marketing & branding | bombilla creative, inc.

February 14, 2023 — Comments are off for this post.

Building Bombilla® Podcast: How to Build a Creative Agency for Social Change

This podcast project is dedicated to folks who are #litonpurpose and taking bold audacious steps to start their own businesses for social change. Tune in to hear from other entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders committed to using business to create a more just, sustainable world. Host Ivellisse Morales is committed to a values-driven life, and her creative design agency, bombilla®, is on a mission to make the world a more just, equitable place through the power of design.

Episode 1: #LitOnPurpose with Lauren Rascoe of Lauren Rascoe Creative

Taking the leap to live the dream. bombilla® founder, Ivellisse Morales and Lauren Rascoe of Lauren Rascoe Creative started their own businesses to create the purpose-driven careers they always wanted. In this episode, they compare notes on their experiences as creative entrepreneurs, their feelings about the title CEO, and the realities of building a business that’s #litonpurpose. Lauren is also the podcast producer for Building Bombilla®. Thank you, Lauren!

Resource Links:

Uptima Entrepreneur Cooperative (past client)
Lauren Rascoe: Website | LinkedIn | Instagram
My Textured Soul podcast

Episode 2: Lift As We Climb with Maureen Miller of Black to Yoga

In this episode, bombilla® founder, Ivellisse Morales and Certified Public Accountant and Black to Yoga co-founder Maureen Miller share how they’ve both lifted each other up while climbing as entrepreneurs of color in the Bay Area. And as bombilla's trusted CPA accountant, Maureen offers wisdom about embracing the value of your work and why it’s important to stay on top of your numbers, and bring on an accountant, from the very beginning of your business journey.

Resource Links:

Black To Yoga
Maureen Miller: Instagram

Episode 3: In Equity We Trust with Ellie Tumbuan of The Justice Collective

Ellie Tumbuan is co-founder, co-owner, and Head of Strategy and Culture at The Justice Collective, a 100% women of color founded, owned, managed and led full-service consulting firm based in Oakland, CA. In her conversation with bombilla® founder, Ivellisse Morales, Ellie talks about making business choices that serve the greatest good rather than the greatest profit, and how the strength and wisdom of her ancestors gets her through the difficulties of building a business rooted in social change.

Links:

Ellie Tumbuan: LinkedIn | Instagram
The Justice Collective
Grace Lee Boggs
Rev+All
Alliance for Community Development (current client)

Episode 4: Our Collective Genius with Team Bombilla®

In this lively group discussion, Kimberly Cho, Lillian Kim, Samantha Vaughan, and Tiffany Threets, aka Team Bombilla®, share the different paths that brought them to this non-traditional creative agency, the ups and downs of working at a start-up for social change, and how each one of them has grown at bombilla by stretching themselves and developing new skills. We discuss business innovation, being resourceful, one year as employed team, building systems, processes, and innovating as a 100% woman-of-color-led team.

Resource Links:

Episode 5: Radical Optimism with Naima McQueen of The Alliance for Community Development

Naima McQueen is a business and racial equity consultant and the Executive Director of the Alliance for Community Development in Oakland, CA. Alliance is dedicated to increasing access to capital for underrepresented entrepreneurs. In this episode, we explore how we intentionally create internal cultures of sustainability and respect, the importance of investing in your own business, and the big difference a little capital can make for a business owner committed to social change.

Resource Links:

Naima McQueen
Alliance for Community Development (current client)
RUNWAY (former client)
Common Future
Profit First by Mike Michalowicz

September 27, 2022 — Comments are off for this post.

Stock Sites Inclusive of All Humankind

At bombilla, our creativity calls us towards imagining a more just and equitable world, and our gifts for collaboration and collective imagination provide our strongest assets on the shared road to positive progress. As designers and storytellers, part of our job on this journey is to ensure we are promoting visibility and inclusion of all humankind. In this guide, we want to extend the knowledge and resources collected over the years working with a vast spectrum of client-partners.

Below are some of the stock libraries we've used that promote visibility and inclusion of all humankind. Some are free, some are not, but most assets are supplied by sites and creatives that are typically underrepresented and underserved such as the Disabled community, WOC, BIPOC & LGBTQIA+, or are organizations that carry anti-capitalist values.

Inclusive Stock Image Sites

Inclusive Stock Video Sites

blackstockfootage.io

Inclusive Illustration Sites

blackillustrations.com

Inclusive Font Sites

This list is always evolving! If you have a resource that you would like to share with our community, please reach out to our team.

September 27, 2022 — Comments are off for this post.

Shining at San Francisco Design Week 2022

In this workshop from June 2022 for San Francisco Design Week, the bombilla team walks us through a creative exercise to evaluate 3 ways we can immediately be #litonpurpose, bringing joy and light into our personal and professional lives.

Slide from #LitOnPurpose: How to Be Creative for a Change workshop at SF Design Week. © bombilla creative, inc. 2022

Anxious and angry about the state of humanity and the planet?

Transform that energy into purpose-driven creativity and career choices. It’s no secret that we operate in a system designed to distract and divide. Refocus by tapping into your personal power, using your gifts and reclaiming your story. Together, we will explore both the opportunity (and duty) we have as creative humans who are ready to take authentic action on issues that matter most to us. We’re all bombillas (lightbulbs) waiting to be lit on purpose. The world needs us — no matter what industry, creative discipline, age or level. We need players in all positions.

Participants will leave feeling inspired, connected and with clarity on three ways they can immediately be #litonpurpose, bringing joy and light to their personal and professional lives.

Slide from #LitOnPurpose: How to Be Creative for a Change workshop at SF Design Week. © bombilla creative, inc. 2022

September 27, 2022 — Comments are off for this post.

The Art of Customer Service: Brand and Social Media Marketing for Success

Many traditional business models treat customer service and marketing as separate systems. More recent customer experience frameworks, however, understand that your BRAND lies at the intersection of these two areas.

In this practical workshop at the conference for Bay Area Capital Connections XIII: Imagining Our New Selves, Ivellisse Morales guides audience members to evaluate their organization's practices and beliefs around customer service.

About the Conference

From the event organizers: This year's conference theme is Imagining Our New Selves. Sessions will cover practical topics related to bolstering our organizations as we enter a new phase of economic development that is adapted to a world with constantly changing rules.

As our entrepreneurial community begins its tumultuous climb out of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are at the forefront of reimagining how we cultivate a supportive ecosystem for all community members. We know the nature of the problems that persist in the Bay Area – in most cases, we know many viable solutions, too. Seizing on the opportunity for massive change presented to us, how can we build better systems as we look toward the Bay Area’s future? What roles must we play, and what tools do we need? Who else must be in the room?

Through BACC XIII, we hope to hold space for innovative conversations that reimagine and actively think through comprehensive entrepreneurial wellbeing, equitable designs for workplaces, and relationships with culturally-aware capital lenders. By holding the conference virtually for the second year in a row, we hope to keep this content accessible to the entire community regardless of the changing situation with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Conference hosted by The Alliance for Community Development. bombilla was one of the sponsors at this year's event.

July 19, 2022 — Comments are off for this post.

bombilla’s Print Vendor Guide

Print Vendors List

Possible Questions for Your Print Vendor

For print services:

Can you provide a quote estimate for my project?
What are your artwork requirements for my project?
^{Possible requirements you might inquire about:}
- Dimensions?
- File type?
- Resolution?
- Do you have a template we should work off of for bleeds, crops, trim, and safe areas?
What paper stock would you recommend for my project?
What is the expected turnaround time for this quote?
Do you deliver? If so, how is this cost calculated?
Do you have any additional costs we should be aware of?
Can you provide a hardcopy proof (sample print) of my project prior to printing? Is that an additional charge?
Are you a union shop? And/or can you tell us more about your labor practices?
Do you have any recommendations for more environmentally friendly materials to use for my project?

For screen printing on apparel:

Can you provide quote estimates for the following services?
- # of units: ___
  ^{(broken down by size if you know)}
- # of print colors: ___
  ^{(broken down by side of garment being printed on)}
- Type and color of apparel: ___
  ^{(ask for recommendations if you don’t have a wholesale brand selected or need help matching colors)}
What garment options would you recommend for [garment type]s that meet these requirements: _____?
^{Possible requirements you might inquire about:}
- Comfortable
- CPSIA safety compliant
- WRAP certified
- Made in USA
- Eco-friendly
  ^{(You’ll want to define what parameters you look for in terms of sustainability practices.)}
Are you a union shop? And/or can you tell us more about your labor practices?
What kind of printing services do you offer for apparel?
Do you have a setup fee or any additional costs we should be aware of?
What are your print requirements and print-area dimensions?
What is the expected turnaround time for this quote?
Do you deliver? If so, how is this cost calculated?
Do you use phthalate-free inks?

Check out the full bombilla Printer Guide here!

May 11, 2022 — Comments are off for this post.

Introducing bombilla’s™ Little Bright Branding Book

bombilla's™ little bright branding book is a playful poetry book for small businesses who care about heart-centered branding. The book launched in February 2022, in celebration of bombilla's 4th birthday.

You can get a copy of bombilla's™ little bright branding book here!

About the Book

Gorgeous matte hardcover, full-color book at 6×9 inches and 36 pages. Born December 29, 2021.
Poems are personally written by me (Ivellisse!), designed by Kimberly Cho, edited by Jesi Hanley Vega. Includes poems like The Branding ABC’s, Chief Everything Officer and Stories: as well as exercise pages for you to reflect and play.
5% of net sales will be earmarked for bombilla’s small business fund, a scholarship for Black, Brown & Queer emerging entrepreneurs (>2 years old) who seek our branding & design services.

My hope is that you'll walk away feeling #litonpurpose. And that you feel inspired and empowered to build your own heart-centered brand.
Ivellisse Morales

Get your own copy of bombilla's™ little bright branding book here!

December 18, 2020 — Comments are off for this post.

Scaling Soulfully Together in 2020

Dear Community,

Every day, I wake up blessed to be building the business of my dreams. Thank you for helping me make this all a reality. We're doing it through creativity, community and collaboration. It's amazing what unfolds when one steps into their purpose.

One too many burnouts forced me to re-evaluate my creative career in corporate social responsibility. Like a flip of a light switch, I knew it was time for me to build my own purpose-driven agency. I left the corporate world in February 2018 - I needed to be the change I wanted to see. It’s been history ever since! To date, we have built a brilliant core team, a talented national collective and a bright constellation of world-changing clients.

Our goal in 2021 is to deepen our financial resilience and to keep shining bright. You can play a role in our story by: hiring us and referring us for mission-driven brand strategy, visual identity and graphic design. Think of us as the go-to creative agency for small teams inside organizations with big dreams. Check out examples of our kick-ass work on our website.

Thanks to your projects, connections and support, here are some major milestones we made possible this year. Join us in the celebration: