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Branding dates back hundreds of years. It's what farmers used to mark their livestock as their own. Branding is, "The action of marking with a branding iron". The goal of branding today is very similar. 'Branding' your business into the minds of your target audience is what creating memorable marketing material is all about. The goal is for your target audience to think of you when they need the solution that your business provides.
It starts with a recognizable logo. The best way to build brand recognition is to find lots of creative places to use your logo and branding, consistently. A lot of designers, like myself will provide an entire branding package. A basic branding package includes the main logo, alternate logos, submarks, and a color palette. The alternate logos and submarks are smaller versions of the main logo, but still represent your brand overall. (Continue reading to see examples of this.) After a branding package is completed, you receive single files of each design created, usually this includes multiple files of the same element, but in different color variations, as well as a branding board.
What is a Branding Board?
A branding board gives you an at-a-glance look at your logos, alternate logos, submarks, color palette, and the fonts or typefaces that make up your brand's aesthetic and visual style. It's a great resource to keep near your workspace to use when you're creating content. Creating content can take many forms whether it's printed items like pamphlets, printed menus, ebooks or even online marketing like instagram stories, general graphics for social media, elements to use on your website or in email campaigns. Keeping all of your content 'on brand', means you're using your specific color palette, your fonts, and your logo elements consistently to build brand recognition. Obviously, the more consistent your marketing looks, the easier it is for people to remember you and your business the more they see it.
How does branding help people remember me?
If you've been feeling like people aren't remembering your brand or business, it could be because you're changing up the visual look too often. We see thousands of advertisements every single day, if your visual marketing doesn't have a consistent look and feel, it's very unlikely they will remember it. If you have the budget to hire a brand designer, I highly recommend it. If your business isn't making money yet, there's nothing wrong with starting with a placeholder logo and color palette. If you choose this route, choose to stay consistent in the color palette and fonts you choose as you start getting your first few customers. As you begin to grow your business, set some money aside to get a logo and branding for your business. If you're curious how to transition to the new branding, ask your designer. They will have some great ideas to make the transition smooth and effective.
*Tip: If you work with a designer to create marketing material, make sure to send them your branding board if you already have one. This shows them exactly how to keep all your visual content on brand.
What should be included in a Branding Board?
Main logo, alternate logos and submarks are the basic elements that should be included in any branding project. Generally, the alternate logos and submarks represent the main logo, but are re-arranged a bit. You've probably seen these elements in other brands and not even realized it. The Chick-Fil-A logo is a great example. They have a few variations, one is typed out on one line with the first letter, C designed to look like a chicken. You'll also notice just the C by itself in other areas their entire logo may not fit. Having multiple elements like this allows them to showcase their brand in more versatile and creative ways.
Why do you need a branding board?
A branding board provides visual guidelines to follow when creating content. This ensures anything you or someone else creates remains 'on brand' so that it's memorable and recognizable. Branding isn't about having the prettiest logo, or the trendiest colors, it's about creating a consistent look that stands the test of time. If you're constantly using different fonts, colors, and images no one will remember or recognize your brand.
When I first started my business, I was all over social media. I stayed consistent in the way I presented myself and even though some of my friends and family didn't need my services, they referred me to people that did. They remembered my business and what I offered, because what I posted had a consistent look, feel, and style. Brand recognition happens when you're using your branding consistently throughout social media, email marketing, business cards, flyers, emails, the list goes on!
Branding Board Examples
Here are a few branding projects I've had the pleasure of completing. A logo is simply one piece of the puzzle. As you can see in these branding board examples, the logo is the main element of the branding, the alternate logos, submarks, and color palette truly give the rest of the brand so much life. Alternate logos and submarks still visually represent your company; having multiple layouts just allows you to showcase them in a variety of places. The horizontal logos can look great on a business card or a website, but the vertical, stacked layout, or a circle can provide a better fit for profile photos, icons, or other small places. Having all of these options allows you to continue to build brand recognition in a more subtle way than always using the main logo everywhere.
What are the numbers and letters underneath the colors?
Those are the color codes or if you want to get really technical, they're called Web Safe RBG Color Codes. This means if you're creating marketing material that's going to go on the web you can type in that code to get your exact branding color. I encourage all my clients to use Canva, an amazing resource for creating marketing material. The codes underneath the photos work in Canva. Simply choose a template to work with, swap out the fonts for your branded fonts, swap out the colors for yours and BAM you've got a beautiful on brand image to use for your own marketing.
Who do I hire for logo design and branding?
Currently, Create & Collab. isn't offering branding services, but as of 2024 we have an exclusive partner that is taking on all of our logo and branding projects. Gloria, the owner of Glow Up Web Design, not only builds websites, but her and her team also offers logo design and branding services.
Meet Gloria MacGillis, the creative force behind the Glow Up Web Design Team. With an innate flair for crafting visually stunning websites and a commitment to delivering the best user experience, Gloria brings a unique touch to the digital landscape. Having personally coded her first website in 2017, she has since translated that expertise into crafting over 50 websites, earning glowing reviews and a reputation for timely deliveries. What sets Gloria apart is her ability to empathize with business owners, stepping into their shoes to understand their needs and unlock new possibilities for them. Her work is characterized by simplicity, beauty, professionalism, effectiveness, and user-friendliness. Every website she creates is a testament to her and her team's dedication to helping business owners harness their full potential.
Gloria's passion extends beyond individual projects; it's a commitment to empowering business owners to not just exist but thrive in the digital realm. Backed by a caring and dedicated team, she goes the extra mile to ensure your dreams are not just visualized but exceeded. Together, Gloria and her team offer an array of top-notch services, including graphic design, web design, user experience design, code development, and marketing.