The Click Collective

This Wednesday we are delighted to introduce guest host, Melissa Love. We know that many photographers struggle with branding, so Melissa has written a straight forward ‘how to get started’ on developing your all important visual identity. She’s also giving readers of the blog a discount off her brand new web products – which are a totally new concept in designing your own web page! Thank you Melissa.

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Melissa Love is a graphic designer who works exclusively with photographers to help them evelop unique brands, websites and print projects.

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She also visits ASPIRE regularly to help mentor the Bespoke programme groups.

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I can’t remember the last time I sat down in front of blank screen or sheet of paper to wait for inspiration to strike, yet many people I meet expect the creative process of a graphic designer to be exactly that. After all, it sounds much more romantic, doesn’t it?

In reality, a successful design project comes from detailed planning and an organized and easy-to-understand design process. Of course, every designer works differently, but if you are ready to spend your hard-earned cash on buying some professional design skills to re-brand your business, or more crucially, have a friend or relative who is willing to help out, then it’s important that you know what to expect and how you can influence the outcome. Not every designer uses the following process, but if you are well prepared and do your homework, you are much more likely to come away with a visual identity that is uniquely you.

1. THE INSPIRATION BOARD

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It’s hard to know where to start and what to look for when you first sit down to gather some inspiration. At this stage, more than any other, you need some structure. As a designer, I know that I will specifically be looking for your take on 4 key areas – colour, texture, typography & style. With these categories in mind, grab some magazines – bridal, fashion & interiors work well – and get to work, ripping out anything that catches your eye and putting it into the categories above.

After you’ve finished, go back through your clippings and ruthlessly edit them down to give you a core collection that really speaks to you. Play with the images, move them around and try to get a feel for what works well together.

Don’t forget to add some of your own ‘signature images’ to the mix at this stage.

No time to rip and tear? Then Pinterest is a great free resource that will let you pull together a collection of image boards quickly and easily.

This Pinterest board by photographer, Jordanna Marston is a great example of clearly defined typography, shapes, textures and a colour palette.

2. THE MOOD BOARD
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My next step, as the designer, is to discuss the inspiration collection in detail and from there, produce a ‘Mood Board’ which contains the beginnings of a colour palette, some ideas about type, layout and texture as well as some graphic icons for use in both the brand and the website.

Here’s my response to Jordanna’s inspirations.

3. THE VISUAL IDENTITY

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With the mood board all sewn up, it’s time to move onto the visual identity stage which incorporates logo design, but also includes the following:

-          a colour palette with clear colour references,

-          any textures & icons required for both print &  web projects

-          a minimum of two fonts and guidelines for font usage

-          a set of logos in vector, jpeg and png formats as well the original EPS file

Jordanna’s  Visual Identity is pulled together in this stylesheet which clearly shows the colour palette, fonts & decorative items we have in her toolkit as well as several different versions of her logo. A visual identity isn’t set in stone. Don’t be afraid to revisit it from time to time, adding extra elements that you develop. On the flip side, don’t forget to check that anything new aligns well with the core identity.

Essentially, your visual identity is your toolkit and style bible for your business. Start to deviate from it and you will quickly lose the unified look and feel of the brand.

4. THE DESIGN PROJECT

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Armed with the toolkit, putting together any piece of design – be it a website, brochure or business card – is straightforward because many of the decisions we need to make have already been made for us.

Here is Jordanna’s finished website which you can view at www.jordannamarston.com. You can clearly trace the evolution of her brand from inspiration to final product.

I realize that many small businesses aren’t able to afford to work with a designer from the very beginning, but following some simple steps at the inspiration stage will ensure that whatever branding solution you choose allows you to design yourself into your business identity and keep control of the creative process.

View more of Melissa’s work at www.melissalove.co.uk or visit her online design store at www.style-me-up.com.

Use the code CLICK to receive a 10% discount until the 30^th May, 2012!