Successful Branding Through Cohesion

{Embroidery Hoop Art by The Merriweather Council – the author of this post}

Branding isn’t just a logo or the colors you use in your imagery, buttons, packaging, and other designed elements of your business, etc… it’s the rest of the stuff you are doing also.

A good design is important, don’t get me wrong. Of course it is! You already know this! You know that when you go to a website and a trail of blinking stars follows your cursor around and some midi file starts playing and the background is blinking and neon green you aren’t likely to stay very long. But I digress…

Branding is, as April shows and tells us in her recent ARTrepreneur class, about “creating something that instantly connects everything in your creative business.”

What do others say when they talk about your business?

What kind of language are your customers using when they describe your business to someone else? Do people want to talk about your business? Are you giving them a reason to?

Now, of course, you cannot control what people are saying about your brand but you can control what you put out there – and what you put out there should be cohesive. Cohesion will make you look more organized and professional and therefore more trustworthy. Cohesion has to do with your design materials, colors and logos, but it also has to do with your personality, your story and your message.

Those things that people are saying about your brand – should be applicable not only to your product but also to your customer service, your message and the personality you portray.

Let’s take Mayi for example – Mayi’s products are adorable, girly, fun and colorful but also clean and simple (simple as in, not covered in diamonds and 22 karat gold.) Mayi’s blog is also adorable. Her banner features one of her signature characters, there are bright colors and an adorable font face. Mayi’s posts are fun and bubbly, just like her products and her branding is clean, colorful and energetic. Mayi’s brand is bouncing with personality – hers – and her products also represent these characteristics. And if I were going to tell someone about Mayi’s brand, I would absolutely be using words like these. Mayi also represents the same things over an over – part of the cohesion of her brand – her love for cupcakes and encouragement to other handmakers, just to name a couple. As April puts it – you know what you are gunna get when you hire her.

Mayi’s built a strong and cohesive brand, and her business is flourishing because of it.

I think the idea of creating cohesion is so important – and this is your business and you have the ability to spread you idea and message to any extent you’d like, just focus on doing it with consistency. Take advantage of that. The bits of personality you share with your customers and potential customers will create more interest – or as we like to call it since reading our book club book by the same name – fascination. Sharing your personality, your story and your values will give your customers some insight into who you are and where your products come from. All of this makes buying easier for a consumer.

In addition to reaching out and talking to people about what they would say about your business, look back at emails, blog comments and feedback you’ve already received. Do these comments match up with your vision? Make your brand better represent you and your message through cohesion of thought, product, design and personality.

Tricky stuff, but so so worth taking the time to think about!

About the Author: Hello! I’m Danielle, the President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Administrative Assistant and summer intern and blog updater at The Merriweather Council. I enjoy sipping iced lattes, listening to boy band music, watching crime solving TV shows and putting things in hoops. I am often covered in little bits of thread and fabric but, well, ‘I want it that way’ 😉