How killing Ru Creative unlocked 300% more freelance inquiries and why letting go of a “good” brand was the best move I ever made.
Ru Creative began as a play on my initials, “R.U.,” and the phrase “Are you creative?” It felt clever, personal, and perfectly aligned with my early freelance work. However, as my career evolved, that name and its visuals started holding me back instead of helping me grow.
What looked polished on the surface wasn’t connecting behind the scenes. Clients saw creativity but not strategy. The brand didn’t reflect the clarity or measurable results I was delivering, and that disconnect limited my growth.
The Problem I Couldn’t See
Clients were misreading the name as “NU Creative” or “RJ Creative.” The rainbow gradients made the logo impossible to brand, and the playful look clashed with the strategic work I was actually doing.
The issue wasn’t my work — it was my presentation. My visuals didn’t reflect the level of expertise or measurable results I was delivering behind the scenes.
Real client message highlighting how brand clarity was getting lost.
Key Issues Identified
Positioning didn’t clearly define my expertise or value
Messaging felt inconsistent across platforms
No clear proof of ROI or impact
A name that no longer matched my direction
I had the results. But my brand didn’t look like someone who delivered them.
Those issues became impossible to ignore once I looked back at my early brand iterations. Each version tried to fix the surface, but none solved the strategy underneath.
The Amateur Brand Era
Ru Creative went through multiple redesigns, but every version missed the same thing: strategy. The name never changed, but the design made people think it did.
What was meant to read as “RU Creative” kept being mistaken for “NU Creative” or “RJ Creative.” Each redesign looked better on the surface but failed to communicate clarity or authority. The brand looked more like a student portfolio than a professional consultancy.
Version 1: Read as “NU Creative.” Playful but confusing.
Version 2: Read as “RJ Creative.” Cleaner but still directionless.
Version 3: Repeated the same mistakes as Version 2. I thought the issue was the color, but it was the entire concept — nothing about it reflected the strategy, credibility, or results I was known for.
Zero authority. Zero differentiation. Zero reason for clients to take me seriously.
💬 Three redesigns. Same name. Same problem. Every version tried to fix the surface instead of the story.
That realization pushed me to rethink everything. I didn’t need another logo. I needed a new direction.
The Birth of Hooked Media
When I retired from RU Creative, I wanted the next chapter to be clear, strategic, and scalable. I didn’t need a prettier brand. I needed one that reflected how my work had evolved.
The name Hooked Media came from the idea of connection. It represents attention, curiosity, and the spark that makes people stop scrolling. It ties directly to what I do best: helping brands build content that hooks their audience through systems, storytelling, and strategy.
After developing Hooked’s identity, I wanted to make sure data backed every decision.
I analyzed past client feedback, inbound inquiries, and engagement metrics to see what truly resonated.
The Research That Proved It Worked
Once the new direction was clear, I wanted to validate it. I analyzed client feedback, inbound inquiries, and engagement data to understand how people were perceiving the new brand compared to Ru Creative.
The findings confirmed what I hoped: clarity and strategy were driving trust. Clients now describe my brand as “professional,” “organized,” and “data-driven,” instead of “colorful” or “fun.” That shift proved that Hooked Media was communicating value and performance, not just creativity.
Final Reflection
Ru Creative taught me how to build.
Hooked Media taught me how to lead.
The rebrand wasn’t about replacing an old logo. It was about replacing an old mindset, shifting from “creative execution” to strategic direction. It marked the moment I stopped designing for aesthetics and started planning for outcomes.
