Continuing this month’s theme of DIY Branding, there were two great posts this week that were the basis for Thursday’s chat: Visual Toolbox: Creating a Visual Brand by Sarah Stickland of CHILDish and Sourcing Creative Files by The Graphics Governess (otherwise known as Anile Prakash of Girl Friday). These ladies lay the groundwork for what was to be a lively chat covering the basics, tools, tips, ideas & tutorial links of visual branding.
Question #1: We’ve had a pile of resources this week for how to DIY your way to branding greatness, first step: LOGO, what=a great logo to you?
- laalicia @ohmyhandmade easily recognizable #omhg
- perideaudesigns @ohmyhandmade a logo conveys visual feelings, intentions and a story. #omhg
- anile @ohmyhandmade great logo = unique, personal but accessible, versatile, adaptable, also will grow with you – not limiting 🙂 #omhg
- justShauntelle A great logo is the face of the brand. It sets the mood for what to expect. #omhg
- Georgina_Giles @ohmyhandmade Something bold, interesting and true to the people behind it! #omhg
- designcoyote A great logo makes a statement about your brand. It is consistent, visual, & portrays who you are in a single graphic. #omhg
- tif_smith @storyofmum @ohmyhandmade a logo can just be good typography. not everyone’s logo needs to be a symbol or a picture.#omhg
- ohmyhandmade Lesson #1-even big brands evolve! RT @storyofmum: phew! even the experts evolve… In fact Im sure branding is all about evolution #omhg
- StreeterUltd Logos with too much complexity can be overwhelming#omhg
Bonus Question: What are some examples of brilliantly executed logos? What makes them awesome?
- embergrass @ohmyhandmade I really like the new @fusionbeads logo and branding http://t.co/FNP4TZqK simple, fun, fits them perfectly#omhg
- ohmyhandmade I love everything about this Wanderlust logo:http://t.co/pD2ksEqA by @MaryKateMcD simple + beautiful #omhg
- birdbags Love White House Black Market logo..Clean, modern, and hints to what they sell http://t.co/CVdZt1Xk #omhg
- thelanguidlion Disney-Walt’s handwriting says it all! RT@ohmyhandmade: What are some examples of brilliantly executed logos? What makes them awesome #omhg
- MarisaEdghill I like Moon’s logo – simple, clever & that yellow dot (moon) becomes icon: http://t.co/ioxj2JhT #omhg
- StreeterUltd Nike. You recognize their brand whether its simply the swoosh, the text or both. #omhg
- Lu_and_Ed @StreeterUltd Same for Target – that red bullseye. #omhg
Question #2: After your logo your graphics/photos say the most about what you are offering + set the tone for your site! What makes a great photo?
- perideaudesigns Photography is a huge compliment to the brand. It should fit within the same aesthetics. Modern, vintage, etc… #omhg
- justShauntelle @ohmyhandmade LIGHTING, LIGHTING, LIGHTING! Badly lit photos are worse than no photo! #omhg
- embergrass The background of the photo can be so powerful either to make or break the brand and enhance or hide the product #omhg
- Georgina_Giles @ohmyhandmade I have collected a set of props for my photos – and I tell the story about finding them on my blog. #omhg
- gridjunky I’d say a good photo plays off the core values of your brand, like a visual tangent. #omhg
- ohmyhandmade Excellent advice! RT @myCHILDish: if you want to change your brand colours, change them, then be consistent with all your work. #omhg
Bonus Question: Do you create graphics for your website/blog? Where do you find creative files?
- justShauntelle @ohmyhandmade I struggle to get writers to understand this. Internet is a visual medium first & foremost. #omhg
- tif_smith @ohmyhandmade learning how to save images for the web is also a big deal. also, keeping in mind all the resizing for formats.#omhg
- Lu_and_Ed @designcoyote I agree, I always try to have 1-2 photos in each post, at least! #omhg
- ohmyhandmade Images are the new headline-they need to speak to the content of your posts! The more original/dynamic the image=the more engagement #omhg
- RoriStories Rarely post w/o at least 1 image. I’ve been doing lots of photo/quote posts lately. It’s funny. Sometimes those are the most popular. #omhg
- zoe_rooney Totally true. I’d rather see no image than a random one RT@ohmyhandmade: The more original/dynamic the image=the more engagement #omhg
- zoe_rooney @embergrass @aeolidia It depends on purpose and audience. I just worry when we focus too much on “rules” instead of building judgement #omhg
- MarisaEdghill RT @ohmyhandmade: Using your own photos as the basis of your graphics can not be beat-originality trumps reuse every single time #omhg
Bonus Tutorial/Resource/Info/Articles Links:
- The Ink Nest :: adorable, hand drawn clip art illustrations for your graphic projects
- Nicole’s Classes :: cute, fun, informative & accessible video tutorial at your pace
- Lynda.com :: software Training for Adobe, Windows, Apple & More at your own pace
- Vectuts :: Adobe Illustrator & Vector tutorials from beginner to intermediate
- Illustration Class :: Easy to follow tutorials for Adobe Illustrator & Vectors
- iStockphoto :: Royalty Free Stock Photography, Vector Art Images
- deviantART :: Photography, Vector Art Images, Resources from a community of artists
- Subtle Patterns :: Free textures for your next web project
- Pugly Pixel :: tutorials, fonts, textures, templates, clipart, layouts for blogs/websites
- Design Seeds® :: great resource for color palette ideas
- Design*Sponge :: article on great product shot photography with fairly comprehensive tips!
- Two Peas in a Bucket :: a great resource for fonts, digital scrapbook textures, papers & embellishments
- Vol25 :: Digital eye candy-photoshop templates, overlays & tools
- Lost Type :: Name your price font co-operative
Please note that we’ve been having trouble with Curatede for our full transcripts as they are moving their servers, so we don’t have a link to the full transcript.
What is #omhg? We are a community of talented, creative and caring people who visit every Thursday on Twitter from 1-2EST with the hashtag #omhg to chat about our monthly theme on Oh My! Handmade + life, business & everything in between. Empowering, honest, supportive & full of ideas, our chats leave us all feeling ready to take on the world-come join us and make some new friends!
