Why successful brand design begins with a solid strategy

Throughout my career as a graphic designer, I’ve had many clients approach me because they’d like a logo designed with an accompanying font and set of colours for their business. While these visual assets are undeniably valuable, it’s essential to understand that a brand encompasses far more than just these elements. 

Brand identity: more than just logo design

A brand encompasses the entire experience customers have with your company – the emotions they feel and the thoughts that arise when they engage with various touchpoints of your interaction with your business. It’s what shapes your company’s reputation and can influence how loyal your customers will be.

Imagine you’re redesigning your kitchen. You wouldn’t just start swinging a hammer without a well-thought-out plan, right? Similarly, creating a knockout brand identity requires some strategising before we dive into the visual design phase. A solid brand strategy could make or break your brand and should be like a guiding star, shining through every interaction your customers have with your business.

What exactly is a brand strategy?

Do you have a clear purpose, a vision that inspires, or some core brand values that your team can rally behind? Of course the brand identity look and feel is part of it too. And don’t forget the tone of voice – how your brand communicates with the world. All of these elements help inform your brand strategy.

10 things to include in a winning brand strategy

1. Competitor analysis
2. Current brand perception 
3. Audience/user analysis
4. Brand vision
5. Brand purpose
6. Personality
7. Brand identity and design system
8. Brand guidelines document
9. Tone of voice guideline document
10. Clear guidance on key channels your brand/audience use

Once you’ve established a robust brand strategy and created a cohesive visual identity with a well-considered design system and brand guidelines, you’ll be ready to breathe life into your brand wherever you can. The following touchpoints all contribute significantly to shaping the customer experience and, perhaps even more crucially, can influence their opinion of the product or service you’re offering. So, take time to think about how you could infuse your brand into these to create a lasting impact throughout your customer’s journey.

20 ways to bring your brand to life through creative design thinking

1. Company name
2. Logo design
3. Strapline, tagline or slogan
4. Colours
5. Fonts
6. Website
7. Business cards and letterheads
8. Social media profile images
9. Content shared on social media
10. Presentations
11. Shop front or POS
12. Packaging
13. Style of marketing communications
14. Email newsletters
15. Brochures, leaflets etc
16. Style of imagery
17. Style of icons or graphics
18. Tone of voice
19. Website design
20. Any affiliated products or sponsorship
21. Literally anything else that represents your business

I could easily list another 20 ideas here. If you’d like to talk through creative ways to boost your brand, get in touch and let’s talk over a coffee.

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Hiring a freelance graphic designer in Australia

There are a few benefits to working with a freelance design contractor vs an agency:

• Range of services: whether it’s a new brand, a brand refresh or quick material updates, I’ve got you. I can quickly scale my team if you need any extras like photography, videography copy, or simply need quicker delivery. 
• No agency fees = more creative or production time.
• Flexible, global collaboration. Whether you prefer Slack, email, Figma or Photoshop, I can change my workflow to fit yours. Need something urgent over a weekend? I’ll see what I can do.
• Cross-time zone productivity. Working across time zones can work in your favour – send a brief at the end of your day and find it back in your inbox the next morning.
• Transparent hourly rates. I provide cost and time estimates for all items and keep you informed every step of the way, never going over allocation unless agreed.
• No surprise costs. Ever.

If you’d like to hear more about how I work or the rates I charge, let’s talk.

Have a great week,
From Chelle