Brand Personalities: What they are + how they can help your business.
Not sure where to begin with designing a brand? You stare at your screen waiting for a rush of genius to come in, only to be frustrated and discouraged when it doesn’t. I have been there so many times because well, creativity isn’t something we can control. It flows and bends and comes and goes.
The good news is there are ways around the creativity blocks. I’m here to share with you the tips I learned that give me the confidence and awareness I needed to develop fresh new brands from scratch! A set of tips and actual steps to squash the branding blocks. Let’s do it!
Who is your brand?
Figuring out who your brand is meant to attract and the personality it has can go miles in helping you build a strong foundation. A brand personality is created when a developer assigns human attributes to a brand. Doing this is so important to the process of creating a relatable brand. So how do you do this? One easy way is to start by understanding brand personalities as they relate to the seasons.
Each of the four seasons carries its own mood, vibe, and color palettes. It’s a simple way to figure out which direction our brands need to go in. Here are some attributes for each season. See which one matches the feel and future clientele of your brand.
1) Summer: Artistic, romantic, refined, soft, precise, professional, reliable, quality, supportive, traditional, understated.
Colors: Muted, perhaps a touch of grey.
Photography: Soft & cool.
2) Fall: Authentic, friendly, ethical, natural, focused, strong, quirky, cozy, earthy, comforting.
Colors: Natural & warm. Think deep colors, perhaps some variation of brown.
Photography: Organic feel with a touch of warmth.
3) Winter: Opulent, dramatic, decisive, driven, bold, disciplined, practical, strong.
Colors: Clear & cool. The only personality that uses black as a main color in the palette.
Photography: Minimal but striking.
4) Spring: Creative, inspirational, clear, simple, bright, approachable, bubbly, clever, communicative, positive, personable.
Colors: Light & airy.
Photography: Will generally have a light touch.
(The Brand Stylist, 2017)
Image examples for each season:
Choosing the right one for your business:
You might see a few attributes from more than just one season that stand out to you, and that’s totally fine! For Design by Layne I chose a couple of different characteristics from two different seasons. For example, my main season is Winter (bold, use of black, grounded, the intensity in fonts, etc) but my copy and tone of voice carry a few traits of spring (approachable, bright, positive, welcoming, enthusiastic, etc).
An important note: Remember that just because you have a winter personality, doesn’t mean you have to have wintery photos. What I mean by this, is you can still use pictures of palm trees and beaches for a winter personality if they are edited in a certain way or carry the right tone. I usually determine this with a gut check. Does the photo match the mood? Some aspects of design are cerebral, some are all about feeling it out.
Remember your dream clients.
Who is your dream client? Who do you imagine scrolling through your website and is so interested that they click the “buy now” link without hesitation? How do you want to appeal to them? Consider this and the rest of the steps will fall into place. Read more about this in my last post: The Psychology of Your Stunning Brand.
These guidelines are extremely helpful but don’t get too caught up in the organization of personality that your creativity becomes rigid. Stay open but remember your goals and objectives. Your mission and values.
