Alright, creating your brand starts with YOU. Based on what market you decided to tackle, you want to choose a shop/brand name. This can be difficult for most. It also requires a LOT of research. 

Choosing Your Name

The first step is deciding on what your shop/brand name is. For me, I am geared towards SVGs so I know I wanted that somewhere in the name. This may change at some point, but for now I’m sticking with it. I literally mulled my name over for two fricken weeks! Eventually I decided on “Shooting Star SVG” It seemed like a good alliteration (or a close one) and I liked the sound of it. 

You can use google to find name generators, simply type in “business name generator” and a ton of results will come up. One that I used frequently is Namelix. Give it a try and see what you come up with. If you’re having trouble comment below and we can try to work through it together. 

Lean Domain Search is also a good choice as it will populate names based off of keywords for you. So if you’re like me and looking for something with the name “SVG” in it, simply type in the keyword and away it goes. 

Your name should represent the idea behind what you’re trying to accomplish, be short, and catchy. That way when people start to recognize your brand it’s easy to remember and rolls off of the tongue. 

Once you decide on your name, you need to do a little research. First run your shop name through the USPTO.gov website to ensure there are no trademark or copyright issues. Second, go to Etsy and make sure the name isn’t taken by searching the shops section. Third, go on domains.google.com and see if that name is available for use. This is important, because eventually down the line, you will want to create a website. Without a domain name you’re screwed as this will be critical for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and brand creation later down the line. 

If the name is available GO FOR IT! Then you can focus on the rest of the below. 

Logo Creation

After you create your shop name, you want to design a logo. You can either do this yourself or outsource it to someone else. Websites like fiver.com or doing a quick google search will yield many results for outsourcing. Make sure the person you are purchasing from is reputable and go from there.

You want your logo to be simple, contain your shop name, and POP. You DO NOT want the logo to clash as you will be using it on many different items including your products, promo images, mockups, website and more. 

For your logo to be effective you want it to represent your business. Since my name has “star” in it I chose a design with some stars of several sizes flowing in a “shooting star” pattern and colored them to my color scheme. You color choice will also influence people so keep that in mind. Ensure you are using cohesive colors that do not clash or strain the eyes. 

In my opinion, simple is better, but everyone is different. Ensure what you are using, you love. Also ensure it stands out from other logo designs. This will take some time and research. I have changed my logo three times since inception and assume it will change again in the future. 

Choose your fonts carefully. You want something that people can read and don’t have to strain to read. If your style is bold and bright, use a chunkier font. If it’s more delicate you may want to consider a thinner script font. 

If you chose not to use the logotype (name directly in the logo) then you can go the symbolic route, however your advertisement and brand awareness campaigns may be more difficult and time consuming at first. 

Ensure your logo is created in a scalable format (SVG is a good choice) because you will be utilizing your logo in many different sizes. Scalable logos allow you to have more flexibility. If you utilize a raster type file, you will stretch the pixels and created a blurred look. 

And one LAST tip 

Make it have an impression in a colorless version. 

I personally have two logos, one color and one not, because I did not take this into consideration in the beginning. 

So take that advice and design away. 

Color Schemes

Color schemes are EXTREMELY important. When I first started out my colors on my promo images were pretty to me, but when I asked for feedback I quickly found out that they were straining and distracted from my design work. That was NOT my intention. 

You can find resources online about color theory and brush up on some. My advice would be to choose lighter colors that are easier on the eyes and compliment each other. 

Colors often evoke emotion, so keep that in mind when choosing your colors. There was an article I read about color choices that really stood out to me. 

Read More: What Brand Colors Can Reveal About Your Business

The colors you choose will be in your promo images, logo, website design, and anything else you can think of that may include your products and advertisements. 

Most of us will not want just one color so make sure you choose 1 to 3 (and possible up to 4) colors. A base color, an accent color, and a nuetral color. 

After reading articles on what colors MEAN choose what base best aligns with your products. The accent that follows will be the color that you use most often after the base. This is where you will need to ensure you are not using contrasting colors or color combinations that will strain the eyes. Your neutral will be just that, think beige, grey, off white, etc. 

You color schemes can focus on being monochromatic (one color in many shades), analogous (colors close on the color wheel), complimentary (colors across from one another on the wheel), or a triad (colors forming a triangle on the wheel). 

Feel free to run combinations by friends and people you know will give you constructive feedback as well. 

So now that you have a name, a logo and some go to colors, you can start putting together your brand. Ensure your name is short, catchy, and not already taken. Base your logo design off of your color scheme and ensure you have a colorless version. Your logo should also be scalable. Choose colors that invoke a certain style or vibe to your brand. 

These branding tips will change as you progress and grow, so keep that in mind. What you settle on today may change in the future, but that’s ok. As you learn and grow you will adapt. 

Hopefully you learned something from this second bootcamp lesson. Stick around for Lesson 3 which is centered around Goal Setting. 

Again Join my Facebook Group for updates and also Subscribe to my YouTube channel for real time updates. Comment below for any assistance and enjoy getting your journey off of the ground. You can do this!

Cheers
Tanya