Strategic Switch: How to never compete on price again

Last week, I was chatting with a friend who’s been struggling to break through the $1,000 project ceiling.

She told me: “I’m a brand designer who helps businesses with their branding.” This positioning is exactly what's keeping her stuck at that $1000 per project mark.

"I work with businesses" is like saying "I work with humans."

It's so broad that it means absolutely nothing.

And I see this all the time! Incredibly talented designers who think they're being "strategic" by staying broad, so that they don’t “miss out” on potential clients.

But in reality, they're making themselves invisible in a very saturated industry.

Whereas the designers who are successfully charging $5k, $8k, even $15k+ per project have cracked the code on something most designers are terrified to do.

Which is why today, I’m showing you how to do what I am pretty sure you kinda know/have heard before, but still don’t follow.

Niching down.

And before you click that back arrow and close this email, we will not do it the obvious way. We are going to create what I call your Information Advantage: the secret weapon that transforms you from another “generic designer” to the obvious choice for clients willing to pay $$$$.

By the end of this newsletter, you’ll understand why Strategic Brand Designers who niche properly never compete on price, and you’ll have a 3-step framework to position yourself as THE expert in your chosen space.

Ready? Let’s dive in.

Let me guess.

You think niching down “narrows your options.”

But this relentless pursuit of the masses actually makes you boring. Think about it, mass means average. It means the centre of the curve.

It literally makes you the generic designer who’s gotta be charging what “most designers” charge.

And in this process of running away from the hard work of figuring out your niche, you end up making these 3 big mistakes:

Mistake #1: You’re trying to serve EVERYONE (and ending up serving no one well)

Imagine you’re planning your 7-year-old niece’s birthday party.

They’re obsessed with dinosaurs and want a dinosaur-themed celebration. You’ve got everything in place, the decor, the perfect cake, a beautiful dinosaur-blowing-the-candles e-invite:

Generic Designer: “I’m a brand designer who helps businesses with their branding.”

But your prospects don’t wake up thinking, “I need help with my branding!”

They wake up thinking:

• “Our product looks exactly like everyone else’s on the shelf.”

• “Our paid ads cost is only increasing day-by-day.”

• “We’re losing sales to competitors and I don’t know why.”

With broad positioning, prospects need to play detective.

Imagine you say, “I help business owners with branding,” and then a SaaS founder comes across your service. He has to now spend mental energy to figure out: “Do I need branding? Do they understand the SaaS industry? Are they talking about logos or messaging?”

The rule of thumb is– If you make them think, you’ll lose them!

And potential clients sense this from MILES away. 1 sec of them not being clear on what you do, and they’ll never come back to you!

They’ll just move on to someone who makes it crystal clear.

Mistake #3: You’re positioning yourself as a commodity designer, making you easily replaceable

Here’s what happens when you don’t have a clear niche:

Generic Designer conversation:

Client: “How much for a logo?”

Designer: “My logo packages start at $800.”

Client: “That other designer quoted me $400. What makes you different?”

Designer: “Um… I have great design skills and fast turnaround?”

Now you’re competing on price and generic benefits that any designer can claim.

Strategic Brand Designer conversation:

Client: “I need help with branding for my vegan protein company.”

Designer: “Perfect. I specialize in plant-based supplement brands. I know exactly how to position you against whey protein competitors and what messaging resonates with health-conscious athletes. Here’s how we’ll make you the obvious choice for your ideal customers…”

See what mistake you’re making?

Without a niche, you’re just another designer in a sea of designers. Clients see you as interchangeable, which forces you to compete on price instead of expertise.

Now, here’s what Strategic Brand Designers figured out that completely crushes the fear of niching down:

When you focus on one industry, you don’t have to “fake” expertise; you actually build it.

See, when you try to be a generalist, you start from zero with every single project.

Every industry feels foreign. Every client’s problems feel new. Every strategy session becomes a research marathon.

But when you pick a niche and commit to it, you know what happens?

Your expertise starts compounding.

Let’s take an example. Say you decide to focus on plant-based supplements brands.

Project 1: You spend hours researching the plant-based supplement industry, figuring out the competitors, learning about consumer behavior, etc.

Project 2 (in the same industry): You already know the landscape. You dive deeper into their specific requirements and intricacies like when working on the packaging, you also have to reserve additional space for legal information like ingredients and medical disclaimers.

Project 5: You start connecting the dots. You recognize the patterns between successful brands, and now understand which positioning strategies work, which don’t, and why.

Project 10: You become THE person who understands this industry. You can spot opportunities that others miss. You can predict what will resonate before you even start designing.

This is your Information Advantage at work.

While Generic Designers are still googling “how to position a supplement brand,” you’re having strategic conversations about market gaps and untapped opportunities.

And this expertise makes your strategy work FASTER and more effective, which means you can charge more while delivering better results.

That’s it! That’s the “hack”, so to say.

Putting in the work, in the right direction is the only hack you will ever need.

Now that you know what needs to be done, let’s help you to put it into action.

Here’s your blueprint to create an Information Advantage that commands premium prices:

Step 1: Find Your Information Advantage

You already have expertise in some industry, you just need to identify it.

Ask yourself these three questions:

What products do you personally buy and research obsessively?

Do you obsess over skincare routines and ingredients? Are you constantly trying new coffee brands and brewing methods? Do you spend hours researching fitness equipment and supplements?

What industries have you worked in or have family/friends working in?

Have you worked at a coffee shop or restaurant? Did you intern at a tech company or athletic brand? Do you have friends in specific industries who you talk shop with?

What hobbies or interests do you spend money on regularly?

What topics do you follow obsessively on social media? What would you talk about for hours if someone asked? What communities have you joined or want to join?

Step 2: Create Your 3-Layer Niche Strategy

Now, after knowing your information advantage industries, it’s time to pick.

Go through your list and pick a broad industry.

• If you can’t stop buying and testing skincare products, pick the “skincare” industry.

• If you’re a coffee addict and you can’t stop obsessing over it, pick the “coffee” industry.

DO NOT overcomplicate this!

Once you’ve picked a broad industry, we’ll now create 2 more layers with increased specificity, with each layer.

Example: If you picked “Food & Beverage”

• Layer 1 (Broad):“Food & Beverage D2C brands”

• Layer 2 (Sub-niche):“Health Supplement D2C brands”

• Layer 3 (Micro-niche):“Vegan Protein Powder D2C brands”

Here’s the strategy:

1. Your micro-niche is where you have ZERO competition.

   
   

   ​Imagine going to a vegan protein brand and saying, “I know everything about your space. I’ve studied your competitors, and I know EXACTLY how to help you stand out.” Do you think they’ll compare you to anyone else?

   
   

2. Sub-niche and broad niche give you more prospects.

   
   

   If you can’t find enough clients in your micro-niche, zoom out to the layers above. You’ll have more competition, but your Strategic Brand Designer positioning still gives you an edge.

   
   

Step 3: Position Yourself Using Your Micro-Niche

Now it’s time to update your positioning across all platforms.

Before: “I’m a brand designer who helps D2C brands stand out.”

After: “I design strategic brand identities for vegan protein powder D2C brands.”

The goal: When someone comes across your profile, they must get 100% clarity on:

• What do you do?

• Who do you work for?

• Why should they care?

Add credibility if you have it:

“I design strategic brand identities for vegan protein powder D2C brands. Obsessed with plant-based health routines since 2018.”

You see how it screams expertise?

It makes it impossible for the ideal client to ignore. It positions you as THE obvious choice.

This one positioning statement becomes your north star. Use it everywhere: Your Portfolio, Instagram, your website, sales calls, proposals. Everything reinforces the same crystal-clear message.

Be that expert. Get specific. Own your lane.

The riches really are in the niches.

Chat soon,

Abi 😊

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