The age-old question, which comes first – the chicken or the egg? The correct answer of course is branding! But why is branding so important? Can’t we just create an online presence and ignore brand design?
We are very fortunate this week to be guest featuring Lorrain Luby of Luuuby Creative to deep dive the importance of creating a solid brand before creating your website and online presence. Lorraine also explains the process involved in brand design and the brand assets involved.
Branding Comes First
You wouldn’t start cooking for a dinner party before you have all your ingredients (I hope!). Well, your website is the same. So before you end up with a meal of mashed potatoes with ice cream peanut butter burgers, take a step back before you proceed.
This is why brand direction is your friend before your website is designed.
Here, we will break down (A) the benefits of why branding should come first and (B) what brand assets should be in place to ensure an appropriate experience that matches the guests’ palate in an environment they would expect from you.
The research undertaken during the brand process ensures that all touchpoints are in sync – and what greater digital touchpoint than your company’s website?
Why is Branding First?
1. Research!
Research is a big part of brand development. To understand your brand direction, you first need to understand and identify your customer. Before you can reach anyone, you must know who they are. This ensures that everything about your business is conveying the right message, therefore reaching the right people.
You also need to acknowledge your competitors. To stand alongside them while also standing apart, you must identify them and ensure that your brand speaks in a tone that aligns with your industry while maintaining a unique presence.
2. Brand Extension
Your website should feel like a natural extension of your brand identity. Consistent logos, colours, etc., ensure that your company’s “tone” is maintained, shaping how your audience perceives your business. Consistent branding builds trust and familiarity with your audience and should be honoured at all times.
3. User-Friendly
Unified visuals will ensure your website is easy to navigate. They set a pace that aligns with your brand and meets customer assumptions about what to expect when visiting your site.
4. Tone and Storytelling
A website should reflect the company’s values, mission, and personality. Brand tone is established during the brand strategy phase and serves as the foundation for all marketing efforts.
5. Saves Money and Time
Probably the most overlooked benefit of having branding in place before starting a website is that it saves both money and time in the long run. Once all brand elements are established, the guesswork is removed when developing marketing materials, including your website.
A web developer will already know the colours (and their hierarchy), typography (and its hierarchy), pacing, tone, etc., before beginning the project. Without these brand fundamentals in place, the website designer/developer will need to conduct their own research to determine the overall style of the website. This will not only add extra costs but also risk diluting your brand aesthetic.
Additionally, without these brand fundamentals, the project could result in multiple revisions and inconsistencies, leading to extra expenses and time delays.
What Brand Assets Should be in Place?
Remember – branding is a ‘feeling’: warm/safe, corporate/serious, fun/energetic. You need to define your brand identity before you begin. Your brand assets will serve as a guide to ensure brand tone is upheld as your website is developed.
1. Colour Palette
Your company’s primary colour palette will be used throughout the website for backgrounds and text in an interchangeable manner. This colour use will help differentiate sections while maintaining consistency. Two or three colours are recommended – for example, your logo colour(s), a complementary colour, and a white or a black, depending on your website theme.
An accent colour should be included to enhance the primary colours while standing out. This accent will be used as a highlight throughout the website, such as in call-to-action buttons.
2. Theme
This represents the “mood” of your website. A light theme provides a fresh, cheerful vibe, while a dark theme conveys a sleek, modern, and bold feeling. Again, this aligns with your brand tone.
3. Typography
Your brand guidelines should include a typography hierarchy to eliminate guesswork when placing text online. This will specify the fonts used for headings and body text, possibly including an additional “emphasis” font used sparingly – similar to how an accent colour functions.
If your business requires printed materials, your primary fonts might need a web-safe version for digital use. Your guidelines should also include web alternatives that closely resemble your print fonts, ensuring consistency across all platforms.
4. Imagery
Whether using stock images or custom photography, your website will likely feature visuals. To ensure they align with your brand’s tone, you need guidelines on imagery style – what to include and what to avoid.
Adding images to your website is also a great way to enhance your site’s SEO, making this an important aspect of your branding.
5. White Space
This determines the pacing of your site. An ample amount of white space between text and images creates a clean, open atmosphere, while a design with minimal spacing between elements may feel more editorial and bold.
6. Support Assets
As mentioned earlier, consistency is key. If your site requires icons, infographics, patterns, etc., they should align with your brand guidelines. If custom assets are needed, your designer can create them in keeping with your logo identity’s style and provide them to the web developer for seamless integration.
Having these assets and guidelines in place before your website is developed will save you time and money while ensuring your presence on- and offline remains consistent and on brand. Need some help with your brand? Get in touch with Luuuby Creative, or check out their portfolio of work to discover how they’ve helped clients to build a solid brand, true to their brand identity and target audience.
