Branding 101. What I have learned so far.
I have been diving into the world of branding for a while now. And I've come to realise just how much thought goes into creating a strong, recognisable presence. It is so much more than just colours and logos, it's also about emotion, consistency and balance. My new website banner and overall aesthetic on this page hopefully reflect this journey of incorporating my core brand colours and themes. Here's what I've learned so far.
Colour Psychology, or choosing the colours that work for you.
Colours shape our perception long before a single word is spoken or read. I used to think that branding was just picking your favourite colour and working with it. But the truth is it is also about choosing a colour that amplifies your message and that creates the right emotional tone for your brand.
A strong brand usually has a primary colour, a secondary colour and neutrals for contrast. Too much of one shade can overwhelm the senses of your audience, but with contrast you can make elements stand out. My own branding leans into deep greens, teals, and silver tones to create a moody yet inviting atmosphere, something I have been trying to implement across my website, my book covers and social media.
So for my brand, I chose:
Cool colours: Teals, deep greens, silvers, and (muted) blues. Which should represent the following: trust, calm, creativity and depth.
Earthy tones: Moss green, warm browns and golds. Stability, warmth, organic connection.
Neutral tones: Black, grey and white, for balance, professionalism and simplicity.
As you can see these colours all are represented in the banner:
Different colours evoke different emotions and responses, which can shape how people perceive any brand. Here is a quick and simple overview.
- Red: Emergency, urgency, passion, but can also signal danger or aggression.
- Blue: Trust, stability, professionalism, a colour often used in corporate branding.
- Green: Growth, tranquility, nature, often tied to sustainability or wellness.
- Yellow: Optimism, happiness, warmth, attention grabbing, but too much can be overwhelming.
- Orange: Creativity, enthusiasm, friendliness, often used by brands to feel approachable.
- Purple: Luxury, wisdom, creativity and spirituality.
- Black: Elegance, authority, mystery, but can also feel intimidating.
- White: Simplicity, cleanliness, minimalism, but may lack personality and feel sterile if overused.
- Gray: Neutrality, balance, sophistication, but can feel uninspiring.
- Brown: Reliability, warmth, organic feel, often used in handmade or rustic branding.
- Pink: Playfulness, femininity, creativity, used in beauty brands but can also feel niche.
- Neon colours: Modern, energetic, attention grabbing, feels quickly excessive if not balanced.
What I've provided above is just a really short summary of colours, and my interpretations, I suggest taking some time to research colour psychology properly, as choosing the right colour for your brand depends on what message and feeling you want to convey. It is not just about what looks good, although that is important, it's also about what communicates who you are, what you stand for etc. effectively.
The Power of Contrast
As said before, contrast can make elements stand out. Imagine everything being the same colour, where nothing really stands out, would you be intrigued or bored by that? Like with book covers or movie posters, most of them are well designed, they master the balance of light vs dark, colour vs contrast, bold vs subtle.
Looking at my website banner, you'll notice a dark forest background contrasted with glowing light filtering through the trees, creating a dreamy, mysterious yet natural effect. My name and logo are bright white against a muted backdrop, ensuring readability but without overpowering the design. The muted greens and blues with the lighter contrasts create a calming, inviting but also introspective atmosphere.
At least, those were the emotions and vibes I was going for. The teals and deep greens convey mystery, creativity, and a connection to nature. Much like the natural world inspires the imagery in my poetry. The soft silvers, the muted golds, though barely perceptible, add a timeless aethereal touch, I decided to add these to reflect an introspective, almost serene quality. Lastly, the darker background behind the avatar version of myself was made to create a sense of intrigue and depth. Maybe you've noticed already, the image examined from left to right almost intentionally devolves into a more dreamlike landscape where the shapes are recognisable, but not quite right, not quite in focus.
When I was refining my branding I asked myself, what emotion(s) do I want people to feel when they see my work? The answer? Calm, intrigued, ready to dive into something real, something deep. And while I'm still finetuning the details, working within the brand scheme I have created for myself, whether that be for a book cover, a social media post, or a website banner, my visuals are starting to reinforce that atmosphere.
But branding isn't just about your digital presence, it also extends into the real world, into tangible elements that represent you. My business card for example is plain white with black text. Sounds boring right? Well I thought so too until I realised that the minimalistic design keeps the focus on my name and logo. The neutral palette also balances out the richer colour scheme of my digital branding. Plus with black and white you have a timeless elegance on your hands. An added bonus is that should my brand change in the future, I can do so and it would still pair well with basically any change I would make.
Even the simplest decisions you make, like a business card, reinforce a larger identity. My goal for my brand was to feel calming, moody, elegant and creative. And I believe that the physical minimalism paired with the digital vibrancy balances and helps to maintain that feeling across multiple mediums.
Branding isn't about boxing yourself in, it's about creating an extension of your identity, something that people will recognise as you. Evolve when necessary, but stay true to yourself. Adjusting branding is natural, but try to keep sight of who you are. By incorporating my aesthetic across my website, my social media and to an extent my book covers, I hope that eventually people will recognise my work by sight and feel connected to it.
So I'm about a year into this journey, right? And I still mess up! I am still learning, but it is interesting to see how some small design choices have had a massive impact already. And really, sometimes it is hard to keep consistent with branding. And guess what? That is entirely okay. The entire journey is one of learning and evolving.
My best advice at this moment would be to think beyond the “This looks cool” and focus on what truly fits you and what you have to say.
And remember, Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is a brand.
Keep an eye out for part 2: Logos, Fonts, and Visual Consistency, coming tomorrow.