Branding doesn’t have to be overly complicated. If you nail some key principles, you will be well on your way to managing a professional looking brand, without breaking the bank.
1. Solidify your aesthetic
Establish a clear aesthetic that covers all the visual elements that represent your brand.
In branding, aesthetics is the overall look and feel of your brand, encompassing elements like colour, fonts, texture, tone of voice and composition of graphic elements.
I recommend opting for a professional and unique brand design to get you started or when your business is growing. A lot of people think they don't need a brand, and will opt for just a logo, maybe to cut costs or because they don't yet understand the benefits of branding. No matter how good your logo is, you will run in to problems with your consistency in the long run, which can damage the trustability of your business.
2. Identify key elements
Identify key visual elements from your aesthetic, and use them on all content and all platforms to build recognition. I say this to all my clients I have designed brands for. These are the key signifiers of your brand.
Brand recognition is important because consistent and recognisable branding helps keep your brand front of mind when your customer is ready to buy. When people repeatedly see and recognise a brand, it creates a sense of familiarity and reliability, which over time builds trust. Customers or clients are more likely to buy from someone they deem as trustworthy.
3. Use templates for consistency
Create templates for your content to avoid going off-brand. These could be social, email or any other platform you use. They are the quickest and easiest way to stay on brand, no matter who is editing your content.
It’s important to create unique templates for your brand to stand out. Platforms like canva provide some brilliant templates from their designers, however many are overused, especially in the social space. Unique templates ensures you don't blend in to the background.
4. Repurpose content creatively
Maximise the use of your existing content by repurposing it creatively. You could turn blog graphics into social media posts, or extract elements from a flyer for use in an email campaign. This reinforces a consistent visual identity across different platforms, and saves you time whilst increasing visibility and likelihood of sales. It’s a no brainer.
Too often I see beautifully designed brands fall down when recreating content, damaging their brand image in the process. Stick to these rules when working with your brand and it will ensure you look the part on all platforms.
Got a question about your brand? Get in touch to discuss your next steps.
Charlie is a freelance brand designer with an honours degree in Graphic Design and professional background in creative marketing. Her skillset in both design and marketing allows her to provide innovative branded content for businesses across multiple media platforms.
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