Is your blog branded?
When you share images on social media, do people automatically know they came from you?
Achieving a consistent visual brand identity is crucial to your blog’s success. You already know your blog’s purpose and voice, you have to make sure that you are communicating it through your blog’s visual branding. This is where a lot of bloggers make mistakes (me included).
How do you achieve a consistent blog brand identity?
- Select the perfect theme. The theme controls the overall look of your site – colors, typography, layout. You can buy a premade one, design your own, or hire a professional designer. Bottom line is, make sure your theme tells your story effectively. A blog is where you bring your unique message to the world. How your blog looks and functions — its design — can take your message from a whisper to a compelling and attractive voice that people will listen to. (Yes, I totally took that from my services page.)
- Extend your visual identity from the theme to your posts graphics. Use the same color palette all throughout. Use the same type style or font. Think of how to graphically represent your blog through icons, elements, backgrounds, photographs. If your blog is heavy on images, have a consistent photo style. Check out Marilen Styles to see how she uses a very consistent photo style throughout her blog.
- Featured Images. I cannot tell you how important these are. Your post images do not exist solely on your blog. Featured images are shared on social media, when you share your posts on Facebook, or on Pinterest. Make sure your featured images are consistent with your brand identity so that they can promote your posts effectively. Use great photographs. You can download free stock photography if you don’t take your own. Put the title of the post on it, your url, and even the post category if you want people to know what general topics you write about. (If you want to use Pinterest effectively, create vertical post images that you can share specifically on Pinterest.)
- Social media images. The photographs and graphics that you share on social media need to be consistent with your brand identity, both visually and conceptually. Take a look at Martine de Luna’s Instagram feed and you’ll see how her images are so consistent in style and mood that they are instantly recognizable, and represent her blog’s voice perfectly.
It is hard work, and it’ll take time before you see actual results. But these strategies really do contribute to the success of your blog and brand. If you want to make things easy for yourself, create templates for your featured images and social media images so all you have to do is change the content. You can use Photoshop if you’re savvy, or any image editing app. You can also purchase blog graphic templates like this or this. (I might even offer them sometime soon.)
Personally, I find it challenging to use a consistent template for the images that I share. As a designer I love to experiment with new styles, and I also change my theme quite often. When I do, I find myself having to go through my posts to change the images and graphics used so that they match the new look of my site. But you know what’s the most difficult for me to follow? It’s using the same typeface! Yes, because I’m a font addict and I have like over 2,000 premium fonts in my library and there are days when I want to use them all, ok? *cue evil maniacal laughter*
Which of these tips do you intend to implement soon? Which of these do you find the hardest to follow? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to know what you think.
Mariel says
March 18, 2016 at 11:23 amThank you for sharing all these tips! Definitely helpful for those of us still trying to firm up our blog indentity. For me, I think the hardest to follow would be the consistent “theme” for the photos.
Patricia says
March 18, 2016 at 4:26 pmIt’s definitely hard if you post about a myriad of topics. You can just decide to use a single photography style, for example. Or use only flat lays, or no flat lays at all. 🙂
Patty | MrsC says
March 18, 2016 at 12:24 pmHey, Pat! Nako, I feel like my visual identity is so weak. I have yet to have a fully-customized theme on my blog that reflects my personality and what I’m all about, so yun palang bagsak na haha. It’s something that I really hope I get to accomplish already, but I just never know where to start. 🙁
Patricia says
March 18, 2016 at 4:24 pmLet me help you then! 🙂
Amber says
March 18, 2016 at 12:38 pmYou are a super woman and all knowing! Thanks for sharing your wisdom. I have a hard time know if my images on IG are consistent. Part of me wants to fight it because I want to share what I want to share, not just what people will like, look at or recognize. I suppose I could find a balance between being perfectly candid but doing it a consistent way. I get lost knowing if it’s the light, story or subject that I need to focus on and change. Hmm. Something to work on. Thanks for these great teaching posts. Super love them and learn from them.
Patricia says
March 18, 2016 at 4:24 pmHa! I’m not all-knowing, but I know design! 🙂 You don’t have to change what you post, only how you present them. For example, Martine posts random things about her day, but her photography style is consistent.
Anna Trogo says
March 18, 2016 at 1:36 pmI love going here for design inspiration. I’m into designing and styling my own blog, and it took me a few years to settle with the look I want for the blog (I. Am. Serious.). I chose a moody color palette before realizing that the pictures I take and the design I gravitate to are soft muted colors.
One time I was being experimental and I used a B&W photo in my blog. I realized that it didn’t go well with the theme, and it looked like a sore thumb across a sea of colorful photos.
It takes conscious effort to stick to the design and style you have. But you gotta be consistent with the style because people attribute that to you and your brand!
Patricia says
March 18, 2016 at 4:22 pmYou are so right! It really takes conscious effort. It’s like decorating your home, right? You can’t just place random objects together and expect that your house will look magazine-worthy. Or set the table for a party with no thought to how you want it to look. It’s the same for your blog, which is potentially seen by more people.
I made the same mistake with using moody photos. hahaha! It didn’t go well with my bright and shiny aesthetic.
Madz says
March 19, 2016 at 4:27 pmGreat advice! Yes, I agree creating and having your own identifiable style of blogging is important.I hope to achieve them in mine.
Louise Antonette Fandiño-Santos says
March 20, 2016 at 8:33 amThanks for sharing these tips Pat Admittedly, I’m still figuring out how to make all my photos look cohesive and themed especially when sharing on social media. Well.. First step I’m doing is work with you on my blog redesign and I’ll take it from there. It really has to be intentional.
Patricia says
March 29, 2016 at 10:48 pmDon’t worry, I’ll give you a guide when we finish your theme. 🙂