Are you trying to brand your business but feeling totally lost and uninspired? Are you’re frustrated because you can’t find branding inspiration that feels like ‘you’?
If so, you’re not alone. The number one thing I hear from my clients is their desire to have branding that feels like them and communicates their personality.
But if you’re looking for examples to pass along to a designer (or use to DIY-it) and nothing you’re coming across feels right, it can be really frustrating.
Where you’ve likely gone wrong:
Have you taken the advice of ‘just hop onto Pinterest and start pinning examples of things you like’? You’ve searched for logos and color palettes. You’ve pinned a ton of branding examples, but it’s a mess. It’s all over the place and none of it feels right. You don’t see YOU in there anywhere.
THE PROBLEM: You jumped to pinning branding examples too quickly.
I have an inside secret for you… Talented designers pull all kinds of inspiration from unexpected sources (nature, music, fashion, food, etc.) before even thinking about designing your logo.
Why?
Because talented designers create logos and color palettes inspired by meaningful imagery that is carefully selected to evoke a unique feeling and tell a story. They don’t just copy and tweak a logo that they pinned from someone else.
Creating from an inspired place is how you end up with a brand that has heart and soul.
So if what you have feels empty, it’s likely because you are missing that key inspirational image that resonates with you and evokes something special.
Where to find your key inspirational image:
THE SOLUTION: Stop thinking about branding at all and start looking for images that light you up.
What are you passionate about? This could be nature, architecture, gemstones. Anything really!
My 3 favorite go-to sources for inspiration:
No. 1 : FASHION
I love using fashion as inspiration for branding because fashion is such a personal preference and tells so much of who you are. Fashion has the power to feel light and romantic or edgy and rough.
Below are three images that resonate with me, yours might be totally different!
No. 2 : Interior Design
Interior design was my first design love. I used to stay up all night when I was a kid re-arranging my bedroom and drawing floor plans. I studied interior architecture in college and over 10 years later it still lights me up.
One of the questions I ask all of my branding clients is, ‘What is your dream home? Describe it to me.’ I strongly believe that the spaces we choose to live (or wish we could live) tell us a lot about ourselves. What would your dream home look like?
No. 3 : Art
Artwork is also something that is such a personal preference and can say so much about who you are. Do you like modern art? Or traditional art? Things that are whimsical and playful or serious subject matter? Do you gravitate to specific color palettes when it comes to art?
Below are three illustrative examples of art. Start thinking about what artwork speaks to you and gather examples.
Your turn!
If these three sources speak to you, great! Then you might have a lot of luck finding images on my Pinterest boards. If not, make a list of everything you’re passionate about and start searching for images.
I think Pinterest is a great resource because they have such a vast library of visuals, but if tangible things make you feel inspired, don’t feel limited to online resources. Go check out magazines, the library, your local museum, movies, fliers, street signs, etc.
At this point, don’t limit yourself. The skies the limit!
XO.
Libby
