Whether you’re launching a new business, kicking off a social media campaign or just want an updated look, you can go the DIY route, or you can hire a graphic designer to create your branding.
You don’t just need a logo. Your business is a brand. And branding encompasses your logo, colors, images, fonts, and your voice. It’s what’s going to make you standout and draw customers. Branding should carry through from your website to printed materials to your social media accounts.
Here are some things to consider when you’re developing branding, either with a professional designer or on your own.
Online vs Print:
How will your branding hold up?
Have you ever printed a photo that looked awesome on your screen but muddy on paper? That’s pretty much the difference between bright and vivid RGB colors and printer-friendly CMYK tones. You want branding and colors that will get clicks on your website, but also make your business card and flyers stand out!
Here’s a good explainer if you’d like to learn more about the differences between RGB and CMYK.
The best formats for branding
Even if your branding will appear mostly online, you will want high resolution files. Graphics should be created and saved at 300 dpi, and then adjusted.
Your graphics should be available in high quality files, preferably in a vector format or as a layered file. If you’re hiring someone to create graphics, you’ll want these options so you can make adjustments, resize and recolor easily.
One size fits all doesn’t work for good branding
How will your branding look at the top of your website and at the bottom of the page? Is it legible at different sizes? Can it be used to watermark your social media posts or as an avatar? Do you need horizontal and stacked versions? You want a design that’s flexible!
Is it safe for commercial use?
Does your branding use fonts and images that are cleared for commercial use? You can check the terms of use for these files. You don’t want to grab images from a Google search. You especially want to make sure everything is safe to use if you are creating products for sale.
Create a branding style guide
You and your designer can discuss how to use the different components of your branding and create guidelines. What size should the graphics appear? How should fonts be used? Can you recolor or use reverse options? What kind of spacing is ideal? Your guidelines will help create a consistent look across platforms and media. It can help staff or clients know how to use your branding.
Create a mood board to brainstorm your branding
You’re going to want your branding to make you smile and excited to work on your projects. You want it to be attractive to clients and to look professional. If you feel like your skills aren’t right for the task or if you’re too busy and want to delegate this, don’t be afraid to get help. You can hire a designer.
You want to communicate with your designer about your vision and be open to ideas. Be sure to check out the designer’s portfolio and social media. Collect images, colors, typography samples that have the vibe you’d like for your branding that you and a designer can use for inspiration.
I’ve created a FREE mood board to help you get started on creating your new look, whether you’re planning to work with a designer or going to give it a go on your own. Download a PDF version or JPG files (Page 1 | Page 2). You can print these pages, add your own images to the PDF or use it as a base file in a program like Photoshop or Canva. If you’d like a different format, please let me know in the comments! I’d love to see how you use these files, too!
