Are you designing on brand or on trend?

So I’m just going to say it. Branding a business isn’t easy. Not at all. Teams of designers, account executives and brand strategists often take months or even years to create a unique brand for large organizations. Ones that people take notice of and maybe even talk about.

Now as a small business or solopreneur, you may be thinking - I don’t have time to worry about my branding. And I get it, I really do. As a small business owner, there are a million or even a zillion things that need to be completed every day and marketing may very well be lower on the list than let’s say solidifying a new business relationship or finding the supplier you need for the product that’s debuting in a few months. 

However, the reality is that for many small businesses operating on a non-existent budget, outsourcing marketing and design isn’t always an option and many business owners are taking the DIY design approach and that is perfectly okay. But what I’d like you to do is start thinking about how you are making the decisions and to always keep your customers and clients in mind as you log into your favourite program and start creating social media posts, lead magnets, brochures and website graphics.

Here’s an example:

Let’s say you are a boutique store owner that sells designer home care products and you just started selling gift baskets filled with the latest men’s cologne and must-have shaving supplies. But you are scrolling through social media and fell in love with the latest photographic style featuring laptops, mugs filled with freshly brewed coffee and the cutest journals you have ever seen. You are captivated by these photos and are holding yourself back from jumping in your car, heading over to these nearest neighbourhood bookstore to get your hands on your newest vegan bound journal (even though you already have a mountain of them already stacked on your desk).

As you start creating your latest social post, this is where you should be asking yourself what visuals are the most appropriate for your brand and not necessarily what is indicative of your personal taste. Does it make sense to use a picture of your newly purchased journal next to your favourite white vase filled with your favourite beige-toned floral arrangement, or would modernly typeset copy arranged onto a simple black background with your new gift basket front and centre make more sense?

This doesn’t mean that you can’t use the latest TikTok trends in your marketing or select cute photos to use in your newest social media story. What it means is that no matter what you are creating, you should always be thinking about your audience first. Branding can be very complicated and we’ll get into more specifically what it means in later blog posts, but for now, it’s best to be thinking about your audience first and making any design decisions with them in mind.

Just remember that every time you design a marketing graphic, you should be thinking about what your audience will resonate with, rather than what your personal tastes are.