By Corinne Dorsey
Ashley Tate, a sophomore journalism major, is the brains behind branding company, Hot and Branded, a career-building service centered around providing creative and professional insight to young adults. Hot and Branded was started with the intent of helping current and incoming generations promote themselves in the age of technology and social media. Services offered by Hot and Branded, include web design, business cards, logos, resume revamps, Instagram branding and cover letters.
Ashley has always been a fan of aesthetics and is a person that friends and associates come to when looking for help with rebranding their social media pages to even critiquing their resumes. Once Ashley noticed this recurrence, she realized she could make a profit off of something that can not only reach the people who are directly around her but people on the other side of the world as well. She says she wants to help her generation and future generations shape themselves and their brands in the age of social media.
Tate is a self-taught creator, and uses software programs, like Photoshop and Adobe Website Design daily to help build her skills with the help of her father throughout her earlier years. She gains most of her inspiration by creating mood boards on what her client’s business caters to and their target audience.
When interviewing, Ashley was working on a hair company’s label tag, which includes the leading line, style of your choice and colors of your choice. She was in the process of creating a logo plan with different sets of templates in Photoshop, that could be used for the tag, which she planned to send to her client later as samples.
One of Ashley’s favorite designs was for a company that proposed a scholarship program offering free tuition to students who stayed within her hometown, Birmingham, Alabama. The program was a “passion project” to her, which granted her the ability to dive into her creative spectrum for an initiative she cares about in her community.
Tate feels most passionate about initiatives and projects that can “affect my brothers and students and all my friends back home.”
Hot and Branded, also offers bundle deals, one example is the “On the Grind Bundle.” This package includes a logo and business cards, which is ideal for business startups looking to get their business off the ground and express their ideas, this is her most popular package. In the future, Ashley plans to expand her business, as creating Hot and Branded has helped her realize that she loves to design and helping people shape their brand. When asked to describe her hustle in one word, she responded “Innovative.”
“I want to expand my business to where it’s not only me working but build a design team and we can all contribute to the community together,” said Tate.
To see more of Ashley’s work and to book with her for your next branding project, follow her on Instagram and Twitter at @HotandBranded.
The Howard Hustle, is a new Hilltop Series, focused on the growing number of entrepreneurs on Howard’s Campus. The series focuses on the students’ ambitions, craft, and goals in the future and what makes them an on-campus entrepreneur. If you think your business should be featured in Howard Hustle, email campus@thehilltoponline.com
