What exactly is a brand? A brand is the overall experience of a person interacting with your service or product. It is an intricate part of marketing and is the outward expression of your business. So what makes up a successful brand? Here are a few key elements every brand should have.

1. Logo Design

The logo is the first impression of your overall brand. Having a well-designed, professional logo is extremely important because it shows potential customers you are a reliable business.  Check out my brand board on Pinterest to see some of my favorite brands out there. Below is an example of a recent logo design I created.

2. Logo Variations

Though your primary logo design will be used for the majority of your marketing, it is important that you have variations based on placement and usage. You will definitely need a square a logo to fit in the social media. It is also helpful to have a white and/or black logo to use for watermarks.

3. Key Colors

Your key color palette is usually defined by the colors used in your logo. This can be one or two colors max, although sometimes they can be a more complex. I usually like to stick with two and have more colors available for the secondary palette.

4. Additional Color Palette

These secondary colors will complement your logo and can be used throughout your marketing materials and website. I always love using Design Seed to find color palette inspiration.

5. Typefaces

A set of cohesive typefaces should be determined and consistent throughout your marketing materials. You should also have standard typeface treatments which include how the typefaces are styled. It is important to determine a web safe font. Google fonts have tons of great options to choose from.

6. Consistent Imagery

All the photos do not need to be the same or have the same content, but the styling needs to remain consistent. Are your photos brightly lit or have a darker more contrasty tone. Whatever style you go with, keep it cohesive in all your marketing materials.

7. Graphic Elements

In addition to consistent imagery, your brand also needs graphic elements that unify your brand. This can be a number of things, a stylized line, a pattern design, or a use of color blocks. Whatever those elements are it helps to create a recognizable foundation for an effective brand identity.