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So you've got your branding package. Congratulations!! This is the first step to visually, start building your brand. You should have a Google Drive link to a folder with the following folders, .ai, .png, and .jpg. These file types will all come in handy in different ways.
When should I use each file type?
.ai = Illustrator File
The .ai stands for Illustrator. These files are what you'll need to send to a print company if you want to have merchandise made. These files can also be used if you want your logo on a billboard or even on a car wrap. Illustrator files are for large scale projects because the designs are vectorized files! What does this mean? Well, Adobe explains it best, "Vector files are images that are built by mathematical formulas that establish points on a grid. Raster files are composed of the colored blocks commonly referred to as pixels. Because they can infinitely adjust in size without losing resolution, vector files are more versatile for certain types of tasks than raster files." Here's a photo to give you a better idea.
Photo Source: Tell Your Tale
.png should always be your go to
The .png file type is going to have a transparent background. These are great to save to your phone so that you can add your logo to quotes for social media, a great way to continue to build brand recognition ;) A few apps I recommend for creating graphics are Word Swagg and Canva. These two apps are easy to use and provide endless options for creating graphics without having to hire someone to create them for you. Click here to get your first 30 days of Canva pro for free! (There is a free version, but the pro version has so many incredible features, like resizing, more font options, free stock photos, and more.) Want to see how Canva works first? Click here to read my blog post, "How to Create Content that Builds Brand Recognition".
.jpg file type
Lastly, the .jpg file type will have a white background or a colored background. These file types are generally not as high res as a .png. Note: PNG stands for Portable Network Graphic, with so-called "lossless" compression. That means that the image quality was the same before and after the "compression" or download. JPG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group, with so-called "lossy" compression. Meaning the more times you download the same .jpg file the more blurry it will get. Even though the .jpg file isn't as great as a .png I still include it because some websites or apps still only give you the option to upload as a .jpg. If you can upload a file as a png, always go that route to make sure your image is uploaded in the clearest, crispest form.
How should I announce the new branding on social?
Having a new logo and branding for your business is an exciting announcement! When you open your Google Drive folder, you'll see social graphics and made specifically for this announcement post. When I share a new logo design I tend to put in the caption "Which color is your favorite?" and I'll post multiple images that are almost identically, but the backgrounds are different. Each background color is your brand color. That way your audience gets to visually connect with your new brand colors and share which color is their favorite! Using a description that asks your audiences' opinion is a great way to create engagement on the post, which will help more people to see it.
If you want to take it a step further, you could even post one photo of your logo and share, "Here's a sneak peek into some new branding we'll be announcing soon! Can you guess what other colors will be included?" Something that gets them thinking and something that allows them to share what they think.
If you know you'll be getting merchandise made, create a mock up of what it will look like and post a preview to get your audience excited! How? Find a photo of someone wearing a blank t-shirt in the color you plan to buy for your merchandise, save that file, and go to Canva.com, upload the t-shirt picture and one of your .png logo files. You can then drag your logo over top of the shirt picture and make sure it's lined up the way you would want it printed on the shirt and download the file, as a png ;) then post on your social media as a fun sneak peek! Creating a mock up for a t-shirt design is a simple and great way to showcase what you'll soon be offering your audience. Here's an example of one of my clients doing just this:
Photo Source: Instagram @bluegrassbernedoodles
3 Ways To Use a Brand Pattern
First of all, a brand pattern is something most business owners generally look over when they're getting their branding established. You'll notice though, that big businesses and new businesses that are gaining traction and growing quickly use their brand pattern to add interest and stand out even more from the competition. Here are some ideas of how to use your brand pattern.
1. Use it as a background on your shareable social media graphics. Below is a great example by Hello Media a fellow branding and social media management company that I've connected with on Instagram.
Photo Source: Instagram @_hellomedia
2. Use it on one side of your business cards.
Photo Credit: Palma Stationary
3. Use them on your product packaging. This adorable tissue paper with the brand pattern on it is a great way to continue building brand awareness. Genius!
Photo Credit: StylishCreativeShop
There are infinite ways to use your brand pattern! Feel free to hop on Pinterest and search "brand pattern" for more fun ideas! Pinterest is my GO TO for all things branding and marketing inspiration.
How do I build brand recognition?
There are some companies that are obviously doing it VERY WELL. Let's use them for some inspiration:
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Building a brand is all about your mission. It's not so much about what you do, but why you do it. This is what makes people want to represent your brand. Some brands I can think of who have loads of supporters represent something more than just their service. Let's talk about Harley Davidson as an example. They sell motorcycles, but it's so much more than that. Anyone who owns a Harley is a part of a community. How do we know this? Well, because there are people who have their logo tattooed on their arms. You don't get a tattoo of someone's logo on your arm simply because they have great motorcycles. You get a tattoo like that because you connect with what they offer AND who they are as a brand and what the brand represents.
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Nike is another great example. Their slogan is "Just Do It" empowering and encouraging you to just do the dang thing. They're not talking about how their clothing is the best, or the cheapest, or the most popular. They are simply sharing their mission. They're logo just happens to be on the clothes they sell. This is what it's all about. What is your mission? What is your slogan? Who are your ideal clients and customers and how can you showcase your brand to attract to them? If you're not yet sure who your target audience or target customer is click here to learn more about how to find your target audience.
Want to learn how to create content like a pro?
I've created a free reusable workbook to help you develop some ideas and plan content for social media. Click here to download the workbook now. I would love to see some of the content you create! Feel free to message it to me over on Instagram. You can find me @createandcollab_ or simply click here to hop on over to Instagram for more tips and tricks.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.