Branding: what a wonderfully complex concept, right? Some people, when they think of branding, just think about pretty designs and cool fonts. Maybe that’s you? If it is (and even if it’s not), boy, have I got a surprise for you! Branding is complex, wide, and full of nooks and crannies to consider and delve into. We’re dropping some knowledge and sharing some tips on what to include when branding your business:

Visual identity

You might be thinking “really, now, Sienny?”, as if I think you might forget to figure out your visual identity. But, seriously, this is such an important part of your branding and is sometimes overlooked or skimped out on. Your visual identity includes the foundational visuals of your brand, which usually entails logo systems, brand colors and typography, and can be expanded to include graphic elements.

Application guide

Brand assets are useless without knowing exactly what to do with them. It is very useful to create an application or branding guide that details where, when, and how to use your logos, colours, and typography. It’s important to create an in-depth, expansive guide as it ensures consistency because then you’ll always know when and where to use what!

Brand message & tone

Message and tone, message and tone! We all know how difficult it is to get your tone across text based platforms, so it’s especially important to think deeply about your tone. You don’t want to scare off your followers because you sound too harsh or too soft or too silly, right? As for your brand message: it has to be refined so that the entire company knows how to use particular buzz words, adjectives and so on to describe your brand. Consistency in your message is key and will ensure familiarity which builds trust.

Public relations & marketing strategies

This is a very big field and can be branched out into special campaign management. For example, if you need exposure for a product launch, you will ideally want to build a marketing strategy that fits your brand goals, visuals and message. This is where it all comes together to create the best image you possibly can and helps to ensure your marketing strategies work perfectly.

Brick and mortar

If you have a physical company, you ideally want to adjust the interior, exterior and furnishing to fit the physical appearance & color of your brand. Think of McDonalds – they always have that yellow and red color theme with a big ‘M’ you can spot from metres away! Branding a brick and mortar store can sound like a big job, but remember, as long as you’ve got your branding guide and a lot of pens and paper to take notes on, you should be good to go.

So, there you have it! Not too complicated, right? Branding, and what to include when working on branding, doesn’t have to be a mammoth task looming over you. Here at The Mood Lab, we figured some things out (after a bit of trial-and-error), and we’re always looking to share, so feel free to check out this article on how to brand authentically, branding misconceptions and this one with info on the visual branding process.

Until next time!