A brand board is a visual reference tool that displays how a brand presents itself to the world. It is key to your brand identity and explains exactly how your brand should be communicated across all mediums.

Consistency is one of the foundations of a brand. A brand board brings together all your brand touchpoints to one place to keep your brand consistent and in line with your overall style. A consistent brand creates trust with your audience, which will lead to more engagement and action.

So what exactly do I mean by brand touchpoints? Those are all of the tangible elements of a brand – logo, submark, typography, marketing materials, etc.– work together to create the intangible: the perception that consumers have about your brand. All your brand touchpoints give you the opportunity to effectively communicate your brand and what your business stands for.

Here are some elements to include in your brand board to reaffirm your overall style and make sure it is in line with your target audience.

Primary logo design

The primary logo is the first impression someone will have of your brand. It is essentially the face of your brand.

 

Submark and logo variation

It is important to have variations of your logo for different mediums. Your primary logo might not fit in certain marketing tools such as social media profile images so it is important to have a few different variations on hand.

 

Color palette

Your brand color palette will set the tone for your brand. It is important to understand color theory and figure out exactly what feeling you want your brand to convey. Specific colors evoke different emotions and feelings so be sure to spend some time figuring out what you want your brand to feel like.

 

Typography

A good rule of thumb when it comes to branding is not having more than two main fonts (three max). If you start mixing up too many fonts your brand becomes cluttered and disorganized. You want to keep the fonts you use consistently throughout all your marketing materials.

 

Icons and Graphics

If you need additional icons to use on your website or if you have a set of illustrations that you like to incorporate in your visuals, these should also be present on your brand board to help you get a complete overview of your visual elements.

 

Images and inspiration

The images you include on your brand board are a representation of the type of imagery that you will use wherever your brand shows up online. These could be stock photos, Pinterest photos, or your own photos, but they should be a representation of the ideal type of imagery you’ll be using moving forward.

 

Here are some of my favorite brand boards I’ve designed.