As a designer, you can build your own brand identity from scratch. This is something that many people don’t get to do in their entire careers, and the help of a design assistant will be invaluable.
This is because your brand will be one of the first things people see when they come across your work, so it’s essential to ensure that it accurately represents who you are and what you stand for as an individual and a business.
You might wonder where to start or how long it takes to create a good brand identity. The reality is that there isn’t any one right way of doing this; every designer has his or her own path when it comes to defining their company’s look and feel. However, here are some things I’ve learned over the years about creating a cohesive identity.
Start with a logo.
When you’re looking at a brand identity, the first thing that comes to mind is probably a logo. After all, it’s the face of your business and should be simple, memorable, and scalable across all communication channels. But what makes an effective logo?
Here are some tips for creating a strong brand identity:
Be unique
Your logo shouldn’t look like any other one out there (unless it’s intentional). Make sure your logo stands out from others by doing something different with colors or shapes.
If you’re having trouble coming up with ideas for your own design, try browsing Pinterest for inspiration or ask friends and family members for suggestions on making yours stand out from the rest of their designs— but your design assistant could help here as they may have excellent ideas!
Keep it simple—and timeless!
You don’t want people confusing your company’s name with someone else’s because they think it looks similar, so keep things easy-read by using fonts that are easily readable at small sizes (like Helvetica Neue) rather than fancy ones that might look better but aren’t as legible on small screens like smartphones or tablets – and if possible make sure at least one color contrast well against any background colors, so they stand out even more!
Also, remember this rule when picking fonts: don’t go overboard trying different combinations since too many fonts can be overwhelming visually – instead, choose one typeface per project (or two maximum) depending on how large scale each element needs.
Develop a tagline
Taglines are a great way to capture your brand’s essence and can be used on business cards, websites, and social media. They are often written in a single sentence that is catchy, memorable, and unique.
As part of developing your brand identity, you should create a tagline for each type of business card (such as “All is well” or “Naturally delicious”). These will differ from those used on your website and other promotional materials like brochures or flyers.
The logo’s font should also be used when designing the tagline so that it feels consistent with other branding elements.
Let photos speak for themselves.
The use of photography is one of the best ways to build your brand. People are visual creatures, so you must use photography in your marketing strategy. It’s a great way to tell a story, show products in use, or even show off your company culture and team.
Use the same font across all communication
Here are some do’s and don’ts to help you:
- Use a font that is easy to read
- Don’t use too many fonts
- Also, don’t use too many colors
- Don’t use too many images
- Plus, don’t use too many words
- Don’t use symbols or signs that mean nothing to you or the people you’re communicating with.
Stay consistent
In addition to staying consistent with your colors and fonts, you should also remain consistent in your use of photos. If you choose one photo style for your website, be sure to use it across all marketing materials as well.
You don’t want the look of your website or emails to be totally different from the look of your packaging or promotional items.
If you’re having trouble deciding on a photo style or color scheme, ask yourself, ” What colors would make me like this brand?” or “What colors would I see in my dream home?” Then, incorporate these elements into each decision you make to build your brand identity.
A brand identity is the heart and soul of your business.
Brand identity is the heart and soul of your business. It’s the foundation on which everything you do will stand or fall, so it’s vital to get it right.
More so, brand identity is what people see first; if it’s not right, they won’t see anything else.
You want to be consistent with your brand throughout all aspects of your business—from how you treat customers in person or online to how you communicate with suppliers and partners (and even how your employees dress).
However, your design assistant will be able to get your brand to communicate consistently across all mediums, from email signatures to product packaging and more.
Plus, your brand will stay with people long after they’ve forgotten what they bought from you; in fact, some would say that one’s memory of purchasing something is often associated with their perception of a company’s brand identity rather than the actual product itself!
Make sure yours is something you’re proud of before investing in building up its presence; once established, it can bring significant benefits, but getting there takes time and patience – both qualities worth cultivating if we’re going to get anywhere!
The bottom line
These tips are great for helping you get started, but if you want to understand what a brand identity means, it’s best to look at examples. We highly recommend hiring a design assistant to help you build a creative and solid brand identity.
Book a free call with our outsourcing expert, who will provide concrete advice to guide you through the hiring process.