From intimidating to inviting:
Kara’s HIYA VIBES transformation
On paper, Kara is an accountant. In real life, she’s the kind of person who can turn a VAT return into something you don’t actively dread. She’s funny, tech-savvy, deeply competent, and refreshingly honest about the chaos of running a small business. She understands spreadsheets inside out, but more importantly, she understands people. Especially the creative, slightly frazzled, millennial women who would rather reorganise their entire kitchen than open a letter from HMRC.
Kara isn’t selling numbers; she’s selling relief. The deep exhale of finally feeling like someone has your back. The reassurance that you can ask a ‘stupid’ question and not be made to feel small. Accounting, but human.
And yet, visually, her brand hadn’t quite caught up.
Before HIYA VIBES, Kara had a strong sense of what she wanted her brand to feel like, but struggled to translate that feeling into visuals that actually hit the mark. She told me:
‘I had ideas in my head of how I wanted them to look but struggled to execute it. Whenever I had asked someone to create anything for me, it never quite hit the mark with what I was after.’
That gap between knowing and showing is more common than people admit, especially in service-based businesses. Kara didn’t lack personality or clarity. She lacked a visual system that could hold all of it: the humour, the chaos, the competence, the warmth. That’s where HIYA VIBES came in.
Examples of Kara’s new images. See more images -> here.
The Challenge
Accounting visuals are notoriously… beige. Corporate stock images. Men in navy suits. Clean desks that no real human has ever worked at. None of that reflected Kara or her clients. She needed imagery that said ‘I know my stuff’ and ‘you’re safe here’, without slipping into corporate stiffness or trying too hard to be quirky.
She wanted her brand to feel approachable, energetic, and non-judgemental. Like the accountant you’d actually want to DM. But every time she tried to brief someone else to create visuals, the result missed the nuance. The humour flattened. The personality disappeared. The vibe got lost in translation.
What she needed wasn’t just images, it was clarity. A way to articulate what she liked, what she didn’t, and why. Even when she couldn’t quite find the words.
Examples of Kara’s new images. See more images -> here.
The Vibe Definition
We started with the Vibe Check, which gave Kara the space to slow down and really look at her own taste, instincts, and emotional goals for her brand. She told me the process helped her get everything out of her head and onto paper in a way that finally made sense.
‘It helped to get everything written down, and actually think in more detail about what I liked. The process was helpful as I could pinpoint what I liked about certain things I couldn’t previously articulate myself’.
That insight mattered. Kara didn’t need to be more involved or more prescriptive, she needed someone to listen between the lines and shape what was already there. When her Vibe Definition Report landed, her reaction was immediate:
‘Like someone finally understood me!’
That moment, the feeling of being seen and interpreted accurately, is the foundation of the HIYA VIBES personal branding library experience. The report gave Kara a clear emotional core to build from: fun, energetic, non-judgemental. It framed her brand as the antidote to boring accounting. Numbers, but make them nice. Bookkeeping with a pulse.
The Shoot
Once the vibe was defined, I built Kara’s HIYA VIBES bespoke still life library around that energy. Bright colours. Cheerful chaos. Office supplies with personality. Coffee cups, colourful stationery, playful tech, sticky notes with humour baked in. Everything deliberately chosen to say: this is accounting, but it’s not scary.
The scenes weren’t about perfection. They were about relatability. The lived-in reality of running a business. The snack wrappers, the caffeine, the colour-coded systems that keep everything ticking over. A visual language that mirrors how Kara actually works and how her clients actually live.
Examples of Kara’s new images. See more images -> here.
When Kara saw her library for the first time, her response summed it up perfectly:
‘In love. They perfectly captured what I was after and it made me feel inspired to actually post and use them’.
That inspiration matters. Good visuals don’t just sit there looking nice. They remove friction. They make showing up feel easier.
The Toolkit
Alongside her image library, Kara received the HIYA VIBES Toolkit, designed to bridge the gap between having beautiful visuals and actually knowing what to do with them. For Kara, this was a huge relief.
‘It can be overwhelming receiving all the visual/final product but then be booted into the big bad world to use them, but this really has helped set my mind at ease and given me some ideas.’
The Toolkit gave her structure without pressure. Suggestions without overwhelm. A sense that she wasn’t being left alone to figure it all out.
The Outcome
At the time of writing, Kara hasn’t fully rolled out her new visuals yet, but the shift has already begun. She told me that having the library has encouraged her to look for social media support, because now there’s finally something solid to build from.
‘I love the library as I feel like I now have resources that I can use and build on.’
That’s an important part of this story. HIYA VIBES doesn’t just create a moment; it creates a foundation. For Kara, the images aren’t the end point, they’re the starting line. A visual identity she can grow into, refine, and expand as her business evolves.
When I asked what she’d say to a friend considering HIYA VIBES, her answer quietly captured the heart of the process:
‘Working with you has been such an easy process, without me being too involved… I like that I didn’t have to have too much input and you perfectly captured what I was visualising.’
That ease is intentional. Especially for business owners who are already carrying a lot.
Examples from Kara’s new bespoke personal branding library. See more images -> here.
Why It Matters
Kara’s experience is a reminder that personal branding isn’t about being loud or polished or ‘professional’ in the traditional sense. It’s about alignment. About feeling like your visuals are finally doing the same job you are. Her HIYA VIBES library didn’t turn her into someone else. It simply made visible what was already there: a smart, funny, deeply human accountant who makes money stuff feel manageable.
And that’s exactly the point.
Ready to Find Your Vibe?
Whether you’re established, emerging, or still figuring yourself out…
If you’re tired of swirling ideas that never quite land…
If you want visuals that reflect not just your work but your inner world…
HIYA VIBES meets you right where you are.
Begin with the VIBE CHECK, see your identity come into focus in the VIBE DEFINITION REPORT, and walk away with a HIYA VIBES still life library + TOOLKIT that reflects the real, imperfect, becoming version of you.
Marianne
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