I have been given the honor by the equally beautiful and inspiring Allyn Lewis to be September’s ‘Shine Expert’ for her Gem Nation program. Allyn does such an exceptional job collecting and distributing resources to her Gem Nation members, allowing entrepreneurs to develop their brands and businesses. Check out her website to find out more and potentially become a VIP.
Every month, Allyn selects an expert in a specific industry to offer resources to her members to grow their business, and this month yours truly is the ‘Shine Expert’. We will be offering one-on-one branding consultations and a ‘Guide to Shine: Branding Edition’ workbook on brand cohesiveness. We will also be holding a “Clean Up Your Brand” challenge throughout the last week of September. Yes I know those are exciting, so do join in!
To start out this adventure together, we did a Bizpiration Interview, which can be found here. I wanted to share some of the answers that are specific to branding with you today.
WHY IS VISUAL CONSISTENCY SO IMPORTANT FOR A BRAND?
We all crave stability and consistency naturally. In some form, we all need the bedtime routine, the three meals a day, the holiday seasons, set standards and bondaries in relationships, etc. Well, brand consistency is in a way the same thing. For people to invite you in their lives they want you to be a sure thing. They want to always be able to recognize you, they want to know what your standards are as a brand; they want to be able to find you when they need you. Consistency for a brand shows intentionality and confidence which will resonate emotionally with your ideal audience as you target them. Brand consistency creates loyal customers that eventually ‘sell’ for you through your branding.
WHAT ELEMENTS MAKE UP A GREAT BRAND VISUALLY?
A good brand is simple visually but complex and intricate conceptually. It should leave your audience stunned and wanting more without confusing them. Type and colors are key elements in a great visual brand, since so much can be conveyed through those two elements. You want people to know who you are and what you are selling (product or idea) and feel emotionally connected to it. If your brand can easily, visually achieve that, you’ve got a keeper! It’s more than having a pretty font or perfectly paired color combination, it’s about capturing the essence and personality of your business. Think of good branding as a visual hook, elements that put together reel in your ideal client right where you prepared your best copy, catching marketing strategy, and unique products.
WHAT ARE A FEW WELL-KNOWN BRANDS THAT YOU THINK HAVE STRONG BRANDING AND BEAUTIFUL GRAPHICS?
There are so many who do it so well, it’s hard to single out anybody. Apple definitely would have to be mentioned. Their clean minimalist branding is extremely effective and has set such a standard of quality and innovation in all our minds If you have ever bought anything from the Apple store you probably have felt this way: “ I don’t know what is about to happen when I open this box but I know it’s going to be mind blowing and I am going to have a great experience no matter what.” A brand that makes you feel that way has good branding! As far as great graphics, here is a completely arbitrary and subjective list – some more well-known than others – Chipotle, Halo Top, Mast Brothers, Sugarfina, Moo, Woven Pear, to only name a few. And of course Reverie Lane Designs, not well-known but I’m working on that! haha
WHAT DO YOU WISH YOUR CLIENTS KNEW BEFORE STARTING A PROJECT?
I wish my clients knew who their ideal audience was before they came to me. It’s one thing to have a vision for your graphics, it is another to know what is going to speak to your ideal client. It’s so important to think this through.
Well, I hope to see you on the GemNation and get to work with you on your brands. I am so very enthused by this project and getting to work with some bold entrepreneurs.
REVERIE MINGLES: WHAT DO YOU STRUGGLE WITH TO KEEP YOUR BRAND VISUALLY CONSISTENT?