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Welcome to Part 2 of the branding series on the Studio 78 Podcast. If you’ve listened to Part 1 of the series with Robyn Young and took the requested actions, you should now know your “why.” In Part 2 of this series, you’ll learn how to apply your why to your visual brand. You’ll learn what a visual brand is, why it’s important, and how to execute it.

What is a Visual Brand

A visual brand is what people see related to your business, including but not limited to graphical elements such as typography, colors, imagery, and design. These are reflected in items such as your logo, website, social media graphics, stationery, packaging, etc.

A popular example is Starbucks. Everyone knows Starbucks’ signature green color, but you also know you’re in a Starbucks store by its ambiance and tone. The artwork, brochures, bags, lighting, and all of the other elements you see reflect the brand. Even their commercials and phone app fall within the brand because visual elements like the logo, colors, and typography convey the same message.

An example of a personal brand that does this well is musician Leon Bridges. He has a 60s vibe that carries through consistently, no matter where you see him. His clothes, hair, website, social media, and color choices all reflect his brand, and they are expected to be perfect in everything that’s associated with him.

Why a Visual Brand is Important

A visual brand is important because:

• It reflects the why of your company.
• Helps people better understand and relate to your story.
• Distinguishes you from your competition.
• Allows people to easily identify your company.
• Helps people form a relationship and connection with your brand.

Question to ask yourself: What do you want people to feel and think when they see/touch your product or engage with your business?

How To Create Visual Branding

Research

Before working on your visual brand, do some research:

1. Target audience: Identify your target audience. What are some of their favorite brands? And what do they respond to?
2. Competitors: Who are your competitors? Check out their websites and social media accounts to find out how they’ve branded themselves. What works? What doesn’t work? How can you set yourself apart?
3. Design style: Figure out what style is right for your brand. Look at other websites and even take pictures of things that capture your attention while you’re out and about. Start a Pinterest board or create a physical visual board to start gathering your ideas.

Business Name

I include this in relation to visual branding because it’s what people see first and how they identify your business or product. Choosing a name can be difficult, but here are some tips:

1. Check to see if the name you selected is trademarked.
2. Check that the URL is available (if it is, buy it!).
3. Check social media handles (try to have the same name on all channels. Secure the names immediately).
4. Google the name to see what comes up.
   

Design Elements

If you can find an amazing designer that can help you with this, that’s the best route. If you decide to go with a designer, make sure you like their portfolio, ask for references, and be ready to talk about your “why” and provide them with samples of what you’re looking to accomplish. You can find designers on Upwork, or, if you like another company’s branding, ask them who they used. Sometimes this information is located in the footer of their website.

If you decide to go with a professional designer or go at it alone, here are some items you should consider:

Decide on Design Elements

• Color: This is where your research and a visual board will come in handy. What colors best reflect what you want people to feel when they see your brand? Check out this article by Canva on Color Symbolism.
• Typography style: Font is everything. Are you going with a Serif or sans-serif? Are you going for big and bold or thin and light? The fonts you choose will help set the tone of your brand. Rule of thumb: never, ever, ever use Comic Sans, ever! lol!
• Mood: Is your brand happy with super bright colors? Or more earthy with muted tones? IG accounts are a great way to compare different styles and figure out what mood or tone you want your brand to have.
• Design style: Is your brand minimalist, abstract, feminine, masculine, artsy, playful, flat, deep, luxurious, illustrative, grungy, corporate, typographic? Check out this visual guide to design styles by 99designs.

For my favorite design element resources, check out the Design Resource Guide.

Create a Logo

You can find a local graphic designer or artist, or go to places like Upwork or 99 Designs to create one. I don’t recommend Fiverr unless you’re really in a pinch. Create a visual board of all the logos that appeal to you, and see if you can find common themes, such as the use of scripts, line work, geometric shapes, etc. It will help you identify your style.

If you decide to work with a designer, these are a must:

• Your logo needs to be created as a vector, which allows it to be scaled to any size. Professional designers create their logos in Adobe Illustrator. If someone says they’re going to use Adobe Photoshop, run away fast because it’s not the proper software for creating logos.
• You need your logo in all black, all white, and full color so you can use it in a variety of ways.
• Ask for your logo in a variety of sizes, from small (low-resolution) to large (high-resolution), so you can use it on social media platforms or in print materials.
• You also need the logo in a variety of formats: JPEG, PNG, and EPS. A JPEG file type is what you’re most familiar with. A PNG has a transparent background so you won’t see a white box around your logo. An EPS is used for printing and for providing to other designers working on branding materials for you.

Website

In an upcoming interview, we’ll dive deeper into deciding on the platform and content.

1. Choose a URL.
2. Decide on a platform (Squarespace, WordPress, Shopify).
3. Create a website.
4. Look for templates that let you showcase your message and products.
5. Set up email with Google; take advantage of the G Suite.
6. Consider creating a tagline.

TIPS: (1) Make sure the social icons are linked; (2) compress photos; (3) if you use WordPress, try not to use too many plugins.

Check out the Web Resource Guide to see some of my recommendations.

Online Presence

Newsletter

Decide on a newsletter platform (Mailchimp, ConvertKit, or Flodesk). Create a template that aligns with your brand by using images and colors, and be mindful of your font choices.

Social  Media 

1. Add the same bio pic or avatar image across all social media accounts so people can quickly identify this as the brand’s account.
2. Create a consistent banner to use on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
3. Add a description paragraph or sentence that captures your brand.
4. Determine how you’ll use each platform and which images, videos, quote cards, or graphics will best tell your story and reflect your brand.
5. Create graphic templates you can use in apps like Canva, PicMonkey, or Over.
6. For YouTube videos, determine the style of the thumbnail image.
7. Choose hashtags you want your brand to be associated with.

TIP: Use applications to help you plan out your IG account: UNUM and Planoly

Printed Products and Packaging

Business cards, fliers, and other printed marketing material need to be consistent with your visual brand. Remember, you get what you pay for, but here is a list of places that sell a variety of marketing materials.

• Moo
• Vistaprint
• Smartpress
• Loktah

If you have a physical product, packaging is key. How do you want people to feel when your package arrives in their mailbox? The packaging design should reflect your brand, and the product should be properly wrapped. Make sure your shipping container can properly protect your product, because the last thing you want is something spilling or arriving broken. Mail a sample package to a friend or yourself to test it out. Here are some places to go for packaging material:

• Uline
• Lumi
• Brandincolor (custom boxes)
• Colad (custom boxes)
• Packlane (custom boxes)

Check out the Business Resource Guide for more links.

Other

Some other elements to think about are:

• Voice, dictation, tone
• Props or styling used in different photoshoots
• Make-up
• Music you use in videos or podcast episodes

ACTION: Create a mood board.

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