How to successfully brand your blog

How to successfully brand your blog

Before I get this started I just want to clarify that some of this steps may sound unorthodox but I will be talking more about how I personally develop my own brands and what works for me in hope it will work for you too. Even if you are not a Designer, Marketing Expert or have knowledge of them you can develop your own brand and do it successfully. I always tell people to work with what they have and make the best of their resources so, if you have the resources to hire a professional this guide will still help you in communicating exactly what you have in mind to your Designer.

Creating a brand can be a long process but it's definitely worth every minute of the time you spend working on this. Having a solid brand and knowing how to work it and expand it will be extremely beneficial if you are thinking of monetizing your blog or if you have a side business or offer online services. With no more ado this is the guide I follow:

#1 Find Inspiration - Taking into account the name, content and intention of your blog you can look for inspiration in photography, stationery, websites or any source you find suitable to what you're looking to say with your brand.

#2 Determine a feel - I find this step very important, once you have thought of how you want your blog to be perceived (modern, vintage, eclectic...) following the next steps will become easier.

#3 Put it into words - Giving your brand descriptive words help you choose certain elements that you may not have thought of at the time when you're deciding what type of graphics you want to see representing your brand. Make a list of words that describe your blog, yourself and your brand.

#4 Think about colors - Since you already thought about the feeling choosing a color palette will be easy. If you need help following this step I advice you go to sites that give you palettes like colourlovers for inspiration. Remember than you can play around and be original, a modern site does not necessarily have to be monochromatic. Look online and read about new trends and options.

#5 Choose fonts that compliment the feel - I apply the same rules to choosing fonts. See what magazines are using, ask around and do your homework. Choosing the wrong font could have a negative effect on a beautiful design. Whatever you do... do not use comic sans.

#6 Think about shapes - If you are thinking of having a logo made for your blog think about shapes that represent those descriptive words you already chose for the design and don't stop there, think about the thickness of the lines, the color, shades, patterns and everything that can be use to compliment those elements.

#7 Structure it - Once you have your moodboard and a rough draft of all the things you want to add it's time to structure the blog and get rid of all the things that are not necessary. This is your chance to play around with all the elements you want to see in your blog and to think of how you want your readers to navigate through your blog. Put yourself in the position of the visitor, what would you like to see? how do you want to navigate through the blog?... Organize the blog by sections so that it looks cohesive and user-friendly.

#8 Add personality - This is one of my favorite steps. Here you can give the blog that last touch that sets you apart from the rest, link rollover colors, opacity, fun descriptive words for your navigation... Be creative and remember that all these details also represent you.

#9 Expand - Be consistent and adventurous. Use all the elements chosen for your blog design and expand to create a seamless brand that people remember. I always say "act legit to be legit" and expanding your brand into social media, a media kit, business cards and everything that will represent your blog.

(+) Whatever you do... Have fun with it. This process can also be very fun and if you are in a place in which you can hire a professional present them with all this information and let them work their magic. People who have the experience to back them up will think about the littlest most tiniest details to make your brand unforgettable.

Feel free to leave any questions or tips below and have a wonderful Summer weekend!

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