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Hello! One 11 Studios is a boutique agency that specializes in design, branding and social media growth for lifestyle brands and female entrepreneurs. We strive to make you and your business sparkle online! From branding development, graphic and web design, and social media growth and strategy…we've got you covered!
Thinking about DIYing your brand? If so, there are 4 common mistakes that people often make when designing their own brand identity.
Although I’m a brand designer myself, there are some instances where I think going the DIY route would be a better fit for you.
(If you would like to work together, click here to check out my branding packages and here to schedule your discovery call with me!)
I’m sharing these some common branding mistakes that people often make because I’ve definitely made them myself in the past and I want you to avoid them if you’re considering the DIY brand route.
When people think about branding their business, they tend to think about what THEY like and what they want.
But here’s the thing: Your brand isn’t all about you.
Now don’t get me wrong. It is about you, but it’s also about your target market. Your clients, your customers, and your community.
It’s about what they want, what they like, what they’re into, what they vibe with.
And if you’re not quite sure what that is, it’s time to do some research and deep thinking.
Here are some questions you can ask yourself about your ideal client:
After answering those questions, you notice a pattern and you can start to piece the puzzle together.
Remember to make the branding about them just as much as it’s about you, because it’s also about you too!
What is your brand mission, personality, and values?
If you don’t have these three things down, take some time to think it over.
I’ll go over these 3 things briefly and give you examples of my own brand.
Mission:
For example, Amber Hukari Creative is a branding and graphic design studio for online creative entrepreneurs. My mission is to help you create a brand that will give your dream clients the confidence and clarity they need to hire you. Because when branding is done right, trust is built. And you deserve to work with your dream clients, the ones that are just as excited about working with you as you are about them.
Personality:
Values:
So how can you apply that information together when you’re DIYing your own brand?
Like I mentioned previously, colors and fonts have their own personality — and they’re intended to bring out certain emotions and feelings.
It’s easy to want to rush into things.
Trust me, I get this — because I’ve done it so many times myself, but branding is not a process to be rushed.
You have to take your time with it, and be patient with yourself.
Branding and designing for yourself can be one of the hardest things to do, which is something you hear designers say all the time.
In fact, that’s one of the benefits of working with a designer: They aren’t so emotionally attached to your business and so that allows them to see it objectively and help you move forward in your decision making.
Before jumping onto Pinterest, you want to make sure that you have your foundation down.
It’s like going over the blueprint of your house before buying the furniture.
Make sure you know your brand mission, personality, values, and most importantly, your target market.
The more you know about your brand and business, the better your chances are.
When people think about branding, they often only think about the logo, but having the best logo in the world won’t save your brand if there’s no thought or intention behind everything else.
Your logo is not going to save your business.
Nor is it going to ruin it.
Because your logo is not the only thing that matters.
Let me say that again: Your logo is not the only thing that matters.
What matters, even more, is how much thought and intention you put into your brand. And trust me, people notice.
At the end of the day, branding matters because it’s an experience. People are experiencing your brand with every interaction, so you want to make it a good one.
This often means that you’re using wayyyy too many colors and fonts.
Like I mentioned in the beginning of this article, branding isn’t about using the 8 different fonts and colors you like. (There is beauty in keeping it simple and clean.)
It’s about creating a brand identity that represents you and resonates with your target market. The customers and clients you want to be attracting to your business.
But if people are confused by your branding, they aren’t going to be attracted for very long (if at all).
You want your brand to be clear and concise, because that’s going to tell them that you know what you’re doing and that you take your business seriously.
People want to buy from people and brands that they can trust.
So after DIYing your brand, do a check in with yourself: Would you trust your own brand? Is it clear, cohesive, and consistent? Does it radiate confidence and clarity?
If you showed someone else your brand, would they be able to confidently say who you are, what you do, who you help, and how you help them?
I’m not against DIYing your brand, but I will say that it’s an extensive task and it’s not as easy as pinning a bunch of things you like on Pinterest.
There’s a lot of preparation, thought, and intention that goes into it, which is why it’s a good idea to work with a brand designer if you’re thinking about winging it.
Trust me, branding is not something you want to wing.
So, after all of this info above, are you ready to DIY your brand? Or are you interested in working together and avoid the headache all together? If so, you can click here to check out my branding packages and here to schedule your discovery call with me!