How To Add Personality To Your Brand
I recently had a conversation with a friend about who my favorite people to work with are and I realized that one thing all my favorite clients have in common is that they’re brimming with personality. Not only do they have loads of personality, but they’ve let me inject it into their brand to make a one-of-a-kind identity for them. By doing this with their brand, they are already building a relationship with their target audience.
Think about it, if you’re comparing 2 different companies and one is completely bland and boring while the other seems to have a real person behind it with something to say — which one are you more likely to give your money to? Me too. So I thought I would share a few simple ways that you can add personality to your brand to set your business apart from the crowd.
Start With a Unique Logo
I’ve said it so many times now that everyone is probably getting sick of hearing it, but your logo is one of the most important pieces of your brand. It's the first thing that people see, so it's obviously a great way to visually set yourself apart. If you think about what makes your own personality unique or what makes your business different from others, these are great things that you can incorporate into your logo design. If you have a fun and quirky personality, your logo should reflect that. Or if you are more sophisticated, your logo could reflect that too. By finding a way to incorporate your personality into your logo design, people will begin to get a feel for you at the very first impression. See how we did this for the Wasted Kitchen + Pub logo design and the Williston Downtowners brand below.
Choose Colors That Evoke the Right Feeling
Color choice is important and can convey an overall feeling for your entire brand. You can check out my previous post on what your brand colors are saying about you, but also know that color is a creative way to add personality to your brand at a quick glance. You can say so much with your colors — whether you are sending a fun and flirty message or keeping things sleek and savvy, make sure that the colors you use in your brand are reflecting your personality and attracting the right people.
Use a Pattern or Signature Texture
One of my favorite things to design for a new brand is a unique pattern or texture. These make great brand elements because they’re something you can have tons of fun with and use consistently to increase brand recognition. You can also inject a lot of personality into your brand patterns as well. For example, when I was designing my own brand for Six Leaf Design I created a few different hand-drawn patterns to use as backgrounds. It reflects my personality because I love the hand-drawn look + feel, I'm obsessed with these shapes, and it was an interesting way to incorporate my colors into my brand. This was a great way to do all of those!
Let Your Voice Show in Your Copy
Nothing (besides bad design) will send potential clients running faster than boring copy. That's why the words that you have on your marketing materials and website are so important. Design will catch people’s eye, but the copy will make them stick around to learn more. It's a great way to show who you are, and it's the perfect opportunity to appeal to your target audience. If you're having a hard time finding your voice, think about how you would talk to those around you in your daily life. Some of my favorite businesses have gotten my attention because they speak to you more like a friend than a potential paycheck.
Put a Face to Your Business
I know that sometimes showing your face can be hard, but I think it's important to show people who they're going to be working with when they come looking. That's why I encourage you to add a photo of yourself to your about section. By putting a human face to your business, you're letting your audience know that there's a real person behind your brand and they can trust you. It's also a great way to add some personality to your brand by choosing an interesting shot that reflects who you are.
Lots of small businesses think that they're not allowed to have a personality, and unfortunately it can come across as sterile or stale. I’m hereby giving you permission to put your special sauce all over your brand to really make it stand out. Not only will it give a face to your business and make it more interesting, but it will bring in the right kind of clients who will appreciate you.
Does your brand reflect your personality? What are some ways that you’ve set your business apart with your personality?
