Blog Talk: Branding 101 + Free Printable Brand Identity Guide
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September 11, 2020
Identifying your brand is one of the most important steps in developing a solid foundation to successfully grow your business. I’ve been developing brand identities for my clients for years and while there is a lot of strategy behind it that requires expertise, there are certainly steps you can take on your own to build your brand identity on a basic level.
It’s important to take a deep dive into the specifics of your brand’s purpose, target audience, voice, tone, and more – the WHY of your brand. I’ve created this mini version of my Brand Identity Questionnaire, which is part of my Strategic Brand Development package here, to help guide you before you’re ready to invest in professional brand development.
Click here to print the PDF.
The next step is to translate the information you’ve gathered from the questionnaire to strategically develop the aesthetics (colors, fonts, patterns, etc.) of your brand. Here’s a quick guide of the message colors convey:
Red – bold and strong
Orange – energetic and friendly
Yellow – happy and cheerful
Green – growth and sustainability
Blue – approachable and dependable
Purple – regal and creative
Pink – feminine and warm
Black – premium and sophisticated
White – clean and simple
Multicolor – playful and fun
As far as fonts go, in general, clean and simple fonts will be more attractive to a wider audience while more playful script fonts skew towards women below 40. I always recommend a clean, solid font as the primary font. You can always add a script or handwritten secondary font if you do want to reach that younger, female demographic.
The ultimate goal is to effectively communicate a solid brand identity in a single instant. You want your target audience to be captivated immediately before reading your blog, browsing your product selection, or whatever your business may be. That’s why identifying your mission, target audience, brand values, etc. is so important to do before developing the visual branding aspects. It might seem like a lot to take in, but taking it one step at a time will make things easier and in the end, having a solid brand identity helps the success of your brand immensely.
Have you ever developed your brand identity?
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Photo by Ryan Carpenter.
Read more in the Blog Talk series here.
Want to work with me one-on-one to improve your branding & design and increase your income? Check out my services here.
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May 18, 2020 @ 9:48 am
Ooh! I love the PDF. I’ve had my brand for a bit, but I may just go through this for a refresh to make sure my goals are in order. Fab ideas!!
May 19, 2020 @ 1:20 pm
Yes! Such a great plan. Thanks so much, Jennifer! Let me know if I can help in any way! 🙂
May 18, 2020 @ 6:48 pm
Talk about helpful! I could’ve benefitted from this last year when I went through my rebrand. It’s so necessary to have these things on paper. Such a cool printable too! Thanks for sharing this. It’ll be so great for tons of bloggers!
May 19, 2020 @ 1:19 pm
You’re so welcome!! I think so too. Writing it all out is such a great way to figure out exactly which direction you want to go. Thanks for your feedback! 🙂
May 19, 2020 @ 1:17 am
Ok, I’m bookmarking this post! I’ve been doing my blog for over four years and the pdf and everything you had to say was such a good refresher! Anyone starting a blog should read this.
May 19, 2020 @ 1:19 pm
Amazing!! I’m so glad to hear that you found it helpful! I completely agree. Branding is such an integral part of starting a blog (or any business)!
May 21, 2020 @ 11:12 am
Love this babe! I’ve actually been redesigning all of my branding components for the past week and it feels SO GOOD!!! I normally prioritize client work…but this is SO IMPORTANT! 🙂
No joke, I updated my Etsy shop banner with the new branding and instantly sold 3 x as many prints than I normally do!!!! Coincidence? Maybe…but I think the updates made a difference! Xo
May 26, 2020 @ 7:52 am
Woohooooo that’s amazing!!! I’m SURE the updates made a difference! I totally agree about prioritizing client work. I do the same, but I always make sure to keep my branding and site in the best shape too!
May 22, 2020 @ 6:55 pm
Wow this is so helpful! I think I need to stop and figure out my brand identity during the quarantine.
May 26, 2020 @ 7:48 am
Yesss, this is the perfect time to do it!! Let me know if I can help in any way! 🙂