How to Use Your New Branding

Often I get DMs asking how much a logo costs. But did you know that your brand is more than just a logo? Your brand identity is how you communicate with your audience. It's how they hear you and how they see you. Good branding is integral to how your business grows. Branding is how you'll deliver your message to potential customers and current customers.

When I send my final package to a business at the end of our project, I make sure to leave them with a branding toolkit that helps them transition seamlessly. It's stocked full of logos (primary and secondary), marks, patterns, typography and colours. I leave them with a guide on practices to implement while using their new branding.

There are so many ways to make use of your branding. Using your design assets consistently help your business to look clean and steady. Here are 5 ways I love to make use of branding.

Print Materials

Print is a beautiful way to really make your brand come to life. If you're selling physical products (candles, clothing, prints, etc), branding really does make the unboxing experience so lovely and special. It can be as simple as a branded notecard, or as luxe as custom tissue paper (with that pattern from your package).

Some of my favourite places to shop for print materials: NoIssue : a eco-friendly alternative for packaging materials and more. Moo : always beautiful and always reliable for print materials. Georgette Packaging : branded packaging such as boxes, sleeves and cups. Frontier Label : for consistently gorgeous labels.

Client Communication

Email signatures, invoices, proposals, contracts... yup. Those should be branded. Branding client documents and communication help you to not only remain consistent, but to form a bond between your consumer and brand.

Social Media

I don't know about you, but when I want to know about a business the first place I end up is their social media. If their Instagram is sloppy and full of poor design/photography/messaging, it makes me want to spend less time on there. By using the elements your designer has packaged for you (typography, logo, colours, marks) and implementing them into your grid, you'll have an audience that wants to stay and learn about your business. My favourite tools for content managing: Planoly : for building and organizing your grid. Adobe XD : for creating content.

Website

Your website is your brand's home on the internet. When people want to know more about your brand, they head to your .com. You should be filling that home with meaning (aka branding). Your website will not only utilize your brand design assets, but should be fluid with brand voice and brand photography.

Extras

Sky is the freakin' limit! Have fun with your brand and let your imagination run wild. Some of my favourite applications for branding: keychains, t-shirts, embroidered hats, beer coozies, patches and pins. Presstime : a local to me print house that offers screen-printing and embroidery Tower Press : female run print house offering unique solutions like keyrings and enamel pins.