How To construct a Brand in 7 Steps: Get Started in 2024

Brand building is a critical part of starting a business. A great business concept or innovative product means nothing if you can’t communicate it to the globe—specifically in a way that your target spectators can relate to.

How customers, competitors, and the trade perceive your brand image comes down to brand positioning and aesthetic choices, but your brand identity is more than a logo. It encompasses everything from your brand personality to mission statement to the consistent color palette you use across channel.

In this navigator, discover how to construct your own brand from scratch and make a compelling and memorable brand identity that resonates with your target spectators. Plus, explore what it takes to make a brand logo or catchy slogan, with real examples from successful brands and branding design tips from experts.

What is a brand?

A brand defines a business, product, service, person, or concept in the trade. It differentiates your business from others in the same industry and has a set of rules (called brand guidelines) that dictate how that business will be marketed and presented. Branding is the procedure of establishing a brand—how it looks, what it sounds like, and the defined target spectators it hopes to reach. 

What are the building blocks of a brand?

Brand is more than a logo, slogan, or color palette. To construct a successful brand, there’s plenty of groundwork you require to do before you can commence designing a website or creating marketing materials. 

Here are the building blocks that to include in your brand guidelines document:

Target spectators

Defining your target spectators is one of the most significant stages of creating a brand from scratch. Everything stems from this. Defining your spectators in specific helps you construct a brand that speaks directly to it. Later in this piece, you’ll discover tactics for understanding this spectators.

Brand identity

Your brand identity encompasses your business name and the visual elements that define your brand, from your logo and colors to the aesthetic of your photography and your social media handles. Brand identity also includes your brand’s narrative and competitive advantage.

Brand voice

Brand voice is how your brand sounds. Defining this ensures brand consistency across every customer touchpoint. If your customers expect a cheeky, frank tone from you on social media, carry that through into your website copy and other communications.

Mission and values

Your brand’s mission is the North Star for your business. It establishes both a objective for your business and a commitment to your customers. Your values are what your brand stands for. Both are significant as you construct your brand because they keep your decisions in check. Whatever you do as a brand should always remain factual to your mission and values.

Style navigator

Your brand style navigator is one part of your larger brand guidelines. It spells out exactly how your brand will surface on every platform or channel. It covers acceptable use of your logo, fonts, brand voice and tone, and the overall aesthetic of your brand. It’s a useful navigator as you scale, hire, and use agencies to make work on your behalf. 

Establishing brand guidelines

Brand guidelines are the bible for your brand. This document or set of documents will receive a position on every facet of your brand and how it shows up in various places. Every selection you make during the brand building procedure will be captured here. 

A well-executed set of brand guidelines will achieve the following:

• Keep staff, freelancers, retail partners, and agencies on the same page
• Aid in staff hiring and training (what are the qualities your brand looks for in an employee?)
• Ensure your branding is consistent across all touchpoints
• Be a leave-to resource for crisis communications
• Be a flexible document that grows with your brand

How to construct a brand in 7 steps

1. Research your target trade
2. Determine your brand’s voice and personality
3. Choose your business name
4. Write your brand narrative
5. make a brand style navigator
6. Design your logo and brand assets
7. Apply your branding across your business

As a tiny business owner, taking the period to establish your brand image is critical, especially if you’re entering a crowded trade. And creating a solid foundation for your brand identity can assist you construct brand awareness over period. 

While you might revisit some steps as you pivot or make your brand, it’s significant you consider each facet as you shape your brand identity. Bookmark this navigator as a handy resource to access throughout your brand building trip.

1. Research your target trade

The first step to building a successful brand is understanding the current trade: Who are your potential customers and competitors? Every solid brand way and roadmap is based on this very question. 

You can’t make a brand logo unless you recognize your spectators’s preferences. And developing a distinctive brand personality can only happen once you recognize the competitive landscape. 

There are many ways to conduct trade research before you commence the brand building procedure:

• Google your product or service category and analyze the direct and indirect competitors that appear in search results.
• Talk to people who are part of your target trade and inquire them what brands they buy from in your industry.
• Look at the relevant social media accounts or pages your target spectators follows.
• Shop online or in retail stores and get a feel for how your customers would browse and buy products.
• Investigate trends in your industry by reading publications, browsing social media, and using Google Trends.

During your research, note the biggest brands in the trade. What are they doing correct? What do you propose that they don’t? This is called your distinctive selling proposition (USP). 

You should also pay attention to the habits ordinary to your target spectators, like the platforms they use most, the language and slang they use, and how they engage with other brands. These insights will assist you comprehend where and how best to reach them. 

Lingerie brand Lemonade is a size-inclusive and body-positive line of products for “every person.” While this may sound like a broad spectators, Lemonade understands that its target customer is someone who doesn’t feel represented by typical lingerie brands.

Beyond saying it, Lemonade shows it’s a brand for all kinds of bodies by using diverse images that include plus models, and by offering a gender-affirming line.

2. Determine your brand’s voice and personality

Branding isn’t about trying to be everything to everyone. A powerful POV will talk to the spectators you worry about most. It will inform this throng that yours brand is for them. To develop this POV and a distinct brand voice, there are several exercises you can complete. 

make a positioning statement

A positioning statement is one or two lines that stake your brand’s claim in the trade. It won’t necessarily be a community-facing statement, but will assist steer the path of your brand narrative and other parts of your brand guidelines. 

A positioning statement should outline what you sell, who it’s for, and what makes you distinctive. Your worth proposition is what’s going to provide you an edge—even in a crowded trade. 

Use this template to make yours: 

“We propose [PRODUCT/SERVICE] for [TARGET MARKET] to [VALUE PROPOSITION]. Unlike [THE COMPETITION], we [KEY DIFFERENTIATOR].”

An example positioning statement might look something like this:

“We propose lightweight and waterproof daypacks for travelers, which fold into a wallet-sized pouch when not in use. Unlike other accessory brands, we guarantee our packs for life—no questions asked.”

💡 Tip: You can use this exercise as the basis for your mission statement—expand on your positioning statement to include your brand commitment and what you stand for.

Brainstorm using word association

Imagine your brand as a person. What are they like? Do they have the benevolent of personality your customers would be attracted to? Describe this person. How can your description translate from a person to a brand?

Fashion branding specialist Joey Ng suggests narrowing your list of adjectives down to just three of the best words. “discover your niche and define in very few words what makes your brand distinctive,” she says. “If something doesn’t fit those original three words—even though you might like it—scrap it. Establish the core communication, nail it, then expand.”

Hone your brand voice and tone

Your brand voice and tone will assist you hone in on how you desire to sound to customers and what you desire them to feel when they interact with you. Is your voice cheeky or solemn? Does it aim to be a reliable partner, a muse, or a trusted specialist? 

Establish a list of dos and don’ts that govern the language you will and won’t use in your communications. You may even desire to drill down on specific communications channels like social media or customer service: How does your tone transformation depending on the circumstance?

3. Choose your business name

Your business’s name is probably one of the first large commitments you’ll make as a business owner. Ideally, you desire a brand name that isn’t being used by another business (especially in your industry), has available social media handles, and is a fit based on your brand or products. It should be straightforward to recall and challenging to imitate.

A few approaches to choosing a brand name include the following:

• Make up a brand recent word (e.g., Pepsi).
• Reframe a word unrelated to your industry or product (e.g., Apple for computers or Maple for health worry).
• Use a suggestive word or metaphor (e.g., Buffer).
• Describe it literally (e.g., The Shoe business or Home Depot).
• Alter a word by changing its spelling, removing letters, adding letters, or using Latin endings (e.g., Tumblr or Activia).
• make an acronym from a longer name (e.g., HBO for Home Box Office).
• Use a portmanteau: Pinterest (pin + profit) or Snapple (snappy + apple).
• Use your own name (e.g., Donna Karan or DKNY)

If your first selection domain name isn’t available for your brand (e.g., yourbrandname.com), consider other ways to snag a domain name that works. For example, lingerie business Pepper’s domain name is wearpepper.com. You can also play with the top-level domain. Try a localized version like .co.uk or .ca. 

⚒️ Free tools: Try Shopify’s free business name generator and domain name generator to assist you nail the perfect name for your brand.

4. Write your brand narrative

Your brand narrative is the autobiography of your business and sometimes your own narrative as a founder. It’s a useful tool for branding because it humanizes your business to make meaningful connections with customers. Buyer trends point to an appetite for meaningful relationships with brands. The best way to do this is through a compelling, transparent, and authentic narrative. 

What elements of your narrative will resonate with your target spectators? What do they require to recognize to connect with you as a person? How do you wrap your brand values and mission into your narrative to inform customers, “This is a brand for you”?

Creating a catchy slogan

Once you’ve established your positioning and your brand narrative, you can use this work to make a snappy slogan for your business. A excellent slogan is short, catchy, and makes a powerful impression. 

A clever slogan can boost brand awareness as customers commence to recognize it—even when it’s divorced from your brand.

Here are some ways to way writing your slogan:

• Stake your claim, like this example from Death aspiration Coffee: “The globe’s Strongest Coffee.”
• Make it a metaphor, just like Red Bull did: “Red Bull gives you wings.” 
• Adopt your customers’ attitude, like this unforgettable slogan from Nike: “Just do it.”
• talk to your target spectators, like this example from Cards Against Humanity: “A event game for horrible people.”
• Try a catchy rhyme, like this Folgers coffee slogan: “The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup.”
• Establish an aesthetic or taste level, like this example from Aritzia: “Everyday luxury to elevate your globe.”

⚒️ Free tools: Try Shopify’s slogan maker to generate potential one-liners to describe your business. 

5. make a brand style navigator

Now comes the fun part. Your style navigator will include all the visual decisions you make for your brand. This navigator will arrive in handy when you construct your website, design your social media profile pages, and make product packaging.

Choosing your colors

Colors are significant because, alongside copywriting, they inform potential customers how to feel about your brand. While color psychology is a contested science, there are some general associations you can make between color and mood. Moody darker chilly colors may complement an edgy brand or a sleep brand while warm pastels inform a soothing narrative for baby or wellness brands.

Tips for choosing colors for your visual identity:

• Consider how legibly white and black text will appear over your color palette.
• Don’t use too many colors in your logo—it should be identifiable as a single color in a black and white format.
• Research your target trade, use focus groups, and comprehend the specific cultural or demographic differences that might affect a user’s perception of color.
• Limit your palette to one to two main colors, with a set of accent colors that rotate in and out, depending on application.

💡 discover more: Psychological Design: 8 Tactics To Turn Leads Into Customers

Selecting a suite of fonts

Fonts work alongside colors to establish a recognizable look for your brand across social, your website, packaging, and other marketing materials. 

As a general rule, choose two fonts: one for headings and one for body text (this might not include the font you use in your brand’s wordmark). Home brand Floof uses one sans serif font for navigation and headers and another serif font for the rest of the text. Note that its logo—a straightforward wordmark of its brand name—is a distinctive font not used anywhere else:

Save decorative fonts for your logo or in very limited applications while using a straightforward, accessible font for your website and product information on packaging. Forét’s fonts are straightforward and tidy, making them legible at any size:

Determining aesthetic elements and effects

If you use a lot of lifestyle photography for your brand, you may desire to establish a set of rules to set the tone no matter who’s producing photos. Maybe that includes guidelines for mood, photo filters, colors, or other effects.

You can also design a set of graphic elements that you use across your branded properties. These may be characters, squiggles, or texture effects. Rotten candy brand uses consistent graphic elements like electrified stripes and grainy textures across its branding:

While OffLimits cereal uses a wordmark for its logo, consistent graphic elements, like a household of brand mascots, display up across all surfaces:

6. Design your logo and brand assets

While a logo design is one of the first things you might ponder of when building a brand, it should happen later in the procedure. That’s because it’s a critical identifier for your brand in the wild—and it’s challenging to transformation once you’ve locked it in.

Your logo should be distinctive, identifiable, and scalable so it works at all sizes. It should also encompass all the work you’ve done on your brand so far. Does it invoke the feeling you aspiration to inspire in your customers? Does it inform a narrative that aligns with your brand values? Does it work in your brand colors?

Consider all the places where your brand’s logo will display up: 

• Website 
• Social media avatar 
• Product packaging
• Video ads
• YouTube channel banner 
• Browser favicon (the tiny icon that identifies your open browser tabs)
• Email marketing
• Press mentions and partnerships

You may require to make a few versions of your logo to make it work across applications. If you have a text logo, for example, it’ll be almost unfeasible to read as a favicon or social avatar. make a simplified visual version of your logo that works as a square or circle. 

Types of logos

Wordmarks, lettermarks, and other type-based logos are the most ordinary type of logo for modern brands. But other styles may work better for you, depending on your goals and aesthetic. Some logo types include the following:

• Abstract logos are a combination of shapes and colors that don’t easily tie back to anything in the real globe. These are best used as a secondary logo, paired with a wordmark, while you construct brand recognition. 
• Mascot logos are represented by the face of a character or real person you use as an ambassador for your brand. They can humanize your business by creating a relatable personality. This works best for kids’ brands or those looking for a retro feel (e.g., Wendy’s, Colonel Sanders for KFC).
• Emblem logos are often circular and merge text with an emblem for a luxurious brand design. Avoid making them too fussy or they won’t scale (e.g., Polo Ralph Lauren).
• Icon logos represent your brand as a visual metaphor. Unlike an abstract logo, an icon logo suggests something about the product (e.g., YouTube’s Play button logo).
• Wordmarks or lettermarks are type-based logos that are either your packed business name, a combination of letters, or an initial.

Brand identity logo examples

Because of the limitations for each logo type, you can play with a combination of styles and have secondary or tertiary logo. Beauty brand Glossier has a straightforward wordmark logo used across its website and packaging:

For applications with less space, Glossier’s secondary logo—a stylized note “G”—is used for legibility, like this example on its YouTube channel:

Mushroom-based supplement brand Eons uses a combination of a wordmark and an icons logo (a simplified mushroom shape). These are used together or separately, as you can view here in different applications:

Lazypants also uses this way, with a combination wordmark and icon that can be used independently, such as in this example where the icon only is stitched into its garments:

Designing your own logo

recent brands often work within a tiny apportionment. If this is the case for you, consider designing a logo yourself. You can use a free tool like Canva or try a logo maker. These work by generating sample logos based on basic information about your business. 

If you lack design skills or confidence handling this significant job yourself, consider hiring a pro. You can outsource the design through gig sites like Fiverr or Upwork or run a logo contest on 99Designs. If you’re running a business on Shopify, there are many Shopify Experts you can hire to design your brand identity (and even your website, too!).

7. Apply your branding across your business

Applying your branding across your business gives it a cohesive brand narrative. No matter where customers encounter your brand—through a TikTok ad, in a retail store, or in their inbox—the encounter should be familiar and recognizable.

As you construct your website, set up your social accounts, and make your marketing schedule, refer back to your brand guidelines, mission statement, and values to ensure every selection keeps target customers top of mind.

Your website is the palace where you’ll have the most control over your brand identity. Use this space to its fullest potential. Ecommerce website templates are a great jumping off point. Most of these, like the themes in Shopify’s Themes Store, are fully customizable, meaning you can apply your brand colors, fonts, and assets to a flexible layout.

Evolving your brand

Building a brand doesn’t stop after you design a logo. It is a continuous procedure of cementing your brand identity in the minds of your customers. Building a successful brand involves being consistent in your messaging and deliberate with your brand marketing.

Now that you comprehend how to construct a brand from scratch, you’ll continue brand building for the entire life of your business. You may require to evolve your brand as your values shift or as buyer trends dictate. recall that if you rebrand, faithful customers should still be able to recognize your brand and receive the same encounter. Looping in their feedback will assist you develop your brand alongside the people who matter most.