The Basic Blocks of Brand Design: What Assets Do I Really Need?
So you're just beginning to grow your brand and you're not sure where to start with marketing resources‚ we're here to help. In this series of blogs, we're going to discuss the basic blocks of brand design and everything you need to know to start building a strong brand. In particular, today let's look at what brand design assets you actually need to get started.
A logo
When your logo is born, so is your brand. That's why it is important to make sure that you have this right before starting on your journey with all other branding resources. Whilst you might have a great business card in mind, people won't be able to associate it with your brand quickly if you don't include a logo. Having a logo is the starting point of any brand and will represent who you are as an organisation, so it's one of the very first steps to take when building your brand. So what should your logo look like? Remember that your logo needs to reflect your brand at a glance. A great way to do this is to use iconography that clearly reflects the industry your organisation sits in and to ensure that all aspects of your logo can be easily viewed, whether the logo is scaled up or down in size. In 2021 we expect to see a huge shift to minimalist logos so the simpler your logo is to understand, the better it will be perceived for years to come. When determining what you want your logo to look like, a good exercise to try is to note down the keywords you want your logo to reflect. As an example if you determine your logo should be clean, timeless and modern then you want to be careful to use fonts and imagery that also incorporate those values.
Web design
Web design is absolutely crucial to your brand. For a large portion of your consumers, your site is going to be the first piece of contact they ever have with your business so it's a really integral part of your overall brand. Your web design needs to work alongside your logo and the two assets should look completely unified. Take the keywords that helped you to create your logo and let them guide your web design too. For example if you decided your logo should represent your knowledge, professionalism and commitment to advancement - these same goals should drive your web design. In this case, you would be sure to use a font that was clear and concise, and to advertise your blog prominently on the homepage of your site as that would help to reflect your knowledge instantly. Whichever colours your logo uses can also be brought through your whole site in order to make sure that your brand looks cohesive.
Whilst it is really important to make sure that the graphic design on your site is professional and in keeping with the concept of your logo, you also need to ensure that your navigation is as simple as possible for the user. Keeping user experience in mind whilst designing your site will mean that the result is a website optimised for new users and will help encourage a better conversion rate.Overall, impressive web design is a complete must for any business in 2021. A modernised, functional website that helps to reach your audience and to fortify your brand messaging is really important for any current-day brand.
Social media graphic design
Why are branded social graphics important? Your consumer most likely won't convert on the first visit to your website, but they are likely to start keeping an eye out for your brand and researching a little more before they do decide to return. This period of time is vital for the consumer and you do need to be ensuring that they have as many positive contact points with your brand as possible to encourage them to return to your site. Ensuring that your socials look as good as your website and logo aids in creating the overall appearance and reputation of your brand.
Make sure that your social graphics use imagery that works alongside your brand, and keep the same fonts and colours in each post. This is good practice because it'll keep your brands marketing sleek and unified and contribute to a trustworthy, professional reputation. In addition to this, make sure that your social media posts actually offer value to your customer and are designed with your target audience in mind. According to wearesocial.com in 2020, "more than 4.5 billion people now use the internet, while social media users have passed the 3.8 billion mark." With so much of your audience using social media, this is an essential block to use when building your brand. Today we have talked about three fundamental blocks of a strong brand. Having these three resources will help your audience to start recognising your brand and will go a long way in building that all important trust! Remember that the best brands are completely unique, so whilst it's sometimes helpful to take inspiration from others in your field, always make sure that the content your brand distributes is new and fresh in order to be more memorable to your prospective customers. If you'd like help creating any of the above assets, just get in touch with a service expert today. We'd love to have a chat about how our unlimited graphic design subscription plans could help build your brand!
