Now that you’ve turned your brilliant business idea into actionable company goals, it’s time to create your business’ identity. What makes a business recognizable? Often times it’s their unique product or their friendly staff, but the way you visually present your company also has a lasting impression. For this week’s The Business of Branding topic, we’ll show you how to establish your brand’s style, from designing your logo to selecting the perfect color palette.
Get Inspired
Many aspiring small business owners dream for years of turning their passion into a full-time job, so finding inspiration for their brand style is easy. Whether you’ve already gathered elements for your dream brand or really aren’t even sure where to begin, creating an inspiration board will help you keep all of your thoughts in one space. Before you begin nailing down your style, look for logos, fonts, design elements and color palettes that speak to you. If there’s a brand you love or that makes you feel something you’d like your customers to feel, look to them for inspiration. While you never want to mock an existing brand, it’s ok to find pieces of inspiration in others. Just be sure your brand is unique in its own ways so it stands apart.
Create your Logo
Once you’ve found different elements of inspiration, the best place to begin is with your brand’s logo. While other elements of your brand’s style will be greatly important in branding your business, your logo is at the core of your brand and should be designed with that in mind. Many small businesses choose to hire a Graphic Designer because they know best how to take your inspiration and create the logo you’ve been dreaming of.
“Designing the perfect logo can seem like a very crucial or stressful task, but breaking it down into smaller steps makes it more feasible, and also a lot more fun,” said Graphic Designer Elizabeth Wyatt. “I recommend coming up with a list of adjectives or ‘buzz words’ that describe or convey what you want a customer to feel when they see your logo. Knowing whether you want your logo to be lighthearted and casual, sophisticated and serious, or anything in between, is a perfect first step that can tremendously help in guiding you or your designer in the right design direction for your brand.”
Whether you hire a designer or create your own logo, it’s a good idea to have different variations. Start with your main logo then design a smaller variation, like an icon, that will be easier to add to pictures, graphics, etc.
Choose your Font(s)
Many people believe their font(s) should be chosen before their logo is designed, but the opposite is actually true. Your fonts should be complimentary to your logo since your logo is the main point of focus. That being said, your typography is still a crucial feature of your branding. Different fonts have the power to make your customers feel a certain way, just like colors do. More and more companies are choosing to use multiple fonts in their branding, but if you do go that route, it’s extremely important your fonts work well together.
Select your Color Palette
When choosing your color palette, consider your company goals and think about what you want your brand to feel like. If you’re opening a holistic spa, you may choose shades of blue which represent loyalty and calmness. Choose shades of yellow if you want your customers to feel energized and positive when they interact with your brand. After you’ve determined what emotions you’d like your company to evoke, choose your brand’s main color and a few complimentary colors. Be sure they aren’t battling one another for your customer’s attention.
Pick your Design Elements
Finally, it’s time to choose your brand’s design elements. These elements can be many different things including textures, graphics or images, to name a few. While they may seem like a minor detail, you’ll be surprised how often you’ll use your design elements when creating your website, establishing your social media presence, etc.
Creating your brand style is one of the most important things you’ll do while getting your small business off the ground! Establishing a cohesive, memorable brand for your business will help you connect with your future customers, and will also make sure they remember who you are. Now that you’ve spent so much time developing your brand style, be sure to compile all of these elements into a brand style guide. Your style guide will help you stay consistent in your business’ branding and will also make it easy for new hires to quickly catch on. Next time, we’ll discuss how to identify your brand’s culture and make your business more relatable to consumers.
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