Whether you are a blogger or business owner, having a clear brand identity can help you reach your audience and create emotional connections that take it to a whole new level. But how can you really make your brand stand out?
Let me tell you that one of the best parts of working on a visual identity is designing supportive elements. These can be patterns, icons, illustrations, those small but very important details that can make a brand stand out and easy to identify.
Think of these as a visual representation of what you are trying to communicate. Just as you add images and graphics to a blog post to make it interesting, these can help demonstrate a point and send a strong message to your audience.
Not only are these visual elements fun to design, but they also help create brand consistency. This is key to creating a memorable brand, tell it’s story and personality. Once you have these elements ready to go, how can you use them and truly make the most of them?
Here are 5 ways to use patterns, illustrations, and icons and make the most of them in a unique way that makes your brand stand out.
1. Stationery
This is by far the best way to use patterns and icons. You might think that this is exclusive to product-based brands, as they usually have more use for stationery and packaging. But you can try adding them to your business cards if you are a blogger and be ready to share them at conferences and meetups.
You can even create thank you notes or cute letters for your readers, adding those brand elements.
2. Social media graphics
Using supportive elements from your visual identity in social media covers is a great way to create a consistent brand. Think about using them for your Facebook, Twitter, and even Etsy covers. You can also use them to create special announcements in your social media posts.
3. Post templates
Having branded post images is also key to get identified out there. While using stock images is a popular trend right now, break the mold and use icons, patterns, and illustrations to create your post templates.
Related: Branding Your Images: Why + How to Do it
4. Sales pages
If you offer courses or services and you need a sales page, try adding there your brand elements. Create icons that can resonate with the content you are trying to promote, making it more inviting and relatable.
5. Website
You can easily transform a simple web design template into something unique by adding custom icons or patterns to it. Just as you would with a sales page, adding cute details to the top or bottom of your web page can make a huge difference.
Tell me, what is your favorite way of using patterns and icons to make your brand stand out?
