Your brand is the face of your business- this might actually be one of the most important aspects of your business. Technically, this is where your business gets judged, where a customer thinks, “Yeah, this business might be a good fit for me and my needs”. So, overall, it’s basically how customers perceive you and often their first impression. Professional branding speaks volumes about your credibility, commitment, and quality.
There might be a chance that you think your brand is professional, but realistically it might not be (rose-tinted glasses for you). But how can you tell if your branding is missing the mark? Well, here are some common signs that you might need a serious upgrade.
Overusing Canva Branding Templates
Canva is a fantastic tool, hands down, everyone should use this at the start. It’s accessible, easy to use, and perfect for quick design jobs. However, if you’re relying heavily on Canva templates for your branding, it’s a red flag. These templates are used by countless other businesses, which means yours isn’t unique.
While Canva is great for inspiration, overusing its templates can make your brand look generic. Your business should have a unique identity that sets you apart from competitors, and relying on common templates can undermine this. Again, maybe at the very beginning, when you’re low on funds, this can be fine, but that should be as far as it goes.
Inconsistent Visuals and Messaging
Consistency is key in branding- something you need to understand. So, if your logo, colors, fonts, and messaging are all over the place, it confuses your audience and dilutes your impact. Imagine seeing a company with one style on its website, another on its social media, and yet another in its email newsletters. It’s jarring and unprofessional.
So, with that said, in order to build trust and recognition, your branding should be cohesive across all platforms. This means sticking to a specific color palette, font family, and tone of voice that reflects your brand’s personality and values.
Lack of Branding Guidelines
So, this is basically piggybacking on what’s being said above, but brand guidelines are essential for maintaining consistency. They provide a blueprint for how your brand should be represented across all channels. Without them, it’s easy for your branding to become fragmented.
Well, these guidelines should cover everything from logo usage, color schemes, and typography to the tone of voice and imagery style. So, you need everything to be consistent, but using Canva will look too unprofessional; in this case, what can you even do?
Well, ideally, you’ll want to look into a marketing firm to help you out. While yes, all firms vary, for the most part, you can count on them to help you out, such as creating consistent branding throughout all marketing platforms that specifically resonate with your target audience. But of course, they can do so many other things too to help give your business a more professional appearance.
Outdated Design
Design trends evolve, and what looked modern five years ago might now seem outdated. Sticking with an old design can make your brand appear behind the times. Even big brands known to change their logos such as Delta, Pepsi, and so many others. It’s best to refresh every once in a while.
