How to Create a Brand Identity as a Non-Designer
The word “design” can be a little scary or intimidating for those with 0 experience with it. It doesn’t have to be an overly complicated process and you don’t need expensive design programs to create a cohesive brand. Creating a brand should incorporate who you are and who you plan to serve. When you’re able to pinpoint this it will make the design process a lot easier to approach. If you’re interested in learning more about branding mistakes, this was a topic I covered in a previous post. You can read 5 common branding mistakes and how to avoid them to learn more.
The best way to being the design process is by creating a style guide. A style guide can be very helpful and will keep you on track in the creative designing. Any element you deem important will be found in one place. The best way to see this visually is to create a single graphic. If you’re anything like me, I’m a visual learner so this helps me get a feel for the overall picture and vibe. You can also use the guide to help when designing individual pieces of your brand identity.
A style guide has a few key elements: the logo(s) [these can be varying logo ideas], fonts and a color scheme. What helps me visually is to include a few photos for inspiration that capture the style I’m going for. This can help you stay on brand as well as organize any future content. Creating a style guide is a very important first step when creating anything from graphics for blog post/social media/Pinterest accounts as well as everything from media press kits to brands for companies you’re interesting in working with. This style guide will be your “road map” that you’ll find yourself revisiting time and time again. That is why it is CRUCIAL you take the time to truly create a cohesive and well thought out guide.
If you’re someone who does not feel comfortable being the sole creator of a brand identity, it is absolutely ok to create the style guide and hand it over to a hired professional for assistance. This could be helpful in the creation of a logo or any additional marketing materials or graphics you may need.
Being sure to keep your style consistent is critical for everything associated with your business or blog. A brand style guide can help you keep yourself in check as well as staying on track. As you continue to develop your brand, feel free to update and refine the style guide as your business or blog grows.
To help you get started, at the bottom of this post I’m including a FREE Branding Style Guide template created using Canva. It is fully customizable and has all the elements needed to get you started on creating your brand identity. To make it your own, all you need to do is switch out the images, the fonts, and the colors to match your own, unique brand identity.
