WIYB: WHAT or WHO is your brand?
Congrats! You've finally decided to start your own business! Or maybe an organization! Either way, you've made the first crucial step to entrepreneurship and that worth celebrating. But...Now what? Where do you start? Do you even know what the business is going to be about? Welcome to the Brand Blog! The Brand Blog is designed to help aid you on the quest of conquering your mission of success! I will release some of my valued tips based off my experience and lessons learned in my own past on the path to success.
Innova whaaa??
Let me break this down...
Innovative Design is what you see everyday without really realizing it. When you see McDonalds..no matter where you are you know its them right? Rather its a billboard, a commercial on tv, a cup on the side of the road (liter sucks, dont do it :) either way you know its them. Using this method of branding will help get your brand noticed. You cant expect high volume traffic with something that you aren't even proud of. Look at your logo now if you have one...would you buy from you? Ask yourself this question throughout your branding journey and it will help you critique your own style. Your audience will only invest in your what you invest in yourself. If you don't have a logo and you'd like professional guidance on creating your eye catching marketable brand mark, chose an option below to get started!
Brainstorming for your brand
Here's a few things to think about while brainstorming how you want your brand to look.
WHO or WHAT is my brand?
This means exactly what it says, who are you trying to reach with your brand and what is it? If you do hair, sell hair, lashes, real estate, music, crafts whatever it is...decide now. Know what you are doing before investing anything in to it. You will end up waisting your time running in circles if you don't. So identify what you are doing/selling and who you are trying to reach.
What style do I like? vs. What style should my brand be?
Style is the foundation of your overall design. Are you going for bubbly, fun, bright tones and fun fonts? Or are you looking more on the serious, minimalistic, clean and monotone side of the spectrum? Be sure to research both ends of this vast spectrum. Sometimes what you like isn't really whats best for your brand. Try to keep an open mind. Consider others who are in your market and how they brand themselves. No, this DOES NOT mean copying anyones design or style. But reflecting a brand of your own off of inspiration. Look at Gucci, Fendi, Prada....they all have this clean cut simple look yet sell to millions. Now of course this came with years of work however that classy look and feel could be what you want for your brand. Bottom line, understand your brand so you know what style to best use in order to reflect what your brand is all about. Lead your clients to you!
COOOLLLLOOOORRSSSSS
Ok so my initial thought on my own brand was....clean, simple, minimalistic. Mostly because I LOVE clean styles it gives a aesthetic that I find pleasing and minimizes attention to me specifically and focuses more on the designs I create while still displaying a high level of professionalism. It took me 3 logos and 2 different names to figure this out. So don't be afraid to experiment! Rebranding is usually recommended every few years anyway if you don't find your traffic increasing the way you want it to. So I settled on black, white, tones of gray and a pop of color, my legendary limegreen. Anyone who knows me knows my favorite colors since birth literally has been limegreen! Use your favorite color, or colors. Just be mindful of the color spectrum when it comes to using multiple colors and how they will look together. Consider how they will appear on different colors and mediums as well. Black, white, photos, wood etc.
Cartoons & Vectors
First let me say this...cartoons aren't for everybody. What looks good on this logo may not work well with yours. When I say cartoons I'm referring to the facebook graphic designers begging to give you a cartoon logo for $35 even though there are apps that can literally do the same thing. By the way, stop settling for this...your business deserves better. You can't promote yourself professionally as a luxury brand with a logo that looks like something off of cartoon network. People just wont take your brand seriously. Many factors play a part in the perfect design. All the way down to the shape and number of letters in the name. Crazy right? Trust me I've trashed entire designs because one letter threw off the entire idea and I had no way of making it work to my level of perfection lol. Im a virgo so it hits us a bit differently. Cartoons are nice if they work, but remember how you are trying to show yourself to the world. If your design looks childish or "bootleg" then you probably wont attract the amount or type of clients who will be willing to pay you for what you have to offer. I would show you an example...but I'm not here to put anyone " on blast " lol
Vectors on the other hand, are a more professional and you can still have a "cartoon" style vector that can be marketable. Vectors are also nice to have because you can turn it into an icon; A symbol for your brand.
WHO are you trying to reach?
Understand your target audience. The sooner you this the sooner you will get a better idea of how to market yourself. If you have a brand that caters to both men and women you need to keep your brand strategy neutral. Men shy away from things that look to feminine assuming that it is for women only. You will begin to wonder why you barely have male clients. This is why! Same thing applies vice versa. Age plays a major roll as well as location and other factors. Just be mindful of these factors when brainstorming your brand look.
I hope after reading my suggestions it has made you feel much better and ready to start your branding journey! Understanding what you need to know about your brand and what you need to do to make it come alive is so VITAL to your overall mission. If you enjoyed this and/or learned anything at all from it please subscribe so I can let you know when my next post drops! I have sooo much knowledge to share with you and I can't wait to break it all down and help you use those bricks to build your empire!