Hey love bugs,

I wanted to begin this series of blog posts with a topic that would be helpful to entrepreneurs. As the pandemic progresses, many individuals are becoming entrepreneurs and independent contractors. Women and men are leaving the work force at an high rate with hopes of making ends meet following their passion and trade.

While I (obviously) support the movement, as a graphic designer, I have noticed many people do not know how to brand their service or product. This is detrimental to any business and can lead to drastic results. But, not if I can help it!

Here’s a couple things to keep in mind when branding yourself or your business:

• Your logo is your bread and butter.
  • According to Oxford Languages, the definition of a logo is a symbol or other design adopted by an organization to identify its products, uniform, vehicles, etc. This means whatever image or symbol you adopt as a representation of your brand need to ace a few categories:
    • Logo must be legible. – As cute as air brush paint affects and cartoon images of business owners are, they are hard to read and identify from a distance, therefore deeming them unprofessional. Logos usually consist of simple shapes, typography, and clear images to portray the organization’s specialty. I always suggest bugging your designer for the vector version of your logo file so you are able to resize without pixilation.
    • Be unique! – What makes logos so interesting is how quickly our brains process them. MIT neuroscientists discovered it only takes our brains 13 milliseconds to identify an image. Why is that important to you? Because a unique logo sets you apart from the crowd and makes it even easier for people to identify you. You should spend a good deal of time brainstorming about your logo, because it is almost always the first impression the world has of your service. In designing a logo, you should be asking yourself these questions;

It’s also very important to add that stealing or modifying anyone’s else logo is never okay and can result in legal action.

• People want to know the back story.
  • As a business owner, you have a wonderful narrative to share with the world. Consumers would love to hear it! Your story of your journey is just as important as your logo. This gives clients a sense of your mission and subconsciously plants seeds into their minds about your business.
    • Share your ups…and downs. – Connecting with your audience is not only a great way to brand yourself, but to close the gap between consumer and producer that we see so often with big business. Being transparent about your process, progress, and failures in your specialty lays the foundation for trust and comfortability with your clients. Try posting an Instagram story of a makeup fail if you’re an MUA, or comment on your client’s IG pics when they look good! Being able to be personable and down to earth with our following is one of the best advantages we have as entrepreneurs
    • Celebrate milestones. – Thank your audience whenever you reach a goal of yours, whether its 100 orders or 100 followers. Being apart of a growing following is always exhilarating for someone who’s stuck around to see your growth.

I hope I’ve shed some light on brand awareness and how greatly it can impact your business’ success.  Leave a comment if there’s any other entrepreneurial topics you’d like to read about next!

Have a safe new year,

Spice