No Size Fits all
Years of working with a wide range of company's taught me that every business is different and needs a unique approach to building a solid brand.
I don't offer a one-size-fits-all template approach to branding. I want to know why you are doing what you're doing and really understand your business and your brand. This personal and tailor-made approach is key to building successful long-term relationships with my clients.
- Your business has outgrown your brand and you need a re-fresh?
- You've got your business plan sorted and need help with the brand development for your start-up?
- Your brand is up and running but you need support with day-to-day graphic design or one-off projects?
I can support you on your brand building journey and with all graphic design needs no matter how fresh or established your business is.
You know how this works? Great, get in touch to have a chat about how I can support your brand.
If you'd like to hear more about the brand building process, read on.
Step 1: Brand strategy – A solid foundation
Getting your brand right is essential for your business to be successful. Before the visual brand comes the ground work, the behind the scenes, the mindset. Establishing a brand strategy is an essential part of your business.
Skipping this step will make it hard to keep your brand consistent across all channels. Put the work in now, so it wont cost you time and money later.
Brand Assessment
Let's take stock. Where does your brand stand? What elements are established and do they work? Check back on your brand promise, statement and attributes. Are they still valid, is your brand on track?
You are starting from scratch with your brand? We can develop all this together.
Market Analysis
Who are your customers/clients? Let's create some personas to get a good idea of what makes them tick.
What is your competition doing? Where in the market do you see your brand compared to them?
Brand Strategy
Let's tie it all up in one handy brand document. This document will be the soul of your brand. A living document which needs care and attention. Revisit and updated regularly.
Sounds interesting? Book a free 20 minute consultation to find out how we can build a strong foundation for your brand.
Step 2: Designing your brand – Not just a pretty face
A brand is so much more than a logo. People come to me and say "I started my own business, I need a logo". However, the logo can't do all the work and should not be developed in isolation. A brand consists of many elements working together, creating a cohesive, recognisable picture.
Here are some of the elements that may be part of forming your visual brand.
Logo
Your logo will be ever present throughout all of your brand communication.
It needs to be simple and versatile to work across all platforms.
Think, "will it work as a tiny social media icon, embroidered on a t-shirt and on a billboard"?
Colours
The colour scheme will set the mood. A good colour palette is versatile and can be toned up or down depending on the context.
Colours evoke strong associations. Blue for example is calm and the colour of trust and accountability. Whereas red is an active and passionate colour representing alertness and action.
Type fonts
The fonts you choose for your brand not only play part in the visual appearance but are also important to ensure maximum accessibility.
A headline font can be characterful but your body copy needs to primarily be legible.
Typography style
Choosing a type font is a good start. Now we define how to use it.
Is your brand elegant and high-end? The light version of your font will send the right message. Or is your brand bold and loud? We might use the Heavy weight in all caps.
Graphic elements
Graphic elements are a useful tool to creating strong visual cues for your brand.
If used consistently they can bring multiple other elements together and be the binding force.
Illustrations
Illustrations can be a beautiful and flexible visual element where appropriate.
Finding the right illustration style that aligns with your brand look and feel is key.
Photography
Imagery is one of the most impactful brand elements. As we all know, "A picture is worth a thousand words".
Icons
Icons are useful to transport information quickly. They need to be simple, scalable and easy to understand.
Create an icon library and build it up over time.
Tone-Of-Voice
How you speak to your customers is just as important as the visual part of your brand.
Does your brand sound like your chatting with a friend? Or are you speaking in a matter of fact voice?
Are you ready to design your brand? Get in touch for a custom quote tailored to your brands specific needs.
Step 3: Time to roll it out – Bringing your brand to life
You have all the elements you need for your brand. It's time to bring it to life. Let's roll out your brand, from paper to pixel, all supported by the solid foundations build at the beginning of this journey.
Business cards
Brochures
Flyers
Websites
Reports
Signage
Ads
Packaging
Banners
Get a Brand Guardian
Rather than outsourcing to multiple contractors, who all interpret your brand differently, get rid of this headache and let me as a brand guardian look after everything design related. I will be your in-house graphic designer without the cost and commitment of a full time employee. This will create consistency across all channels and gives you time to grow your business.
Every business is different. So the range of services I offer can be adjusted to suit your individual goals. Book a free 20 minute consultation to find out how I can support your brand.