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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Getting Started………………………………….…….….2 Plan Phase………………………….…………….……..….3 Explore Phase………………………………………..….11 Design Phase………….…………………………..…….12
BRANDING GUIDELINES……………...….13 Logo……………………………………………..………..….14 Submark & Watermark……….………………..…..15 Color Palette………………………………………….….16 Font Theme……………………………………………….18 Textures & Patterns…………………………….…….20 Decorative Elements………….……………..……….21 Social Media Sizing Guide…………………...…….22 Parting Message……………….……………….……….25 Additional Notes…………….………………….……….26
A SOLOPRENEUR’S QUICK & DIRTY GUIDE TO BRANDING | THEBRANDEDSOLOPRENEUR.COM
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GETTING STARTED
There are two rampant misconceptions about branding that I need to dispel right out of the gate…
1. Branding is not your logo {or tagline, website, etc.} alone 2. Branding does not begin with design
While visuals are a big part of branding, that's not where branding begins OR ends. Nor are they what solely defines branding. Creating a brand isn’t a slap-dash exercise of designing a logo and selecting a color palette. It’s more…a LOT more! It’s a process of identifying the unique aspects of both you as an individual, and your business, and weaving these attributes together in a way that is consistently expressed in everything you do, say and create. Branding is everything that represents your brand. From your voice and content, to your url and style. It’s not something ‘nice to have’, it’s a MUST HAVE to attain success in the digital and social world we live in these days!
A cohesive and well executed brand is critical to your success because it creates: ➻ A consistent customer experience that builds trust and loyalty, not to mention consistent brand growth. ➻ An instantly recognizable calling card that breeds brand recognition. Branding begins with a plan, which requires a lot of researching and brainstorming, so that’s exactly where ‘The Solopreneur’s Quick & Dirty Guide’ starts.
A SOLOPRENEUR’S QUICK & DIRTY GUIDE TO BRANDING | THEBRANDEDSOLOPRENEUR.COM
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PHASE ONE: PLAN
Step 1: Fill out the attached questionnaire.
I don’t want you to rush through these questions. I want you to take your time. I want you to really do some serious soul searching and answer these with words that are rich in descriptive qualities and spark the imagination.
These answers are going to be the road signs that guide you around every turn and detour through your brand building journey. They will help you find and navigate the right path for you and your brand at each intersection you come to.
It’s okay if you have to skip some of the questions on your first pass and come back to them. It’s okay to come back to anything and continue to tweak, refine and dissect it as you go through this guide.
The goal is to have clarity on the foundational aspects and attributes that define your brand, including:
➻ Your ideal customer ➻ Your brand voice ➻ Your ultimate goals ➻ Your content paths ➻ Your mission statement ➻ Your brand style & mood
Let the planning commence…
A SOLOPRENEUR’S QUICK & DIRTY GUIDE TO BRANDING | THEBRANDEDSOLOPRENEUR.COM
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1. What's your brand name? {It's ok if you don't have one yet!}
2. What's your working tagline? {Again, it’s ok if you don’t have one}
3. What's the URL of your website?
4. What would you say are your top 3 greatest superpowers in life? {Yes, you have AT LEAST 3!} 5. If you're friends/family were doing a parody of you what would they say are your 5 most overused words, gestures or phrases? 6. What quirks, idiosyncrasies or habits make you one-of-a-kind? {YES, you're one of a kind}
A SOLOPRENEUR’S QUICK & DIRTY GUIDE TO BRANDING | THEBRANDEDSOLOPRENEUR.COM
5 7. Fill in the blank…’I’m the go to ladyboss/boss!’
8. Describe your business like you’re talking to a junior high class.
9. From an entire brand experience standpoint, would you describe your brand as more A.) 'Affordable Everyday' {like Kohls, Ford, or Ikea} B.) 'Upscale Luxury' {like Apple, Mercedes Benz, or Dolce & Gabbana} or C.) {Fill in the blank}? Why?
10. What’s unique about your brand, your business model, and/or your approach that differentiates you from your top 3 brand peers {a.k.a competitors}?
11. What ONE word describes how you want your customers {and leads} to feel after they visit your website, read your social posts, or correspond with you?
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12. What type of hangout spot perfectly sets the tone for your brand? {i.e. fine dining restaurant, pool party, martini bar, backyard BBQ, etc.}
13. What 5 symbols {i.e. pictorial icons or universal symbols} would you use to describe your brand to someone if you couldn't speak or use words?
14. What would your office look like if you had one for clients to visit? {i.e. style, textures, patterns, materials, colors, etc.}
15. What questions do you hear your leads and/or customers ask over and over?
16. What traits do the customers that make your day possess?
A SOLOPRENEUR’S QUICK & DIRTY GUIDE TO BRANDING | THEBRANDEDSOLOPRENEUR.COM
7 17. What traits do the customers you dread dealing with possess? 18. Who are the top 3 brands kicking ass in your general industry?
19. What things do these brands do that you love?
20. What things do these brands do that you hate?
21. Pretend I'm your perfect customer with money in my wallet, what 3 things could you teach/show me in the next hour that would transform me into a 'hell yes' buyer?
A SOLOPRENEUR’S QUICK & DIRTY GUIDE TO BRANDING | THEBRANDEDSOLOPRENEUR.COM
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Step 2:
Dissect and Distill Once you have your entire questionnaire answered I want you to dissect and distill your answers down to a small but mighty list of the most significant words and attributes associated with you and your brand. Comb through your answers and cross off the less pertinent information, leaving you with your foundational brand identifying factors, which are called your ‘brand attributes’. Your final list may include adjectives that describe your brand, feelings you want your brand to evoke, or words associated with your brand style, personality or mood. Stay focused on the most important elements that sum up and describe your brand at its most fundamental level. This might take you a few iterations, so don’t be afraid to start broad and refine again and again. In other words, on your first pass cross off the less pertinent information, then take another sweep through and cross off the 2nd less pertinent details and so on and so forth until you’re left with a list of 6-8 words and/or phrases. Your final list should be 110% fluff-free and consist of only those attributes or elements which:
➻ Help you reach your brand goals and objectives
➻ Resonate with the type of customers you’d love working with
This process of self-discovery is the first step to identifying and crafting your signature brand identity.
A SOLOPRENEUR’S QUICK & DIRTY GUIDE TO BRANDING | THEBRANDEDSOLOPRENEUR.COM
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Step 3:
Get feedback from those you trust Once you have your final list of brand attributes it’s time to turn to your trusted posse of support and get some feedback. Identify a few people that you trust and respect and ask them for feedback on your questionnaire and your final list of brand attributes. I want you to go through some of your answers with these people and use their reactions and responses to finalize your list of brand attributes. I find this step of the exercise unlocks a lot of doors that might otherwise be ignored because of your self-imposed limitations. The fact is, a lot of times we get stuck in our head and we just flat out get in our own way. For instance, maybe YOU feel like a personality trait holds you back, but others don’t see or feel that. Most of the time we create these limitations because of our past experiences and fears. Often getting a glimpse into things from an outsider’s vantage point can give you a new appreciation for things you previously avoided. To give you an example, when I was going through this process to build The Branded Solopreneur I was very limited by my belief that I had to dilute or hide my straight-shooting, un-sugar-coated approach because I was afraid that I would be perceived as a raging bitch. True story. It took talking to quite a few trusted friends for me see that being a straight shooter had nothing to do with being a bitch. The truth is, it was a coping mechanism that I crafted to help me deal with how much crap I took in my corporate days for being confidently outspoken.
A SOLOPRENEUR’S QUICK & DIRTY GUIDE TO BRANDING | THEBRANDEDSOLOPRENEUR.COM
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I let my maddening experiences with executives during my corporate career, who told me I was a bitch anytime I didn’t see their convoluted point of view, cloud the truth about who I really am. It was all in my head and it was all from my past. It was nothing I needed to fear as far as allowing it to be part of my brand. But I wouldn’t have gotten there without the feedback and honesty from those that know and love me most. This phase is dedicated to getting you over those humps, through that indecision and fear and off and running in a crystal clear way.
Step 4:
Try your attributes on for size Once you have your final list of attributes in hand it’s time to try on your brand attributes for a couple days and see how they fit. I want you to integrate them into the everyday things you do {i.e. use them on social media or post them on the bathroom mirror} and see if they fit like a glove or if they start to feel like a disguise. This is where intuition and self-awareness come into play. The more you live these attributes, the better acquainted you will be with your ultimate brand identity. Remember, this list of brand attributes is going to be the benchmark for all of the assets that you’re going to create for your unique brand.
A SOLOPRENEUR’S QUICK & DIRTY GUIDE TO BRANDING | THEBRANDEDSOLOPRENEUR.COM
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PHASE TWO: EXPLORE CREATING YOUR INSPIRATION BOARD
With your final brand attributes in hand now it’s time to find visual inspiration for your brand.
Create an inspiration board {a secret board on Pinterest is perfect for this} and start collecting visuals that resonate with you and embody the keywords or phrases in your list of attributes.
These can include visuals such as: ➻ Photography ➻ Logos ➻ Business Cards ➻ Graphics ➻ Fashion ➻ Websites ➻ Social Covers
Follow the same refining process you did with the Brand Attributes Questionnaire. Collect or pin everything that strikes your fancy, then, as you did before, review, evaluate and refine your visuals until you end up with a final inspiration board of 6-8 images.
It’s crucial that you’re head over heels in love with your final inspiration board as it will dictate the overall tone of your entire visual brand identity.
A SOLOPRENEUR’S QUICK & DIRTY GUIDE TO BRANDING | THEBRANDEDSOLOPRENEUR.COM
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PHASE TWO: design BRAND NAME, DOMAIN, & TAGLINE
After defining your foundational elements in the Plan and Explore Phases, you’re ready to start creating the visual branding guidelines that will define your brand in all its glory.
You may or may not already have a brand name and domain chosen. If you do great! If not use your brand attributes list and inspiration board to create a name and tagline.
{Tip:} While you assess brand names for compatibility make sure the coordinating domain is available. It can be disappointing and deflating to spend time and energy creating the perfect name only to discover it’s not available. GO DADDY is a great place to check and see if a url is available.
Brand Name:
Domain {url}:
Tagline:
A SOLOPRENEUR’S QUICK & DIRTY GUIDE TO BRANDING | THEBRANDEDSOLOPRENEUR.COM
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BRANDING GUIDELINES
DEFINING YOUR BRANDING GUIDELINES
Brand recognition requires consistent and repetitious messaging, which creates the unique visual calling card that readers and clients will associate with you and your brand.
Brand recognition boils down to person’s ability to identify a brand by its characteristics, without seeing the brand’s name or logo.
Brand recognition will establish the visibility and recognition you need to stand out in the sea of bright lights on the web, and help you foster continuous brand growth.
THE 6 MAIN ELEMENTS OF A VISUAL IDENTITY
1. Logo 2. Submark/Watermark 3. Color Palette 4. Textures/Patterns 5. Font Theme 6. Decorative Elements
A SOLOPRENEUR’S QUICK & DIRTY GUIDE TO BRANDING | THEBRANDEDSOLOPRENEUR.COM
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LOGO DESIGN DIY AND OUTSOURCING RESOURCES
1. THE BRANDED SOLOPRENEUR: If you’re looking for a no bullshit, trust worthy and detail oriented designer for your logo, I’m your gal. Check out my
portfolio to see some of the most recent logos I’ve designed and then shoot
me an email when you’re ready to get started.
2. AMP FONT VIEWER: A font managing tool that lets you view customizable text snippets of all the fonts installed on your computer or laptop. You can also organize your fonts into categories and even install and remove fonts from your system. {FREE}
3. GOOGLE FONTS: Google’s vast collection of web friendly and
downloadable fonts, all available for commercial use. {FREE}
4. GRAPHICSTOCK: A subscription based website that allows unlimited downloads on their entire collection of royalty free images, graphics and photography. {$99/year}
If you want to learn how to design your own logo, grab my newest bite-sized course, ‘LEGENDARY LOGO DESIGN’, which is tailor-made for non-designers!
A SOLOPRENEUR’S QUICK & DIRTY GUIDE TO BRANDING | THEBRANDEDSOLOPRENEUR.COM
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SUBMARK DESIGN
THE WHAT AND WHY
In this digital era, it’s critical to protect your images by watermarking them with a branded seal.
A watermark will: ➻ brand your images so credit is given to you even when the link to your content is broken
➻ protect your images so no one can rip them off and use them as their own
A submark is a type of watermark. Specifically, it’s a logo variation that is used on visual content where a full logo would be too distracting. Personally, I find submarks superior to full logos for watermarking images as they are much less distracting and fit nicely in the corner.
Common traits of a submark are: ➻ One color ➻ Varying degrees of transparency ➻ Typically in the shape of a circle
If you want more information on creating an effective watermark check out my post, ‘How to Create a Branded Watermark’.
FOR EXAMPLE: MY LOGO MY SUBMARK
A SOLOPRENEUR’S QUICK & DIRTY GUIDE TO BRANDING | THEBRANDEDSOLOPRENEUR.COM
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COLOR PALETTE
COLOR SELECTIONS NEEDED The most important thing to keep in mind when creating your branding color palette is the type of color relationships that will be at work in your visual content.
What I mean by this is, you’ll need varying degrees of colors for different visual elements. The contrast between the colors in your palette will be used to draw attention to and highlight specific elements, which means each color will be assigned a specific use. For instance, your body text needs to be dark on a light background OR light on a dark background, which means you need a very dark color in your palette and a very light color.
YOUR PALETTE SHOUD CONSIST OF: ➻ ONE Dominant color {iconic color associated with your brand} ➻ ONE Primary Action Color {calls to action, links and buttons} ➻ ONE Light Color {for text and backgrounds} ➻ ONE Dark Color {for text and backgrounds} ➻ TWO to THREE Accent Colors {to use in your images and on your website to interrupt your basic color scheme when you want to accentuate or highlight something special}
If you want more information on creating a color palette for your brand check out my post, ‘The 5 Most Effective Types of Color Palettes for Branding’.
A SOLOPRENEUR’S QUICK & DIRTY GUIDE TO BRANDING | THEBRANDEDSOLOPRENEUR.COM
17 tools for creating stunning color palettes:
1. COLOUR LOVERS: You can browse millions of color palettes, including by sorting them by a specific color, a generic shade or group of shades, by keywords {hint: from your brand attributes list} or with a combination of these elements.
2. ADOBE COLOR CC: This tool will take a photograph you upload and turn
it into 6 different color palettes based on the colors pulled from the photograph, including an option to customize the palette with your chosen color selections.
YOUR BRANDING COLOR PALETTE CHART
HEXCODE: R: G: B:
DOMINANT
ACTION
LIGHT
DARK
ACCENT# 1
ACCENT# 2
If you want more information on the color palette tools I mentioned above {plus a BONUS tool} check out my post, ‘3 Tools for Creating a Stunning Color Palette’.
A SOLOPRENEUR’S QUICK & DIRTY GUIDE TO BRANDING | THEBRANDEDSOLOPRENEUR.COM
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FONT THEME
CHOOSING YOUR FONTS
With all the different fonts out there, it can get overwhelming selecting a font theme that enhances the look and feel of your brand. To help you with your font selections I’ve put together a pairings chart that outlines which font types pair well together.
FONT PAIRING GUIDE Serif San Serif Script Decorative
+ + + + San Serif Serif Serif Serif
Script Script San Serif San Serif Decorative Decorative
If you want more information on selecting fonts for your font theme check out my post, ‘The Non-Designer’s Guide to Using Fonts Like a Boss’.
A SOLOPRENEUR’S QUICK & DIRTY GUIDE TO BRANDING | THEBRANDEDSOLOPRENEUR.COM
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To be successful, your branding font theme should meet the following requirements:
➻ ONE to TWO Headline fonts for titles ➻ ONE Body font for main text ➻ ONE Accent font for accentuating important things
YOUR BRANDING FONT THEME
HEADLINE FONT: SUBHEADLINE FONT:
BODY FONT: ACCENT FONT:
A great resource for finding free fonts IS… GOOGLE FONTS: Open source fonts you can use anyway and anywhere you want.
If you want to use a stunning font pairing I’ve pre-matched, download a copy of my free guide: Font Pairings Done for You
A SOLOPRENEUR’S QUICK & DIRTY GUIDE TO BRANDING | THEBRANDEDSOLOPRENEUR.COM
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TEXTURES & PATTERNS
RESOURCES AND BEST PRACTICES
One of the best ways to create a cohesive branding look and ensure your visuals stand out is to define and utilize textures and patterns.
Now a word of warning! Textures and patterns are a slippery slope, as things can get busy quickly, so keep the textures and/or patterns associated with your brand to a minimum. No more than 2-3.
Whether you choose three patterns or textures, or a combination of the two, is up to you. Remember, you created your inspiration board to guide you in choosing these assets.
Take care that your patterns are high quality, high resolution, visually stunning and are available in a range of scales. At the end of the day, you don’t want your textures and patterns to steal the show, just add to it.
two resources for FINDING YOUR patterns and textures:
1. PATTERNCOOLER: This is a web app that lets you apply your own color palette to hundreds of patterns, change the size and the texture of the pattern repeat, and then download the seamless pattern in the size of your choice. {Pricing varies based on size}
2. CREATIVEMARKET: This is an online market of thousands of fonts, website themes, graphics, patterns, and textures that are sold by individuals. {Pricing varies}
A SOLOPRENEUR’S QUICK & DIRTY GUIDE TO BRANDING | THEBRANDEDSOLOPRENEUR.COM
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BRAND ELEMENTS
USES AND BEST PRACTICES
Brand elements are graphic and decorative elements that can be used across your visual content. They might seem like unnecessary fluff, but in reality they put the finishing touch on a branded look.
Whether subtle or bold, your brand elements should fit seamlessly with the rest of your branding assets. Keep these decorative elements to a minimum of three and a maximum of six.
Brand elements to include in your identity: ➻ Border ➻ Line Separator ➻ Symbols or Icons ➻ Bullet points ➻ Shape Frame
EXAMPLES:
If you want to see what a finished inspiration board and/or brand styling guide looks like check out the one I created for: THE BRANDED SOLOPRENEUR
A SOLOPRENEUR’S QUICK & DIRTY GUIDE TO BRANDING | THEBRANDEDSOLOPRENEUR.COM
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SOCIA MEDIA
IMAGE SIZING GUIDE
Branding doesn’t start or stop with your website and/or blog.
Your website is the pot of gold {at least it should be}. But like every pot of gold, you need a vibrant rainbow to find it.
Consistent branding on your blog, in your visual content, and across your social media profiles, will create that rainbow.
A lot of people will find you via social media these days and not your website. So, it’s your job to create a visually unique look and feel AND consistently use it, so that your visitors can immediately recognize your content, no matter where they see it. Branding at its finest, baby!
Branding your social media profiles includes: ➻ Social Covers ➻ Profiles ➻ Image templates ➻ Advertising ➻ Backgrounds
To help you create perfectly sized images for your social profiles here’s a sizing chart to use as a resource.
A SOLOPRENEUR’S QUICK & DIRTY GUIDE TO BRANDING | THEBRANDEDSOLOPRENEUR.COM
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IMAGE TYPE SIZE {IN PIXELS} Facebook
PROFILE 180 x 180
TIMELINE COVER 828 x 315
PAGE POST IMAGE 1200 X 1200
HIGHLIGHT POST 1200 x 717
PROFILE 400 x 400
COVER 1500 x 500
POST 1024 X 512
Google+
PROFILE 250 x 250
COVER IMAGE 1080 x 608
HORIZONTAL POST 497 x 279
VERTICAL POST 600 x 900
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SOCIAL MEDIA SIZING GUIDE
IMAGE TYPE SIZE {IN PIXELS}
PROFILE PIC 600 x 600
COVER IMAGE 974 x 330
THUMBNAIL 180 x 110
COMPANY BANNER IMAGE 646 x 220
PROFILE 165 x 165
BOARD COVER 222 X 150
LARGE VERTICAL PINS 900 x 600
THUMBNAIL 161 x 161
PROFILE 150 x 150
FEED 1080 x 1080
YouTube
COVER ART 2560 x 1440
A SOLOPRENEUR’S QUICK & DIRTY GUIDE TO BRANDING | THEBRANDEDSOLOPRENEUR.COM
25 THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING!
While ‘A Solopreneur’s Quick & Dirty Guide to Branding’ dives deeper than you’d think something quick and dirty would, it doesn’t come close to covering every aspect of branding, even just the visual side of things. But don’t worry, I got you boo!
I’m Dre Beltrami a straight-shooting, California-bred Brand Strategist and Stylist. I’ve made it my mission to help solopreneurs develop, create, and grow their own unf*ckwithable brand, so they can finally turn their entrepreneurial dreams into a business that'll gift them all the freedoms they crave out of life.
Whether you need some BRAND MENTORING to fill knowledge gaps in your business, a soup to nuts BRANDING BLUEPRINT, or you’re more of a full service DONE FOR YOU type, I’ve got a service/product that will hit the spot. Click whichever link best describes your branding needs and let me help you get where you’re going!
It’s your right to be your own boss and bask in the lifestyle you crave, and I can help you do just that. My brand building skills are at your disposal, just say the word.
Until then, stay fierce and feisty, my badass!
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ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS & NOTES:
