It’s time to elevate your branding and design
Branding and Design is like a first impression; the more someone likes your branding and design, the more likely they are to work with your brand. Branding and design is all about how a brand chooses to visually represent themselves to the public. Having a clearly defined brand image has become essential to long-term brand success.
Here at Uptown Studios, great branding and design is at the core of all that we create. We want you to be captivated with the things we design. We spoke with our Art Director and Brand Specialist, Noel Riggs, to get an insider scoop on the importance of Branding and Design. Here is what she has to say:
Q: What is a common misconception about branding and design?
In my experience, the most common misconceptions I have come across are that:
- People ask, “So what do you actually do, draw stuff?” The answer is no. We create logos, websites, brand experiences, graphic elements, brochures, advertising, social media posts, and much more! We do have to “sketch” ideas and draw some things before digitizing, but we are not “Artists” pursey. Although, some of us definitely start that way!
- People don’t always know the differences between a Graphic Artist and a Graphic Designer. A graphic artist is someone who traditionally is a fine artist, who learned how to digitize their creations. They use the same tools, like Adobe Illustrator, but they get to use their own style, and create whatever their heart desires. They might create T-shirt graphics, or other unique graphic elements for brands. Graphic Designers, on the other hand, design everything for their audience. They very rarely get to do “what they like or want ”. Their main goal is to create designs for their client’s target audience that will better their business. For example, logos, brochures, websites. A Graphic Designer may use digital art within their client’s branding and design needs, but a Graphic Artist traditionally wouldn’t know how to create a brand experience or develop a cohesive website.
Q: What is the best piece of advice you could give to someone who is interested in branding and design for their business?
Start with a long hard look at your logo! If you’re interested in building a new website, or getting a recruitment brochure created, you MUST look at your brand first. Your brand’s identity or “mark” is your logo. If your logo isn’t connecting with your audience, is old and/or out of touch, or isn’t consistent; building any marketing materials off of that will give the same effect – it won’t work. Your logo sets the tone for everything in your business. If your logo isn’t up-to-par, the brand you create with supplemental materials will follow suit. So my best advice is to start with your logo; build a cohesive brand based on that color palette, type palette, graphic palette, and overall look-and-feel.
Q: What are the “top three things” about branding and design? (what three things can you not live without when it comes to branding and design that a beginner could implement for themselves?)
- ALWAYS (and I mean ALWAYS) design for the client’s audience, not JUST for the client themselves. Their brand is for their audience, not them.
- STAY ORGANIZED. Have a consistent file structure, name layers, name files, set a system, sort assets, group layers, stay up to date on new tech and tools, and utilize all tools you have at your disposal.
- CREATE FOR YOURSELF OUTSIDE OF WORK. Designers only do well when they can do a little som’som’ for themselves. Burn out comes quick in our industry because a good designer is ALWAYS designing for an audience, not for themselves. It is important to do art, design, creative things for yourself on the side to stay motivated and creative.
Q: What is a pro tip related to branding and design that you’d like to share?
PRO-TIP: Best thing my crazy-genius typography professor EVER taught me about design is- design is like fashion. They say, before you leave the house, take off one accessory or layer of your outfit and it’s “perfect”. In Design, this works the same way. Traditionally, we tend to over-design in proof one. We tend to add “decoration” instead of design. We can forget that every piece, part, shape, box, element in design is supposed to have genuine purpose. To lead the eye, to create contrast, to generate interest. That very last article of “clothing” you take off of your design will most likely be “decoration” and not purposeful design. Check yourself before you wreck yourself – or, well… your design.
Q: What is your favorite part about branding and design?
My favorite thing about design is that every little teeny tiny thing in branding and design has purpose. You don’t just put a line there because it “looks good ” you do it because there is a problem you are trying to solve. My favorite types of projects are logos, and the branding and implementation that comes after. I think I am drawn to branding specifically because it’s all about finding creative solutions to intimate problems within a business. You have to research about a company, learn everything you can, so that you can make ONE mark make sense to their audience within 1-2 seconds. That puzzle, to me, is the BEST. When you finally finish a brand, and complete that puzzle – everything comes together – it’s so satisfying.
I know, it seems like a lot, but we’re here to help. A big part of the creation of a brand is through the research we do on your company, your products, your messaging and your competition – we did deep to get to the main points of what it is you do, then apply some great design decisions to that research.
Don’t trust Dave’s Discount Logos next time you’re looking for branding and design for your brand. Here at Uptown Studios, we will create the perfect design for you! Visit our website to get a quote.
Or email Tina@uptownstudios.net and she will send over more information to help you with your outreach and digital marketing.
