Porch & Coffee Creative

08/25/2026

Louisiana August doesn't ask twice. The porch sits empty this time of year, and my kind of work happens right here: AC on, blinds mostly closed, Basil holding down the top perch and Nadia claiming the lower bed, both fully committed to the nap.

I used to think I needed the outside world for good ideas. Turns out a cool, quiet room with two cats who don't care what I'm working on does just fine too.

Hope wherever you are today, you've found your version of the shade. ☕🐾

08/03/2026

In celebration of the International Year of the Woman Farmer, INFB is awarding grants to support the growth and development of women-owned ag-related small businesses. Grants may be used for training, professional development, technology, equipment upgrades and more. 🌱

Learn more about the Indiana Farm Bureau's Women Business Grants and apply by August 15 at INFB.org/Grants

07/30/2026

Happiest of happy birthdays to the love of my life, Andy! Forty trips around the sun, and I get to marry him on the next one!

He is the kindest person I have ever known, everything Momma said I needed in a partner, and my favorite person to be around. He is the home for my heart, and I wouldn't want to go on adventures with anyone else. Here's to many more adventures together, my beautiful love. The best is still ahead of us!

Happy birthday, Andy! I love you with all of my heart! ☕🌿

07/29/2026

Meet Nadia.

She is Andy's 13-year-old Russian Blue, which makes her the newest member of the studio and, by a comfortable margin, the most senior.

Nadia is our chatty old lady. She has something to say about everything. The schedule. The weather. The unacceptable gap between her breakfast and her second breakfast. She is also one of the most affectionate cats I have ever met, usually mid-commentary.

And she keeps up with Basil just fine. Keeps him on his toes, which is a full-time job, and she handles it with the confidence of someone who has been managing younger coworkers for over a decade.

A studio managed by one cat was good. Supervised by two, it's better. Welcome home, Nadia. 🐈☕

07/28/2026

Basil is our cat, our studio manager, and is now one year old. He is one of the better things that has happened to us. Andy rescued from inside a wall at a fire station, which is either the most dramatic origin story of any cat in Louisiana or a very on-brand beginning for someone who now supervises a design studio from the comfort of a shared desk chair.

He takes his job seriously. He reviews every project by sitting on it. He attends all video calls without being invited. He has opinions about the desk chair that I have learned not to argue with.

Happy birthday, my sweet, sweet Basil. The studio wouldn't be the same without you. 🐈☕

07/24/2026

A logo is a mark. A brand is everything that mark makes people feel before they ever meet you.

I say this a lot because I hear the confusion a lot. "I just need a logo." Sometimes that's true. But most of the time, what people actually need is a brand, and the logo is just the part they can see.

Here's the version I use with farm clients:

Your logo is the sign on the gate. Your brand is everything that happens when someone drives up your road. The fence line, the condition of the equipment, whether someone waves from the field, what the packaging looks like, how quickly someone answers the phone.

You can have a beautiful logo and a weak brand. You can have a simple logo and a brand so strong it carries itself into every room before you arrive.

Both matter. But one of them builds the relationship. ☕

Questions about your farm brand? The link in the comments is where to start.

And a note for the organizations here: I am booking new brand projects for late August and September. If your co-op or ag organization has been sitting on a rebrand or a brand that no longer matches the work, now is the right time to start that conversation.

07/21/2026

My calendar is open for new brand work starting late August into September.

If you run a farm, ranch, co-op, or ag organization and you've been circling a rebrand, a launch, or a brand that never quite matched the operation behind it, this is your window. I keep the project list small on purpose, so these spots go to whoever moves first.

Link in bio to start, or just message me and tell me about your operation. I read every one. ☕🌿

You feed the community. We'll tell your story. Farm brand strategy & design for farmers, markets & ag organizations who are ready for a brand that finally does them justice. Founded by Monica Velasquez. Built in honor of Sherri Beaubouef Hayes. 🌿☕

07/19/2026

Your farm brand has to work when you're not there to explain it.

At the co-op. On a shelf. On someone's phone at 11 p.m. when they're deciding whether to place an order.

Here are the five questions every strong farm brand answers on its own. Swipe through to see where yours stands. 👇

If you hit a slide and thought "I'm not sure," that's worth a closer look. The free Farm Brand Audit walks you through exactly this. Grab it at the link in the comments.

07/16/2026

Before I ever open a design file, we have a conversation. Not about colors. Not about whether you want a logo or a full brand system.

About who you are. What you grow. Who you're trying to reach. What you've been saying about your farm, intentionally or not, for years.

That conversation is where the brand actually starts. Everything I build comes from it.

It's why I don't send a questionnaire and disappear. It's why I don't offer logo packages with a three-day turnaround. The farmers and ranchers and ag organizations I work with have too much at stake for that.

If you've been thinking about your brand and you're not sure where to start, start with a conversation. The Pour Over is a 90-minute paid strategy session built for exactly that. We talk through where your brand is, where you want it to go, and what the next right move is. No guesswork.

Details in the comments. ☕

07/14/2026

The World Cup wraps up this Sunday, and since the whole internet is handing out red cards this month, farm branding deserves a few of its own.

For anyone who skipped the soccer: a red card is the referee's way of saying that's it, off the field. These are mine. Swipe through. 🟥👇

No shame if you've earned one or two. Most farms have, and every single one of these is fixable. Unlike the World Cup, nobody actually has to leave the field. You just make the next play better.

The free Farm Brand Audit is a good place to start. Link in the comments. ☕⚽