Brand Advice

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3y
It's easy to put together a strong brand. We work through 8 brand foundations that will lead you there organically, without any confusion…
Try to aim for a maximum of 2-3 for any element related to your brand. From visuals like colours and fonts, to other elements like service…
Does your business’s personality shine strongly?
Here’s the 411 on how to enhance your business’s personality... 👉 Decide on one main type of customer for you. This doesn’t mean you only sell to a small niche, but you certainly do advertise to it. 👉 Decide on one brand archetype that will appeal to that audience. And a second support archetype too. (DM me for a free brand archetype guide or Google some.) 👉 Are you a rebellious adventurer? A charismatic charmer? A sage advice giver? A fun jester? An honest everyday person? A strong hero? An
Brand simplicity. Subtract the obvious and add the meaningful
Once you start simplifying your message and your visual style, you look more put-together, you’re more trustworthy, reliable and easy to understand. But getting to the crux of your business can be SO DIFFICULT! Especially if you have shiny object syndrome and tend to “borrow” bits and pieces from your competitors, or change your mind about the products and services that you provide. Or you love to follow the trends. I get it! But simplicity is so important for a strong brand. Think of Coca Co
Design your brand’s style and message around its relationship with your audience.
Research your audience and then create a brand personality that your audience needs in their life, in order to buy your product. Every business looks and sounds how they know that you - as a consumer - want to feel. Do yourself a favour and avoid the current trends. 👏Current 👏 trends 👏 are 👏used 👏 in 👏 marketing! ... Not branding! Because a brand is forever. And a good brand grows with your customer, not just with you. If you’re not sure how strong your current brand is, visit my website
Modern consumers are more aware of branding than ever before
The modern consumer is more aware of branding than ever before. They expect brands to be crystal clear in their messaging and how they fit into their lives. Each step that we explore, from positioning, to messaging, to design, is a strategic tool in the game of branding. And each tool is another opportunity to place your brand in a position in the mind of your audience. Once you have discovered and built your strategy, a visual identity guide is built around that. And a sleek and consistent vi
Sure, Canva has the tools, graphics and layouts. But do you have the EYE?
Canva is a great tool for putting together designs that match your brand. But it is not a BRANDING tool. ...Meaning? As a brand designer, I constantly see on small business forums, new businesses building their logos on Canva. And they all look the same. Or picking pre-made colour palettes that use the same 4 tones for every brand. Or the same stock brochure layout. Is this such a bad thing? If you’re just starting out, then kudos to you for jumping right in and getting started. The next 2-
I see the person/people behind a business and feel their energy. I can see what they have been striving to achieve and all the character and heart that has gone into a brand. I can also see where a brand has become cluttered along the way. Where there has been a stray from core messaging, or a new aesthetic that didn’t work but continued to be used and grown upon, in the wrong direction. I’m good at seeing what your business should look and sound like, and I’m a stickler for minimal, organise
If your brand were a person, what words would you use to describe them?
If your brand were a person, what words would you use to describe them? And does your current colour palette, font families and imagery reflect this character? What personality traits would you attribute to your business? ⁣ This is a great way to hone in on the message and actions behind your business, to be sure that you are consistent, strong and reliable to your audience. ⁣ You can then take this one step further, and ask yourself; who would my customer want as their friend, during the
You don’t need to have all the answers to start workshopping your brand.
You don’t need to know where to begin, nor what your aims are. You don’t need to have any answers at all! …Who has time for thinking? ⁣ All you need right now, is a feeling. ⁣ If you look at your business and you’re feeling: ⁣ Amateur Cluttered Disconnected Unsatisfied Stuck Like your business is falling behind its competitors That it doesn’t represent the true, jam-packed value of your services ⁣ These are emotional signs that you have stepped up and past the business that you used to be.
Moodboards & Visionboards for Branding. Building a strong brand design.
Feeling stuck? MOODBOARD! Can’t decide? MOODBOARD! Feeling disconnected? MOODBOARD! Finding an audience? MOODBOARD! Differentiate from your competitors? MOODBOARD! Colours clashing? MOODBOARD! Need to find some creativity? MOODBOARD! Looking for some inspiration? MOODBOARD! Ready to manifest? MOODBOARD! Ok so maybe today’s post is a little lazy and repetitive. But I feel like this girls still got a point. 🤔😜
I’m here to allow you to uplevel your services
Feeling small? Cluttered? Mismatched? Amateur? Unattractive? Confused? Nobody tells you that it’s a normal part of growing a business to feel all of these things! And many times over. There’s lots of talk about STARTING businesses. But not much about UPGRADING a business. Every few years you’re going to expand, pivot, refresh. I’ve gone through about 6 changes over 11 years and a lot of them were within the first 6 years, when I was finding my feet, my voice and my style. And expanding or
Stock photography vs DIY shoot vs professional photos Advice
Working on small business websites, I get asked a lot about stock photography vs DIY photos, or whether to spend money on a professional shoot. Here is an example of some gorgeous DIY shots from a preschool that I’m currently working with. This preschool’s values and character is all about a nature-based cottage feel. A very earthy home away from home. So for them, I have recommended some adorably basic shots with loads of textures and character.
Good design encourages the viewer to want to learn more
This is a reminder to check your pricing and services brochure. Any PDFs that you attach to your emails for your clients. What do you send to people, that represents your business? Does it look good? Could it look better? Are you really showing them your true power as a service provider? Don’t look good “enough” or on par with your industry. Be better. Make them want to learn more. Good design does this.✌️ My own Brand Management clients can send me anything they need a graphic designer’s eye.
Are you confident with how you’re presenting your business to the world? - Shona Creative
If you answered YES then keep that consistency up. Repeat those colours, duplicate those style layouts, copy those images and strengthen your key message by saying it again and again. This isn’t always easy, especially if you haven’t put together a brand style guide yet. And a designer has an eye for balance that comes with practice. So when you’re ready to create new designs for marketing collateral, I can help. I’m a brand manager, which means I’m a graphic designer who sees the strengths an