A brand identity is more than just a logo…it is made up of MANY different things including colour palettes, icons and well thought out choices for your fonts.
Thinking it all through carefully and putting together all of your elements right from the start will give you everything you need to stay consistent across your social media, website, print, stationery and other forms of marketing and advertising…
1. Your brief – one of the MOST essential parts of creating a brand identity is to REALLY know who you are as a business. Having a clear brief on your core values, what you stand for and what sets you apart sets the foundations of your business firmly in the ground and shapes your companies ethos. I always write this out as a statement so you can refer back to it on those days when you need to remind yourself of who you are and be clear on your message.
2. Your logo – what does it say about you? Well, firstly a well thought out and designed logo should have all of the right elements to attract your target audience. It should be carefully made up of the right choice of font to reflect your BUSINESS PERSONALITY (ie modern or classic or handwritten depending on the feeling you want to give out), colours (these could be warm, cool, rich or maybe pale and neutral) and be presented in a way that shows thought and attention to detail – if it doesn’t have those things you may look as if your service is as poorly delivered as your effort to present yourself well.
3. Tagline – I believe in making it clear to your future client who you are and what you do. Let them know as quickly as possible they have come to the right place for what you are looking for by using a short line to either be clear on the service you offer OR what sets you apart.
4. Submark – sometimes it is not necessary to use your whole logo – a submark is a smaller version which captures your identity and can be used as an overlay on images or in your marketing as a reminder of who you are (also known as a watermark).
5. Colour Palette – Colour not only creates an emotional response it represents different seasons, can evoke feelings of trust, romance or a can be representation of luxury. Making sure you have a colour palette that is consistent with your message and fits with your brand is vital. Whatever choice of colours you go for, make sure they fit beautifully together, don’t have too many (I always stick to a maximum of 4 with an addition of a gold, black or silver). Make sure the tones are in keeping with each other ie using a whimsical pale blush together with a strong bold primary colour probably won’t work.
6. Images – I bang on about this ALL the time but it really is so important to have good quality images that fit with your tone, your colour palette and have something to say that relate to your message. Use a photographer to have a brand shoot, when you do make sure the setting and the items in the photos are in keeping with your colours. Have a range taken in different sizes so you can use them on your website and in your social media. Make sure they are HIGH QUALITY – NEVER use a pixelated photo. Ever.
