Branding yourself is not just for big corporations, every visual artist needs to have their own brand in order to truly resonate with their target audience, turning them into a dedicated following.
One of the best ways to let folks know that they have come to the right creator is by having consistent and cohesive branding that really speaks directly to your viewer. The best thing you can do is let your audience feel comfortable in the space you are providing by using familiar fonts, colors, verbiage, and topics so they will always recognize the content you work so hard to put out.
In this video we’ll discuss…
What is branding? Who needs branding, and what does it do for you? Every professional artist has a reliable look and feel to their work, and so should you!
Who is your target audience and what will resonate with them? It’s important to know who exactly you’re talking to when creating your various platforms. People love and focus on what feels familiar, so this step will take a bit of research on what will truly connect your artwork to their personal lives.
Be focused! It’s almost impossible to build a brand if you don’t have a certain style or subject matter to your art. People are way more reluctant to follow and invest time (or money) in an artist that they have no idea what to expect next from. There’s a reason that any time a huge company like Coca-Cola comes up with a new type of drink, like fruit juice or seltzer waters, they create an entire new subsidiary company complete with its own branding and marketing strategy, rather than branding it ‘Coke Orange Juice’ or ‘Coke Selzer’, it’s ‘Minute Maid OJ’ and ‘AHA.’ Consistently give your audience what they signed up for - more quality artwork in your signature style!
Get a logo. Once you know who you are trying to appeal to, this is usually where artists really start making moves on creating visual branding. Think about what kinds of fonts, shapes or flourishes would most appeal to your target audience, since sometimes seeing a logo is the first thing an audience will get familiar with due to how often we use it. But if typography and graphic design are not your strong suites, don’t worry! I highly recommend fiverr.com for all your logo needs. It is is an amazing resource for graphic design in all kinds of ways your small biz may need, and I have personally gotten at 3-4 logos for around $20 each throughout the years. Just look for someone who is creating work in the style that will resonate with your audience best and see about helping another independent creator with your own business:)
Choose fonts. This one is great to do once you have your logo so that you can make sure they go well together. I recommend choosing two fonts. One as an attention-getter for headers and titles, and one as plain text you use throughout anything you put out (that you are able to control in this way). Blogs, business cards, newsletters, website info… everywhere possible should utilize the same fonts.
Choose 2-3 colors. Along with having your set fonts, you should choose 2-3 colors based on your artwork as well as what would be appealing to your audience to use anywhere you may need it, from headers to stickers.
Create an artist statement. I know, I know… I always hear groans when I recommend writing, but I have to tell you, having a clear, concise explanation of your art and why it’s important will super duper help you focus in on finding your target audience, as well as help you be consistent with your style, which in turn will help solidify the look and voice to your small biz.
Use the proper ‘voice’ for your audience. Voice in this situation means both out loud (ie videos or interviews) as well as in writing. Using familiar verbiage or slang, talking about related subjects, and having your personality peek out from whatever you are doing will make your audience comfortable as well as loyal because they will feel like your almost putting words to thoughts they themselves have.
Develop a few key catchphrases or topics you consistently hit on. Of course you’re making and discussing art, but maybe your art has a deeper purpose like saving the ocean so you talk about protection efforts a lot, or you do lots of paintings of plants so you learn about botany so you can tell your followers (who also love the ocean or plants) about related topics that may not be actually about art, but that you know will resonate with your audience. If you create videos, think about having a repeated into or some other kind of phrases that your audience will come to expect when they hear your voice. It’s all about building familiarity.
Most important of all is to be consistent!! People will follow you when they can ‘trust’ what kind of output they’ll get from you next :)
And if you’d ever like some one-on-one help with creating your own personal brand, I have a special Mentoring package for that which I recently released right here.
3.27.2021