Branding and design can be a HUGE burden for many online business owners, especially if you have zero “eye for design”, no idea what looks good, and don’t know where to start.

If you’re here, you’re likely nodding your head and realizing that you’ve let the appearance of your business slip more than you’d like to admit.

Don’t worry – you CAN turn your ship around and make a comeback. And you should!

Amazing things can happen in your business when your branding is authentic and your graphics look legit – and I’m going to share the top four things with you a little later in this post.

Here’s the thing.

You have your own set of superpowers that you bring to the world…

And it’s okay if graphic design isn’t one of them. 

But just like all things in this world of growing your business, you CAN learn how to create a DIY brand and graphics for your business, even if you’re not a designer!

And you can get started with my free Brand + Design Roadmap, where I show you my 4-step system for creating a magnetic brand + a consistent and professional online presence!

When I started my online business, I had NO IDEA what I was doing.

There were so many moving parts, things to learn, and creative ways to market my business.

  • How to get traffic
  • How to maximize social media
  • How to start and grow my email list
  • What to offer my audience
  • How to create a product (and how to sell it)

Needless to say, I was OVERWHELMED. 

While I didn’t know all of the ins and outs of starting and growing an online business, I did have a very powerful skill up my sleeve…

I am a graphic designer by trade. That’s my superpower.

The branding and design aspects of my business have never gotten in my way or hold me back. (It happens to be one of my favorite parts.)

​So even when I was winging it…

At least I looked like I knew what I was doing!

And that, my friend, IS INCREDIBLY POWERFUL!

My ability to craft an authentic brand and create consistent graphics to market my offers was the MOST POWERFUL tool that I had in my arsenal. 

I hacked my way through so many other things, but branding and design were not on that list.

It worked out in my favor. And it can work in yours, too!

Many magical things can happen in your business when your brand and graphics are something you focus on.

If You’d Rather Watch Than Read, Watch this video!

But don’t forget to snag your free DIY Brand + Design Roadmap first!

Branding and Design go Hand in Hand

Branding + graphic design are technically two different topics, but the way I look at it… it’s hard to have one without the other!

They are SO powerful when combined. You could have a brand, but if you don’t infuse the visual elements of it through your graphics and visual content,  what’s the point!?

So that’s why you’ll find me talking about both of them, simultaneously – a LOT!

So first let’s talk about visual branding – aka, your brand image. This is, essentially, what you look like online, and often, the VERY FIRST IMPRESSION that your viewers get of you and your business.

Hence the reason it’s so important!

What is Visual Branding?

Your visual brand, or brand image, is made up of a handful of design elements that are relatable to your viewers and unique to YOUR business.

No matter where they stumble upon you online, your visual brand or brand image is a combination of carefully and intentionally chosen design elements that, when combined, give your business a unique look and feel and attract just the right people into your circle. It also helps your viewers quickly relate to you and your business.

So you may be wondering, okay, Kristin, what are these design elements that you speak of?

There are a few key design elements that should be included in your visual brand. (Yes, your brand is so much more than just a pretty logo!)

  • Your logo trio
  • Color palette
  • Font combinations
  • Imagery (stock photos, personal photos, etc.)
  • Patterns and textures

Every single one of these design elements plays a very important role within your visual brand arsenal, and that is why they need to be very carefully and intentionally chosen.

This is where the magic happens! When done strategically and intentionally, your visual brand will attract just the right people into your circle and be a unique differentiator for your business. I believe that it’s one of the most powerful tools in your marketing strategy and one that you will use OFTEN!

Now that you have an idea of what visual branding is… let’s talk about its BFF, graphic design!

What is Graphic Design?

Graphic design is the process of combining images and text and copy in a way that creates not only appealing graphics but graphics that tell a story and get your message across in the clearest way possible to your viewers.

Graphic design is the vehicle that you are going to use to weave your visual brand throughout every single piece of visual content or any graphic that you create for your business.

If you’ve been in business ANY amount of time, I’m sure you’ve put on that graphic designer hat a time or two. After all, most business-building and marketing tasks involve some amount of graphic design to be successful.

And that’s the BIGGEST reason why it’s so important to understand the basics – because you’re going to be putting that hat on quite often!

So… why does all of This even matter?

There are A LOT of reasons why your brand + graphics are something you need to focus on, but since I know you’re busy building the business of your dreams, I’ll dig into the top four reasons.

Top 4 Reason Branding and Design Matter for Your Business

Reason #1: Your Brand + Graphics Will Attract Just the Right People

When you strategically and intentionally choose the design elements that make your visual branding arsenal (like your fonts, colors, and image style) you are setting yourself up to magnetically attract just the right people!

When you combine all of your visual branding elements, they convey a unique vibe or tone that your ideal customer is going to jive with. There is more to it than choosing a couple of fonts that you like because they’re pretty, or choosing a color palette because you personally like the colors. It’s not all about you and what YOU like. It’s about what is going to be appealing to your viewers and resonate with them in a way that brings them into your circle.

If you’ve ever struggled with choosing fonts and choosing colors, it’s likely because you’re not being strategic about it. There’s usually no rhyme or reason why you’re using a specific font or palette of colors.

When done strategically, you can make all of these design decisions intentionally and with total confidence.

Reason #2: Your Brand + Graphics Will Help You be Recognized and Remembered

When you use the same fonts, design elements, and styles throughout all of your graphics, your viewers will start to recognize you!

Let’s say that I want to introduce myself to a group of people. One day I wear a ball gown and the next day I wear a cocktail dress. The next day, maybe I’m dressed in all black with a studded belt.

Don’t you think that these people are going to be a little bit confused as to who I am?

Let’s flip the script. Let’s say I wear a pink tie-dye shirt, a pair of black leggings, and some Birkenstocks every single time that I am in front of these people.

After a while, they’re going to recognize that that’s my style.

The same thing goes for your branding!

You don’t want to be creating images that are all over the place and look visually inconsistent. You need to make sure that you are using all of your brand elements – your fonts, your colors, image style, and design elements –  throughout every single graphic or visual content that you create. This way, no matter where you are showing up online, your viewers start to instantly recognize and remember you and your brand!

Reason #3: Your Brand + Graphics Will Ensure that Your Viewers Trust You

This is a BIG one! Be consistent with your brand and aim for profesh-looking graphics and your viewers will instantly trust you and your offers!

If your graphics are all over the place and look like a child created them, your viewers are NOT going to put their trust in your business. Instead, they’re going to mosey along and find the next person that can help them solve their problems, and LOOKS LEGIT.

When you’re creating graphics, you MUST make sure that they are consistent with your brand and that you follow basic graphic design rules.

Here are a few design rules that will make the biggest impact on your graphic creation:

  1. Proximity – related objects should be closer together. Unrelated objects need more space.
  2. Alignment – make sure all of your text and elements are left, center, or right-aligned perfectly!
  3. Repetition – use your brand elements throughout EVERYTHING you create. Assign certain styles to certain types of graphics
  4. Contrast – create visually interesting graphics and make the important things stand out
  5. Hierarchy – give your viewers a path to follow – what do you want them to see first, second and third?

#4: Your Brand + Graphics will Streamline Your Graphic Creation Efficiency, Saving You Time!

Ahhh! I’m so excited about this one because it can be a TOTAL game changer for your business!

With your visual branding at your disposal, you are going to save SO MUCH TIME creating graphics to market yourself online! And, you’re going to be so much more confident when you create them!

Raise your hand if you’ve been lost down the font rabbit hole, or the sea of color palettes more than you’d like to admit. I’ve been there too!

This becomes a HUGE time suck because instead of being able to quickly create graphics with confidence and intention, you waste your time looking for different fonts to use and different stock photos to use. And you’re questioning yourself the whole time!

When you have a consistent and professional-looking visual brand and know the type of images that your audience will relate to, you can design more efficiently and intentionally than before. You might even start to enjoy the design process!

Say goodbye to hours wasted in Canva fiddling around trying to make your graphcis look just right. PHEW!

Branding and Design Plays a Crucial Role in Your Online Business

The branding process and graphic creation may seem overwhelming but your time invested in it will pay for itself for the life of your business. There is nothing better than being able to market yourself online with total confidence (instead of worrying that you don’t look professional and that people aren’t going to notice you, trust you or pay you for your products or services!)

If you’re ready to get a hold of your brand and graphic creation, you’re going to wanna have a step-by-step system that breaks it all down. That’s exactly what you’ll get in the DIY Brand + Design Roadmap!

That’s all for now! I can’t wait to see what you create!

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