This is number four in a series of foundational building blocks you need in your business. If you haven’t already, make sure you catch up by reading the previous articles in the series: overview on the five foundational building blocks, discovering your why, and creating a clear message.

We’ve covered a lot so far. You have discovered your purpose in business and created a clear message so your clients are not confused. Now, I’m going to cover how to create an impactful visual brand so your brand message and visuals are connected and cohesive.

Get Inspired

The first step to creating an amazing visual brand is to get some inspiration. Go to Pinterest and start a board of photos, colors, fonts, and other visuals that feel right to you. Pin at least 25-30 of these. Once you do that, you can go back through your board and see if there are any you need to remove. This is just inspiration, but it’s helpful for you to know your style and what you like before starting to think about your business colors, look, and feel!

Jot Down What You Want People to Think and Feel

The second step is to write down what you want people to feel and think about your brand. For example, let’s say you’re an earthy brand that sells organic skin care products. You’ll want customers to feel calm and refreshed on your site. What about a product for kids? You’d probably want them to be more excited and energetic. Whatever it is, think about (and write down) how you want people to think and feel.

If you don’t currently have a logo and website, or if you’re thinking of redesigning yours, these are really great steps to go through before you go to a graphic designer! A good designer will ask you all of this information and more to dive deep into your brand and create something that truly represents it. 

Nail Your Photographic Imagery

Next I want to talk about imagery. As a photographer, I’ve seen first-hand how essential strong imagery is for businesses. It doesn’t matter whether you’re selling a product or building a personal brand, you need images that convey the way you want people to think and feel when they come to your site.

If you’re building a personal brand, you’ll definitely need some amazing photos of yourself throughout your site. People want a reason to trust you, so they’ll need to be able to see your face and amazing smile often! When I do personal brand photos, I also incorporate props and ideas that show not only who you are, but what you do in the images. This way when someone sees a photo of you, many questions are answered with one image. 

If you have a product based business, it’s important to have product photos with simple backgrounds and good light. It can also be helpful to show your product in action, if possible, again with good light and simple backgrounds. Professionality is key here, because products that are presented poorly make it easy for customers to flee. 

Now that you have completed these steps, you’ll know which photos to put on your social media and website, and which ones to avoid. Go back to the list you created in our clarity section about how your clients’ lives are different now that you solved their problem, and see if you can find photos that show that outcome.

If you’re struggling to find photos and would like to go over your visual presence with someone, I’d love to help you do that! Schedule a chat here and we’ll get something on the calendar.