When it comes to starting a business, personal brand strategies should be your first big step. As it’s one of the ways you can differentiate yourself from others in the same industry, personalizing your brand is important when it comes to getting noticed. So how do you avoid creating something plain or something that’s been done 1000 times over by others, how do you show customers that your business is personal to you, and what do you want people to notice about you and your brand?
All important questions when trying to when standing out from the rest can seem like an impossible task. There are so many ways to make that happen, but for now let’s focus on how design can help you personalize your brand.
Design and Brand Creation: An overview
Design is a massive medium that encompasses so many facets. Fashion, digital, print, video, photo, the possibilities are endless. Whether you’re a clothing store, bakery, or factory, setting the tone of your business with design helps you carve out your own mark in whatever industry you’re involved in.
When it comes to designing for your brand, you first need to establish what your brand is. What your values are, how you interact with customers, the impression you want them to leave with. Establishing a brand is all about how you want your business to be seen and separated from the rest.
Once you’ve figured out your brand, then you can jump into designing but don’t rush through this first step, your brand is NOT your logo. This is a mistake many people make and it doesn’t give you the foundation of pride and instilled values that will permeate your company moving forward.
Picking your style
Just like people, businesses have specific styles. Finding a style that works for your business goes hand in hand with your brand, just like how your personal style reflects what you like. For most brands, the first interaction with style a customer will have is in your logo. Your logo is the setup for the rest of the design process.
Does it match their aesthetic value? Does it speak to your audience’s expectations?
Using design to personalize and get recognized
Since your brand is not your logo you now have the opportunity to expand how you want to express your brand in other mediums. Don’t like the traditional paper business card? Go with textured wood. simple white websites don’t speak to your values? Splash it heavily with your brand colours. Not fond of boring, corporate headshots? BE CREATIVE!
As you can see, personalizing your brand lets the consumer get a good sense of who you are, it makes you and your business more approachable, honest.
Being approachable and letting the customer get to know you, gives you a leg up. Giving a face to your brand is crucial, people want to know who’s behind the food, the services, the clothing so they can see if your values match theirs. It’s all about trust. You want your brand to be trustworthy so that customers will keep coming back. Be transparent and be consistent in your branding and messaging but don’t forget to have fun with design.
Here we are, you’ve learned about design and branding, why it matters to you and your business, all you have to do now is get started. Whether it be starting from scratch or a complete rebrand, don’t be afraid to go deep. Find out why people like websites that are blue instead of red, why comic sans isn’t a font people take seriously.
Your business is a reflection of what you want to put out into the world. Yes, designing can be scary and it’s not for everyone but it’s not something you have to do by yourself. Reach out to designers, go on Pinterest, create a mood board, give yourself the tools you need because at the end of the day, your brand represents everything you’re about to achieve!
