Hey! It’s me again: your branding-obsessed bestie. You probably clicked on this post to learn more about how to get to the BASS of your brand 😉 and I am SO glad you are here because this has to be one of my FAVORITE topics.

If you couldn’t tell, I’m allllll about the vibes, and your branding is the vibes (and even more). In this post, you’ll learn about my essential branding basics and what the most important branding assets are when it comes to your biz. So, if you’re ready to dive in & find out all the secrets… Let’s boogie!!!

1. BRAND NAME

Duh, right?! But seriously… This is what people will remember! When they see your sign on a building from taking a night walk with their partner. From scrolling aimlessly trying to find a photographer for their event that’s next month. From hearing your name through casual conversation with a friend that recommended your floral business. The name of your biz is what they will write down. Think catchy!

I think a lot of times, coming up with a business name is glazed over/rushed for the fact of just thinking of it as your BUSINESS name, rather than thinking about it as your BRAND name. You were probably eager to get your business started, so you just picked the first thing that came to your mind. And hey, maybe it was a good one!

Although, I would challenge you to consider if the name of your business ALIGNS with what your BRAND is, what your offer, who you are, and how you want to be perceived. And if it’s not or if it has changed, don’t worry! There’s an answer… REBRANDING! Rebranding can be so fun because it re-ignites your desire and passion for the future of your biz. So, don’t think that you have to be stuck in a box of your brand because of a name you thought of 5 years ago…

2. MISSION & VISION

Newsflash: your branding IS NOT just your logo & color palette. I will scream this at the top of my lungs until everyone hears me!! LOL. When I work with branding clients, brand mission and vision are some of the most important ideas to consider because they are the bones of what your business is.

Why do you do what you do? Who do you help? What do you offer that’s different? What impact would you like to make? How do you want to be seen/heard? Each of these questions is wildly as important as your visual branding because this is where the visual branding design is inspired from. The visual branding elements, like your logo, have to represent something, and your mission and vision acts as a guide for the person in the driver’s seat taking your business to reach those goals.

3. BRAND VALUES

When is the last time you thought about what is important to you? Honestly, have you ever sat down and reflected on it? And are those values incorporated in your business? Do you even think of them as values? You know… Things like sustainability, adventure, creativity, genuineness, etc.

Your brand values = your moral compass for every decision you make regarding your biz. And once you have them, you will think about them everyday. When incorporated correctly, you will always think about if your decisions and actions line up with these values. Because when they don’t, that’s when we get into the sticky situation of ~cognitive dissonance~ or in other words, your words and actions NOT lining up.

I can’t stress how important it is for your actions and beliefs to line up ESPECIALLY when it comes to your business because that is one of the things the drives building trust with clients/customers. Just ponder about it for a bit… Why would someone invest in your business if they are getting mixed messages about what you stand for?

Define those values & run with them!!

4. LOGO(S)

So we’ve covered that your brand is NOT just your logo. Got it?! Cool. But, that does not discredit the importance of the visual representation of your brand…

Your logo(s) is the recognizable face & vibe of your brand’s visually designed identity, and it DESERVES to have time and effort put into it. Not just a copy & paste, edit & post template logo.

Of course, there is a time and a place for you to DIY your logo! Just starting out your business is a perfect example. But, I would urge you to not ~DIY & forget~ about your logo design.

Effective & personality-filled branding encompasses ALL the elements that go into building your brand, all of which are discussed in this blog. Brand designers have the knowledge, skill, and expertise to represent your brand in a way that is professional, sets you apart, and accurately represents YOU and your brand. And that starts with your logo.

There is always time to level-up your logo.

5. TYPOGRAPHY & FONTS

From billboards, to flyer hand-outs, and to your website, fonts have the power to encapsulate a VIBE and transform messages. A superpower if you will.

Acting as essential added character and personality of your brand, your fonts further support your brand message, voice, and vibe. An easy way to think about how powerful fonts are is through decades.

If you’re looking for a retro-hippie vibe for your biz, a font that screams the 70s will do the trick.

Or maybe you’re looking for a grunge, rom-com vibe. Then you’ll choose the 90s punk-distressed route.

Or maybe you want to define and create your own stamp. You can customize your own font! How ICONIC is that!?

Making sure your fonts align with your business industry, values, and voice is really the cherry on top of the cake. It’s the difference between a good website & an UNFORGETTABLE website. The difference between a website viewer & a PURCHASE.

So don’t underestimate it, rockstar!

6. COLOR PALETTE

I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite pass times is scrolling on Pinterest looking at all the retro, colorful, and moody color palettes. Like, SO MANY GOOD VIBES!! I almost paint my room like 3 times a month because of it lol.

There’s a reason color palettes are so pleasing to the eye, and it’s not just because all the colors look nice together.

Other than setting your brand colors, your color palette sets the tone, mood, and genre of your business! Shall we go back to my decades example from earlier…?

Let’s say you’re a vintage furniture resale shop (how cute!): A color palette filled with rich oranges, yellows, and browns would definitely set that mid-century 70’s tone!

But what if you’re a portrait photographer that’s obsessed with moody lighting, pop music, and 90s fashion? Bold colors like fun pinks, deep reds, and bright yellows would bring out that scrapbook-type 90s vibe.

Or, you’re a floral design studio that specializes in editorial style weddings. Pastel blues, whites, blacks, and greens might do the trick to channel a magazine cover.

You get the picture – Careful curation for a color palette can REALLY change up your vibe, even by tweaking forest green to olive green.

7. BRAND VOICE

Are you still with me? Now you’ve got your brand name, color palette, logos, fonts, values, and mission & vision. You’re on your way to the bass of your brand!

But how are you going to show up when interacting with potential clients & customers?!

Brand voice & messaging shouldn’t be overlooked just because it’s not a visual element of your brand. It’s arguably more important because it’s how you will be interacting with your audience.

Think of it as your brand’s style. Your slang. Your personality. Your unique voice that deserves to be heard!

Don’t be shy here. Bring all the rockstar pizazz & be as extra as you’d like. Because only you can define what your brand voice will be, and the stronger your brand voice, the easier it will be for people to connect with it and HEAR IT!

8. DOMAIN & SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES

Huh? I thought we were talking about branding not social media. Well, if this seems like it doesn’t correlate with your brand, let me change your world!

One of the biggest ways to build trust with your audience is through your online presence. Your domain name & social media handles are basically your online nicknames! They’re going to be the names people will search to find you – SO THEY BETTER BE ON BRAND!

Imagine trying to find a floral design business called “Floral Beauties” but their domain name is flowersandbeauties.com and their social handles are @flowersandbeauties because floralbeauties.com wasn’t available.

You want to MAKE SURE that the name of your business is available across all of your social media handles and as a domain to eliminate any possible disconnect or confusion!

1. BRANDING DESIGN

Because your branding is the face of your biz!

We briefly touched on some elements of branding design in the branding basics section, so let’s see if any of these ring a bell…

Logo suite, typography & fonts, color palette, and voice/messaging. All of these basics make up a very important asset for your business: YOUR BRANDING!

Your branding design is how people will recognize you, and how you can communicate your business values, vibe, and goals without saying anything at all!

From logos on a shirt, to fonts on social media, to colors used on documents. Consistency is key here.

Investing in branding design will give you those tangible assets to use freely & consistently across various communication channels, which will make your business PROFESSIONAL & POWERFUL.

Powerful in the sense that no one can ever be you because your branding is so unique to your voice & goals. That’s true power.

2. BRAND PHOTOGRAPHY

One of my personal favorites because I LOVE a good photoshoot 🙂

But let’e be real. Brand photography is so much more than just another photoshoot. It sets the tone & imagery of your business, and it is essential for advertising your products and/or services.

What thoughts, feelings, or images do you want people to think of when they think about your business?

Do you want them to feel inspired? Happy? Should they picture an edgy appearance? Maybe a retro living room? A business owner who loves vintage finds? Or maybe a sense of calm like open greenery frolicking through the fields.

All of these vibes and feelings are achievable through carefully crafted imagery with BADASS branding photography.

Again, this is created SPECIFICALLY FOR YOU and your business, so no one can replicate it.

And I think that’s what makes it extra special – Only you can create those memories by investing with a branding photographer that you can have forever as assets for your business.

Strike a pose! *click click*

3. PRINTED MATERIALS

Sounds very simple. So much so that you almost overlook it!

But business cards, marketing materials, packaging design, merch/apparel and flyers are all assets that promote your business.

I know at times it may be easy to forget about updating your business cards or flyers that have been the same since you first started your business,.

But it is just as important to keep these assets cohesive with your current branding design!

My biggest tip with this one: Have fun with it.

Create a dope t-shirt (everyone loves a t-shirt). Make an eye-catching, retro-inspired flyer. Or maybe you level-up your business cards so that you actually hand them out to people and aren’t embarrassed by them… Whatever you please!

4. WEBSITE

Okay ya’ll. I saved the best for last…

Your website is arguably the MOST IMPORTANT brand asset for your business. Say it again.

Why?

Because you have complete control over it.

Not only do you have full control over how your website looks aka your branding being accurately translated, you have the power to control how you are seen as a person/business owner, what information you’d like to share, and what actions you’d like viewers to make.

This becomes incredibly important when you’d like viewers to MAKE A PURCHASE, SIGN UP FOR A NEWSLETTER, OR BOOK A CALL!

On a website that you’ve truly invested in, you have the ability to easily integrate third-party platforms to create a user experience that is easy to navigate & one that creates results.

Investing in effective web design may sound like a daunting task. But you may be missing out the potential sales & confidence because of things like your branding not being reflected accurately or the mobile layout having issues.

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Thanks for reading rockstar!

xoxo,

Katherine aka KPVIRTUALLY

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