By Abby Brown, Creative Associate
As the Creative Associate at Rasor, I handle all things design-related. I work with some wonderful and creative marketers who all place value on design, as do many other professionals in the marketing world. Marketing and design are intertwined, whether you want to admit it or not. Need some convincing? Read this.
Inspired? Enthused? Thoroughly confused? Irritated at my questions? Wonderful. For those of you who run a business with little to no influence or assistance from a designer, here are some very basic tips for keeping your brand afloat.
Do Be Consistent
Brand strength comes from consistency. That means once you pick a font, color, and overall aesthetic, you should stick with it for a while. Think of some big-daddy brands: Apple, Nike, Coca-Cola. Their logos have changed only a handful of times over decades of being in business. If you do decide to make a change, be strategic about it. Don’t change your color to yellow because you still can’t get Rihanna’s 2015 Met Gala dress out of your head (I can relate). Don’t change your typeface because you saw the cutest new kitty cat font on the internet (once again, I feel your pain).
Don’t Mistreat Your Logo
There is nothing more horribly painful than seeing a perfectly good logo suffering from mistreatment. Abusing a logo is punishable by the design police (the punishment is having designer snobs scoff at how ridiculous your logo looks). Don’t stretch or warp your logo. Don’t put an outline on it. For the love of every precious puppy in the world, don’t put a drop shadow on it. Keep things simple. That brings me to my next piece of advice…
Do keep things simple
K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid) is an underrated rule of design. When in doubt, stick with a white background and limit yourself to colors and fonts defined in your brand. Keep your copy concise and embrace white space as your new best friend. K.I.S.S. reinforces brand consistency and saves your audience from their eyeballs exploding when they see twenty pieces of information stuffed into a half-page ad.
Don’t be afraid to consult a professional
Barb from HR might have a knack for crafts, but that does not mean she should design your new logo. Consulting a professional designer is a smart move, especially if your brand is just starting out, you want an identity that will last you for years to come, or you’re prepared to make an investment in how you present your brand to your audience.
Itching for more Design 101? Scroll through our Facebook and Twitter for our Rasor Designs tips, or check out this article. Need some design help? You’ve come to the right place.