I specialise in logo and brand identity design, so you might be surprised to hear me say that I believe branding is about much more than just beautiful aesthetics.
Hi, I’m Jo Higgs – an award-winning graphic designer who helps small business owners create unique, professional brand identities that truly get noticed.
I’m sharing my ‘top tips’ for getting your brand right.
Tip 1: Start with Solid Foundations
Every strong brand begins with clarity. When I start working with a client, the first step is a specially curated branding questionnaire. This helps to clarify the essence of their business – helping us attract the right people with their brand identity.
The first key questions I ask:
- What makes your business unique?
- Why should customers choose you over someone else?
- How do you want customers to feel when they interact with your business?
The foundations are so important that I’ve created a free “Building Your Brand” download for small businesses, designed to help you get these foundations in place. It breaks down what you need to think about and includes a handy checklist you can print and stick on your wall to keep you on track. Here’s the link – joannehiggs.co.uk/freedownload
Once you’re clear on your foundations, you’ll naturally start attracting the right clients.
Tip 2: Show Your Face
Clarified your brand foundations already? Next up, one of the most valuable things you can do is include photos & videos of yourself (and/or your team if you have one) in your marketing.
Sharing your face and story on social media, your website, and on printed materials shows you as a real person. Professional photos are great if you have the budget; however, people also love ‘behind the scenes’ social media, which is a great way to connect with more ‘real life’ content.
Talking to the camera also helps build connection and trust. This can feel uncomfortable, but remember people connect with people. Don’t worry you’ll put people off — instead, focus on attracting the right people for your business.
Tip 3: Be Consistent
Your brand identity needs to be consistent. When a potential client meets you and thinks, “Yes, this is exactly who I’ve been looking for!” make sure you don’t lose them when they check out your website or social media. All your touchpoints should be consistent in terms of aesthetics and tone of voice.
How can you get consistent?
Create a set of brand guidelines; this can save you time and stress — especially when you start working with external help, such as website designers or social media managers. Brand guidelines are essentially a document that gives rules on creating your visual identity correctly and consistently.
Before you can create brand guidelines, however, you need an actual brand identity. This is a mixture of digital files and established brand information.
Here is a list of the basics:
- Logo suite (in multiple file formats and layouts for versatility)
- Curated colour palette (with specific colour codes to maintain consistency)
- Approved font pairings (including any licensing requirements)
- Supporting digital assets (icons, illustrations, or patterns that bring your brand to life)
With clear guidelines in place, you’ll maintain a consistent look and feel across every touchpoint — from your website and social media to printed materials and packaging.
In Summary
Branding isn’t just about great design (although that helps a lot) — it’s about your business identity, connection, and consistency. When you build your brand on strong foundations, show up authentically, and stay consistent, you create a business that not only looks great but also feels trustworthy and memorable.
Looking for a graphic designer to help you rebrand or communicate your message in a professional, clear way to your clients?
Pop me a message on design@joannehiggs.co.uk or https://www.instagram.com/johiggscreative/— I would love to help.
Thank you for reading.