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Branding is more than just a logo. It includes your messaging, core values, mission, and so much more. In a nutshell, it’s everything your business is and everything you want it to be. Your logo, is just a little piece of the pie. To define your brand visually, you’ll need some extra graphic elements that communicate all of those important underlying brand pieces and make your brand pop. 

1. Alternate Layout Logo Versions

It’s crucial that your logo is consistent across all forms of media, so you should at least have a horizontal and vertical format. It’s even better if you have a square and small size version too. Be sure to check out the article on Responsive Logo Design. It means that your logo can adapt to all screen sizes. Be sure it’s legible in all formats!

2. Colour Palette

The colours you choose should reflect your values, brand personality, and how you want your customers to feel. A colour palette should have a couple of main colours that are predominant in your designs, and some secondary colours that can be used as accents.

3. Typography

Be sure to choose a typeface that reflects your brand as well. Learn more about what typefaces mean so that you feel that the definition lines up with your brand. Using a script font for a computer repair business wouldn’t quite feel right, while using a bold, heavy sans-serif font for flower boutique would also feel a bit off. It would be wise to stick to two typefaces so that there is a consistent look to all of your materials. And more specifically, use one typeface for headings and another for body copy.

4. Graphic Elements

This is the fun part! But it could also be the most challenging. It’s ideal if your graphic elements, like line style, illustrations, or icons all tie into your logo and brand if possible. Does your logo have a rounded edge or thick lines? Great, use that style in your graphic elements. Pulling from the logo for inspiration is a great starting point because it is a graphic representation of your brand. But don’t feel like you are stuck with what you choose. In fact, this part of the brand should be switched up every once and a while so that your brand stays current and fresh.

5. Patterns

Patterns come in handy when you want a bold punch and some consistency on marketing material, like the back of a letterhead, or a background to your Instagram story. To ensure that the pattern reflects your brand, take a look at your values and your logo. Is welcoming a trait for your business? If so, then perhaps you want to use soft edges in a repeating pattern. What if a brand personality trait is organized? Then perhaps your pattern would be more linear.

6. Photography Style

Having a guideline for photography style will help your brand appeal to your target market emotionally. A picture can communicate in a way no other media can, so it’s vital that you choose photography that reflects your core message. Things to consider are: lighting, subject matter, composition, background, colour palette and colour saturation. Does your brand need to communicate softness? Then perhaps softly lit photos with a pop of pink would work well. Or what if your brand needs to communicate energy? Then your subjects could be in motion and the colours could be vibrant with high saturation.

Your branded visual elements will help to make your brand pop!

Is there anything else you are using to help your brand visually?

When should you use which file types? If you’re new to the world of design and online marketing, it can feel a bit overwhelming to understand when to use which files. This overview should help you with choosing the proper file type for your next project.

Digital

When posting online, you don’t need as high of resolution as print, so these are the file types typically found online:

JPEG/JPG – This is mainly used for photographs. Use this file type when there is a solid background. It’s important to reduce the file size as much as possible without losing quality so that it doesn’t take too long to download!

GIF – These files usually have a smaller file size and are used more for logos, line art, or graphic elements. They can also be animated! However, they only hold 256 colours, so it wouldn’t work well for photographs. I wouldn’t advise using it for gradients, but it does have the ability to have a transparent background.

PNG – This file type has the ability to have a transparent background. So if you have a white logo to place on a website with a blue background, you could use a PNG with a transparent background so that the blue shows through. 

SVG – This file is able to scale large without any loss of quality, and they are usually smaller in file size than JPEG, PNG oro GIF graphics. They are vector based files, so that means they are great for logos, illustrations, and diagrams. SVGs also have the ability to become an animation through programming.

Print

It’s important that your files are high-resolution and print-ready in order to get a beautiful printed piece. 

JPEG/JPG – These file types can also be used for print, but you will need to make sure that it is high-resolution (at least 300dpi), otherwise your print may turn out fuzzy. I would suggest using JPEGs only when printing photographs.

PDF – These documents can be just one page or multiple pages. They can also be reduced in file size and shared on the web if needed. PDFs are usually created in other software programs and then exported to the settings needed. A PDF will print crisp lines, text and photographs.

EPS – This file type contains vector-based images, which is usually used for logos, drawings, and text. The data is made from precise lines, so it always prints clear and crisp.

AI – This file type also contains vector-based images, and is used for the same reasons as an EPS, but it’s limited to only being usable by Adobe Illustrator, while EPS files can be opened by many applications.

Are there any other file types that you’re unsure how to use?

Consistency is key when it comes to your brand identity, and a simple way to create it is to use a pattern or textured background. A pattern could be a graphic item, like an illustration or icon that repeats, and a textured background could be watercolour paint or wood grain background. 

These backgrounds are the supporting cast to the star of your show, which is the content. They are subtle and repeating, and over time, the customer gets to know them, which means without even reading the text, they instantly know it is your brand and your message.

Here are three ways to use a pattern or background in your visual identity:

1. Background in Instagram Stories

This is an efficient way to tie your brand identity into your instagram stories. Just save out your background at the proper dimensions, keep it on your phone, and in a flash, you add some text and you’ve got a branded, recognizable story for your followers!

2. The Backside of your Business Cards

There’s something so modern and fresh about dedicating the backside of a business card to pattern. It feels pulled together and on brand – especially when the front side is using the same colours.

3. In Packaging

Do you sell any physical products? If so, then adding a pattern repeat to your packaging will add a professional look to your product while increasing your brand awareness.

Do you need a pattern or background for your brand? If so, check out these pre-made patterns, or get in touch if you would like a custom one made!

Setting up a website can feel pretty overwhelming, but it doesn’t need to be. You can get a basic WordPress website setup within less than an hour, and feel good knowing you’ve taken a step toward your vision of your dream website.

1. Purchase your Domain Name and Hosting

Where should you do this? Well there are a ton of options out there, and personally I use Namespro *. Their prices are great and I love the option to buy a $9 service to make your contact information information for any domains you buy private. It’s a one time fee, while other providers might charge you yearly and per domain – so it’s a great deal! If your name is available as a .com, then I would suggest to purchase it. Otherwise, another extension will work fine. Search Namespro for your perfect domain name.

As for hosting, I use GoDaddy. You could either go with the Basic Web Hosting or the WordPress Hosting. Both types can host WordPress sites, and although the WordPress Hosting comes at a higher cost, it will be easier for you to set up in the beginning. Be sure to compare plans to choose the best option for your website.

Do you need SSL? SSL is a security technology that makes sure that data passed between the web server and internet browser is private. This is especially important if you’ll be selling anything on your website. However, it’s still great for informational sites to use as well, since Google favours sites that have SSL. How do you know if a site has SSL? Look at the web address in the url bar, does it have “https://” or “http://”? The “s” signals that the website has a SSL certificate and is safe to use.

2. Install WordPress

Once your account is created and you have purchased your domain name and hosting plan, login and choose Web Hosting from the top menu. From there, click the Manage button beside the hosting you just purchased. Next, look for Options and Settings and choose WordPress under the Popular Apps section and click Install. Fill in the fields and select Okay. Choose your domain name, choose a directory (leave this blank if you want it installed in the main root folder – that’s what I do), make an Admin Name and Admin Password (write these down somewhere safe!), and enter your email address and blog title. GoDaddy will send you an email to let you know when the install is complete.

3. Login to Your Site

When your site is ready to go, login to your freshly installed website at http://www.yourdomain.com/wp-admin (use that admin name and password you wrote down earlier to get in). Now you have a site! The next step will be to choose a theme, and dig in and start creating your content. You will need to learn about how WordPress works, but remember, you’ve just taken a big step by getting your site setup and online, you can learn the next part too!

* This is an affiliate link, meaning I will receive a commission if you decide to purchase using this link. If you do, thank you!