One of the most essential processes when starting up a business is designing a brand identity. The process can be fun, but too often is very challenging.
Many people find it overwhelming to create a brand identity that can appeal to the audience. The very basic question we often received is “Where do I start?” We completely understand the pressure to create a design that represents the values of your business and has commercial appeal. Designing a brand identity isn’t a rocket science, so we hope these 5 simple steps will give you an insight to designing the right brand identity that can resonate with your targeted audience.
01. Do research
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First off, your business is not the only one in the market. Don’t jump right away into the design. Instead, give it some thought to things that can set your business in the competitive market.
Tip: Trends come and go so find what befits your brand.
(Images via Charlie’s Cafe Bakery)
Charlie’s Cafe Bakery is a family-owned cafe that offers wholesome and tasty bread and coffee to their customers. The designer did research and carefully chose the color palette to keep the visual sleek and clean, distinguishing the business from local competitors.
02. Find your strength
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Knowing your strength is important to know where your stance in the market. What makes your business different than your competitors? Once you find your niche, you can reference it in your brand identity. Moreover, knowing what your business excels at really helps your business stand in the sea of sameness.
(Images via Petit Plaisir)
The packaging design of these handmade chocolate feels fresh and unique thanks to the simple lined patterns and different color fills that show nine different tastes.
03. Draft your logo
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After the brainstorming process, you will finally know what you want to have in your brand identity. Now’s the time to sketch your logo. Jot down the idea and make a rough sketch using pencil. Aim to make several logos. Combine and tweak until you find the right one.
(Images via Ramotion)
Tip: We find hand drawing the easiest way to draft our logo.
04. Think about colors and typography
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When it comes to choosing colors and typography for your logo or wordmark, it’s best to consider your target market into consideration. Try looking up for color psychology and experimenting some colors on your own. The same also goes without saying for typography. Know what typeface that suits the image of your brand. Do your choice of color and typeface send the right message to your audience? If yes, go on. If not, you’ll probably need to work on them a little bit more.
(Images via Jack Harvatt)
(Image via Büro)
05. Apply and review the brand identity
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Time to assemble all the pieces together. Now all you need is to review whether all the elements of the branding identity now work together to create a harmonious ensemble. You might still need a little tweaking here and there—but first congratulate yourself first for getting so far!
(Images via Samurai)
(Images via Orkha)
If you’re still not sure and need help, please consult to the professionals or simply contact us. We’d be more than glad to help you in the process.