Building a Brand on a Budget
Start with the Name
- What do we call you? What do you answer to? Consider your industry, your niche, and the products or services you sell for guidance.
- Look to potential competitors for inspiration, but don’t copy and paste
- Be practical and methodical, and also don’t be afraid to be different
- In the end, just choose a name. Even if it is too long it can be abbreviated
Let the Name Inform the Logo
- The starbucks name wouldn’t go very well with the nike check. To some degree, your name must project outwardly from your logo design. When I see your logo, it should scream your name loud and clear.
- Be simple, err on the side of high replicability. In other words, think about how many times your logo might need to be reproduced and design with that variable in mind.
- Think about the apple logo versus a university seal. The apple logo needs to be simple because it is highly replicated (i.e. its being printed on millions of different mediums; that volume calls for simplicity). The university seal on the other hand probably won’t be printed on a laptop or phone so it can afford to me more sophisticated and intricate in its design.
Color Your Brand Book
- Pick a color scheme.
- This might call for some refreshment on basic art fundamentals with respect to color and design
- Let common sense be your guide, but don’t be too rigid with your choices. You wouldn’t make a welding company’s primary color hot pink? …or would you? lol.
- Regardless of the colors you choose, have a story and a justification behind it. If not, err on the safe side and choose safer colors with respect to your industry.
Manage Your Voice
- Imagine if your brand had a voice. What would it sound like? Would it be direct and confrontational? Or neutral and well structured? Does your brand speak the king’s english or a broken dialect?
- Be intentional, but in the end, make it make sense and have a justification for it. consider your audience and what voice might resonate with them the most.
Consistency, Discipline, and Consistency Again
- Irregardless of the kind of design choices you make, be consistent across the board.
- Use the same logos, the same color schemes, the same fonts, and the same messages and voices wherever you show up in the marketplace.
- One of the biggest aims of having a seamless brand is instilling trust and respect in your audience and you do that through consistency.
If you’re still struggling with building your brand, have questions or you’re curious about some of the topics and points I have presented, feel free to shoot me an email at isaiah@nodstu.com
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