DIY Branding
9 September 2020
Written by Acme Mag
The first step to DIY branding is… don’t.
As a creative and marketing magazine for the real estate industry, we’re obliged to let you know that branding is more than your logo. Largely speaking branding is your promise to your customer and it provides insight into what can be expected from you.
In layman’s terms, branding goes beyond colours, fonts and logos and comprises a multifaceted visual foundation that is required to be weaved throughout every aspect of your business from your website, advertising and stationery to your brand’s messaging and the way employees engage with customers.
This is why it’s imperative to work with design and marketing professionals when undertaking branding projects. The innocent desire to quickly create a logo yourself and call it a day thinking
it’s all your business needs and that you can figure out the rest as you go is a method that undeniably leads to un-cohesive and
under-recognised branding.
Creative designers who are experienced in branding projects have the unique ability to think beyond simply choosing colours and brand marks and are able to envision optimal uses for now and the future. It’s also about objectively good design; if you look back a decade or so ago and regret a style you loved, it’s a safe assumption that you should contact a professional for your branding project as their job is to look at what your business stands for and turn that into a timeless, unique visual brand that won’t date as fast as your mullet from 1989.
If you’re going to do branding yourself anyway (we see you), then here is a glimpse at some of the things we beg you to take into consideration. Remember, branding projects have a strong focus on self-discovery. This can be difficult, time-consuming and uncomfortable as you’re required to think aggressively and objectively.
One
Research your competitors, the brands you admire and the brands with objectively terrible branding.
Two
Uncover your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) to ensure it can be subtly communicated within your branding.
Three
Think broadly about colour because fire engine red and cobalt blue are not the only colour shades that exist.
Four
Expand your typeface options, ensure they’re readable but also not similar to your competitors or other well-recognised brands.
Five
Get an understanding of the type of imagery, iconography and other visual assets that will assist in communicating your brand.
Six
Go in at least two different directions for your visual branding and then refine.
