Post 5 | Logo + Branding Your Business
Now we’re going to get into creative stuff for your small business, one of my favorite things - Logo design and branding. This includes things like your logo, colors, fonts, graphics, styling, mood, voice, tone and more. All these things in combination are what add up to your ‘Brand’.
“Branding can change how people perceive your business, it can drive new customers and increase business awareness. Branding Gets Recognition. The most important reason branding is important to a business is because it is how a company gets recognition and becomes known to the consumers. The logo is the most important element of branding, especially where this factor is concerned, as it is essentially the face of the company.” (via Brandingmag.com)
Let’s talk Logo
This is the backbone of your business branding. “Putting a visual on what you’re doing brings your idea to life and communicates it in a way that words can’t. And while delivering a fantastic product or service is your top priority, you can think of a logo as a support system, helping you gain visibility, trust, and goodwill.” (via Looka.com)
Your Logo gives our business a visual identity. How many times have you forgotten the name of a maker or business, but you can describe the logo or some part of their branding? We are interacting with hundreds of brands a day, and they had a split second to capture our attention and stand out; this is where a well thought out and eye catching logo will set you apart from other creative businesses.
It communicates professionalism and builds trust. When you’re starting a new business, it can be a challenge to get others - customers, vendors, or investors to trust you and purchase from you. A good logo will help to start to gain that trust.
Before someone tries your product or service, they first notice how your brand looks. Think about if you visit a mediocre website or get handed a business card that looks dated or not professionally done… It doesn’t instill trust or confidence, does it? You’re probably not going to jump on your phone to visit their website let alone buy something; most likely that card is ending up in the trash. I don’t want that to happen to you. I want you to hand over that business card and the person receiving is so blown away, that they can’t help but to pull out the phone right in front of you to find out more.
Lets Talk Branding
“The process involved in creating a unique name and image for a product in the consumers' mind, mainly through advertising campaigns with a consistent theme. Branding aims to establish a significant and differentiated presence in the market that attracts and retains loyal customers.”
(via businessdictionary.com)
Branding goes beyond your logo. It involves everything visual. From the font styles, to the color scheme, to brand voice and tone, to all the extra graphics that go along with your brand, to the photography style of your products. This cohesion of things makes up your recognizable brand at a single glance. Below is an example of a branding Mood Board. This is something your graphic designer will give you and it will guide all your visual stylization - from marketing and website design, all the way down to product tags and signage. They should all feel cohesive and be “on brand”.
Image via alubiadesign.com
Now I realize not everyone can hire a designer right off the bat. (Though it will be the best and first big investment you make in your creative business). Here are a few things I suggest doing if you are going to go it alone.
1- Start a Pinterest Mood board.( Do this step even if you can hire a designer too) Start gathering everything that FEELS like your brand and compiling it into one board. It can be anything from other logos and mood boards to fashion, interiors, art, a cool font, a sunset, a photo of a flower. Compile it and look and see if a color scheme arises, a theme, a vibe?
2- I suggest you use a program such a Canva or Over to create something simple. These programs both have a library of graphics and fonts. Use your Pinterest board to guide you.
3- Choose your brand colors- write down the color names and HEX color name to ensure you are using the same colors in all your branding. (Hex color is the six digit code for your digital color)
4- Choose your brands fonts. Now think very carefully about your brands ‘feeling’- if your a serious brand with a serious product, pick a font that reflects that- not a curly whirly script font that is hard to read and maybe is too whimsical.
5- Keep it SIMPLE. As simple as can be. Why? Because when you have money you are going to hire that designer! ;)
Let’s Talk Hiring a Graphic Designer
So you have budgeted for hiring a designer, that’s GREAT! So how do you go about finding the right one for you and your business? It’s like anything, it takes a little time and research. When I started looking I went right to Instragram and searched hashtags like #graphicdesigner #WisconsinGraphicdesigner #madisongraphicdesigener #jewelrygraphics #moodygraphicdesigner etc..
Search out graphic designers that LOOK like how you want your brand to feel. Look at their website portfolios- make a list of the top 5 you want to work with and then reach out and email them. See what they offer as far as services. Some will do only Logo design, while others will do Logo and Branding, website design, packaging design, photography, business card design, post card and banner designs and more.
Designers pricing will vary, from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars depending on the scope of the design project. You have to decide what your budget is. Write this number down and stick to it. Be realistic and see this as an investment in your business. As you reach out to graphic designers you love, you may find they are out of budget. Keep looking for someone you love that is in your price range. This is another step you don’t want to rush. There are so many talented graphic designers out there, that I guarantee you will find the right fit for your budget.
Next Post Topic Website design + Starting an Email list