How to Keep Your Brand Consistent Across Channels
So, you finally launched your dream brand and love your new logo and brand design. How are you going to convey your story to your customers, so they have the experience with your brand that you are hoping for? It all starts with strategy and brand consistency.
Brand Consistency Through Colors & Typography
One of the biggest problems when it comes to branding (especially for new brands), is consistency across channels. Although it might seem fun to use tons of different colors and fonts on your social media accounts or communications, this could get a little confusing to consumers, and definitely won’t help you build brand recognition, especially when you’re first starting out.
Brand Colors
One of the easiest ways to keep your branding consistent is to use your brand colors throughout all your channels. Even if you want to use every color in the rainbow, it is a safer bet to stick with the four or five distinguished brand colors you or your brand designer have set up for you. Whether it is on social media, print materials, or your website, being consistent in your brand colors will automatically make everything look coordinated and consistent.
Brand Typography
Along with colors, using your brand typefaces is an important factor as well. If you have the same typefaces on all your headings, another for body copy, and maybe a third for subheadings, it will create a clean look and feel that is easily recognizable to your consumers. It could get confusing if you have a random cursive and loopy font thrown in that doesn’t really match with the rest of your website or social media posts.
Diet Coke is an example of a brand that keeps their colors and fonts extremely consistent. The typeface they use on their website can be found throughout their social media. Additionally, the iconic Coca-Cola red with Diet Coke gray is used consistently throughout their channels to keep a strong brand identity.
Brand Images & Iconography
Color and typefaces can definitely help set the tone for your brand, but if you are going to have any presence online, chances are you’ll need icons, images, or both.
When choosing the images you’ll use for your brand, you want to make sure that the style of the images you are choosing is in line with your other brand elements. For example, if the theme of your brand is light and bright, you don’t want to use dark, edgy images. Additionally, making sure all of your images match one another is important, too.
When using icons, make sure they are all the same style. Though sometimes the differences between icons can be very subtle, this is something that can really throw off your site.
Here are some different icon styles;
It is easy to see the difference between these three icons, and choosing one type, and sticking with it, will make your brand stronger.
Crafting Your Brand Voice
The final way you can keep your branding uniform across channels is to have a clear brand voice. If you have a serious and mature brand, choose a brand voice that reflects that. If your brand is fun and playful, let your brand voice be casual, maybe even sarcastic or joking in tone.
For example, Wendy’s uses a very sarcastic tone, while Starbucks takes a more serious approach. Whatever tone you choose, just make sure you stick to it!
Though it might seem overwhelming to develop your brand, if you follow these simple steps, you will be on the right path. If it all seems too much, you can always enlist the help of the professionals, like the ones here at Tipsy Social! If you need a little help getting your brand off the ground, feel free to contact us!
