Building a Brand
- Thread starter iam_mine
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Right, but I'm sure there are people who can share more specific information.
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This question is pretty inane and broad. I'm assuming you're talking about what visually constitutes sending a brand signal to your viewer's brain when they land on your website?
Flashy or Minimal
The very first step I'd decide upon is... "are we flashy or minimal?". If you're flashy, then you need to think about your generalized background textures and images. If you're minimal, then go for a white background and a dark text, something like #222 or #333. Never go full black, because that simply doesn't exist in nature.
Primary & Secondary Colors
Next up, I'd decide on the absolute most important part of your brand: Your primary color and your secondary color. You need to investigate color theory if you don't already know about it. Choose the primary color that represents what your business about. Don't choose a primary, secondary, or even a tertiary color in terms of the color wheel. Go in between and find a hex that is YOURS and nobody elses. Then use color theory to find an appropriate complementary color to represent your secondary color. This is your "offset" color. It works good for hyperlink colors, etc. Your primary color is for your logo, your headers, and for colors in your images.
Logo Creation
Forget the tools. They are all the same. The question becomes what you can do to be memorable. Are you a goofy brand or a very serious brand? Are you refined and represent luxury and expense, or are you cheap? This will guide you to the right fonts to use and the right type of icons to have designed. Which leads to...
Primary & Secondary Fonts
Your primary font is sans-serif. It's easy to read at large fonts and at small sizes on mobile. There is never difficulty in reading it, ever. Your secondary font can be used for your logo, your headers if you choose, and any text that needs to stand out such as a slogan. Go for something that compliments the primary, such as a serif font that further represents the 'concept' of your brand (luxury, cheap, fun, serious).
Brand Signals on Your Site
Have an about page that actually tells about your brand, why and who and how and when. Have a contact page. Have an email form and a phone number and a physical address. Have social accounts that are populated and used to some degree and continually updated with new posts. If you show dates on your site in terms of when things are published, you better keep publishing posts, or you need to remove those dates.
I'm done. Like @contract said, use your brain. Go browse big brands with international and continental presences and see what they are doing and emulate it. You've been exposed to brands your entire life. The formula and blueprint is all around you.
Flashy or Minimal
The very first step I'd decide upon is... "are we flashy or minimal?". If you're flashy, then you need to think about your generalized background textures and images. If you're minimal, then go for a white background and a dark text, something like #222 or #333. Never go full black, because that simply doesn't exist in nature.
Primary & Secondary Colors
Next up, I'd decide on the absolute most important part of your brand: Your primary color and your secondary color. You need to investigate color theory if you don't already know about it. Choose the primary color that represents what your business about. Don't choose a primary, secondary, or even a tertiary color in terms of the color wheel. Go in between and find a hex that is YOURS and nobody elses. Then use color theory to find an appropriate complementary color to represent your secondary color. This is your "offset" color. It works good for hyperlink colors, etc. Your primary color is for your logo, your headers, and for colors in your images.
Logo Creation
Forget the tools. They are all the same. The question becomes what you can do to be memorable. Are you a goofy brand or a very serious brand? Are you refined and represent luxury and expense, or are you cheap? This will guide you to the right fonts to use and the right type of icons to have designed. Which leads to...
Primary & Secondary Fonts
Your primary font is sans-serif. It's easy to read at large fonts and at small sizes on mobile. There is never difficulty in reading it, ever. Your secondary font can be used for your logo, your headers if you choose, and any text that needs to stand out such as a slogan. Go for something that compliments the primary, such as a serif font that further represents the 'concept' of your brand (luxury, cheap, fun, serious).
Brand Signals on Your Site
Have an about page that actually tells about your brand, why and who and how and when. Have a contact page. Have an email form and a phone number and a physical address. Have social accounts that are populated and used to some degree and continually updated with new posts. If you show dates on your site in terms of when things are published, you better keep publishing posts, or you need to remove those dates.
I'm done. Like @contract said, use your brain. Go browse big brands with international and continental presences and see what they are doing and emulate it. You've been exposed to brands your entire life. The formula and blueprint is all around you.
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Yeah I think that the important thing to remember though is something is better than nothing and done is better than going for perfection on something out of the gate. I'd say get something up and make it look as nice as you can and you can tweak things along the way...
. Just my 2.5 cents on it.
. Just my 2.5 cents on it.