Daina Fuson | Freelance Design Blog for news and tips on how to Brand your Business
Tyndell Photographic has been a client for over 4 years and we have worked together to modernize the brand and designs. The advertisement below for Shutter magazine is one of my favorites because it conveys the classic beautiful style of their product. Emma Burcusel did an amazing job with the product photography.
After a starter brand analysis (sample) to establish keywords – enhance your brand by creating a thoughtful and unique identity with a high customized logo.
Research, research, research.
Make sure your logo and name are unique. The look should not be too trendy or over saturated in your industry. You should have a logo and mark that can last decades and have available easy to remember and consistent social profile names. If you are in a trendy industry, an adaptable but fashionable logo is acceptable.
To deliver a distinctive one-of-a-kind logo work with someone who offers hand-lettering, a custom drawn typographic logo.
It can be elegant, powerful, grunge, calligraphic, freehand, historical or many other feelings. A hand-lettered logo is one element to ensure you have a unique brand but can come with a larger price tag. Find a few of my favorites that I use for inspiration on Pinterest.
Creating a mood board is a great way to narrow down a universal look and feel of a brand. It makes the color selection process more natural and seamless.
Below are elements of inspiration from a sample mood board pulling out a blue and copper palette to use for an elegant look.
A balanced color palette has a selection of light and dark that create an overall mood and sense of feelings. For example, red is considered powerful, blue is calm and gold is luxurious. Find the right mix of colors creates a look that sets your brand apart and speaks to your overall message.
A color selection will have two primary and 3-4 accents that reinforce the main colors and unify the brand. Since color creates a mood, I recommend carrying the mood into photography styles for consistency. View a great infograph by Marketo about what colors say about your brand.
A complete brand package includes typography selections for web, print, email and word processing. Considering cost of licensing to implement across an organization is key. If a company has 600 employees, it may not be cost effective to introduce a font that would need a corporate license for use in word processing and power point templates.
A successful brand will have typography selections and recommendations specific for headers, sub-headers, body text and call outs or quotes. Typically, the selection will have a mix of serif, sans serif and/or slab typefaces. A perfectly paired font selection will complement the color palette to build up your brand.
Enhance your brand by creating a consistent photographic style. Start by using the same filters or edits and similar lighting scenarios for every photography. Style examples – dark & moody with dim light and shadows or light & fresh with bright light and minimal shadows. For social media, I use A Color Story app with a saved set of filters. For print and websites, I use Photoshop with saved actions.
If you are beyond DIY photography for your business, hire a photographer that aligns to your branding identity instead of trying to have a photographer match your brand. If you have a pet business or project, hire a photographer that specialized in photographing animals. Also, providing the photographer with your color palette and inspiration board will help create the right mood and maintain cohesion.
When using stock photos, stick with the same advice to fit your mood and identity. Find a creative way to make them on brand by using overlays, editing techniques or cropping.
Your brand voice has to do with how you express yourself in your wording. It is your spoken and written identity. Having a unique message will enhance your brand.
Your brand’s materials should carry your voice, whether posting video, advertising, social media, websites, blogs or email marketing. not just smart but compelling content creation is so important so that your brand connects your story to the visual elements. How do you create compelling content? Tell your story from the heart. I also recommend partnering with a writer or editor that can carry out consistency but when that is not available try taking a writing class online or at your local community college.
