create a safe, collaborative, and entirely zero-pressure space where business owners can get expert eyes on their creative roadblocks.
Building this in public (because why not?)
I'll be honest with you… Dear Bhav is brand new, and I'm figuring out a lot of it as I go. Rather than waiting until everything is perfectly polished before I share it with you, I've decided to build this whole thing out in the open. I’m not going to let my inner perfectionist win the battle on this one.
That means you'll get to see the wins, the wobbles, and everything in between. I'll be sharing updates on how it's growing, what's working, what isn't, and what I'm learning along the way. So if you fancy coming along for the ride, make sure you're following me on social and keeping an eye on the blog. It's going to be quite the adventure!
Come and find me
To celebrate the launch, I’m hitting the ground running this week and handing out Dear Bhav postcards at local events. If you spot me out and about, come grab one!
But you don't have to wait to meet me in person to get involved. Submissions are officially open to everyone right now. All you need to do is send me an email to dearbhav@b81designs.com.
Every month, I’ll select one dilemma from my inbox and break it down right here on the blog, offering step-by-step guidance that the whole community can learn from.
The golden rule: your secrets are totally safe with me. Cross my heart… your name and business will stay strictly anonymous. I’ll change any identifying details, names, or specific locations before anything goes live.
You get real advice; your business gets zero exposure.
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You get real advice; your business gets zero exposure. 〰️
Got a brand woe? Spill the tea.
Don't suffer in silence. If there’s a branding problem that’s keeping you up at night, fire over an email to dearbhav@b81designs.com. Just make sure you keep them branding and design related please…I don’t want to give you advice about your noisy neighbours!!
Keep your eyes peeled for the very first column dropping soon. Let's get your brand sorted!
