Copywriting Design Basics 101
CONTENTS:
Design 101
Choosing a Colour Story
Logos and Motifs
Briefly on Branding
Design and Copy
Design 101
Design is a central element of your business offering. Your brand design tells a visual story of who you are and how you work – your brand behaviour. You should be clear with the reasoning behind your brand elements, even if it is just for aesthetics. You must understand why this is here and why that is there.
In this eBook are basic insights into design, colour and your visual assets. Remember design is NOT how things look. Design is how things WORK.
Basic design elements include:
1. Line
2. Shape/Form
3. Direction
4. Texture
5. Colour
6. Value
7. Space/Perspective
Choosing a colour story
Colour has to be one of my favourite things to study, learn and work with. Colour is emotive, entrancing, and directive. Different hues speak to each other, create stories and languages for different uses.
But before diving into your colour story ask these questions:
What kind of business do I have?
What inspires me or the business? What motifs can be used and simplified?
What colour categories or ideas am I drawn to? Monochromatic, complimentary? Intermixed complimentary, analogous?
What mood or message am I trying to convey? Freshness? Seriousness? Light-heartedness? Safety?
Once you have answered these questions you can create a mood board or your colour story.
#HotTip: Start with a Pinterest board of favourite colour palettes or design elements. You can check out mine here.
Logos and Motifs
Every business has a logo or brand motif used to market and differentiate themselves. Some brands use their name in the logo and some have completely different motifs to that of the brand name. This all comes down to what aligns with your brand. Take Nike for example. The classic tick is not seemingly associated with their name ‘NIKE’ and the same with ‘STARBUCKS’. Some brands like MacDonald’s can capitalise off their name in their logos but it comes down to what works best for your brand. It depends on what works best for your brand.
Ask yourself these questions when brainstorming what your motif may be:
1. Is there a symbol or shape that I am drawn to or that works with my brand?
a. Is there a motif or image that resonates with my brand?
b. What in my brand story can I use to shape my logo or motif?
2. Do I want my logo to be colourful or monochromatic?
3. Is my logo social-friendly? Is my logo appropriate for social sites and my site?
Check out examples of bad logos via Business Insider.
#HotTip: Make sure your logo makes sense to not only you but your audience as well. Consider the right size, colour and other elements that may be of use.
Briefly on Branding
Branding is a vital part of your business plan when launching a new product or service. Branding tells others, in a nutshell, who you are, what you do, and to a certain extent, why you do it. Design elements all come under the umbrella of branding.
Know Thyself – Before continuing with your design and colour story have a plan:
1. Know who you are and what you provide. What is your brand story? Who are you? Why did you start this business? Who are the products for? Why do they need this product or service? Why do they need it from YOU? What are your audience’s pain points? What tools and resources do you have to assist them?
2. Look into current trends in your industry. If you have never investigated a trend report this is highly recommended. There are many sites, depending on what industries your brand falls into, that provide seasonal and situational trend analysis. Professional analysts travel all around the world finding common themes, motifs and information that will be useful to the zeitgeist. Most of the more specialised forecasts are available upon payment or sign up but you can find free trend reports on Trend Hunter.
3. Find your position in the market. Your brand will have a unique place in the market. To determine where your brand fits in the broader sense do a market analysis. This analysis will provide data, giving insights on pricing, marketing, content and your customer. The most important thing is understanding your customer in the context of your positioning.
4. Assess your visual brand assets. Once you determine your positioning and know your audience’s pain points you can look into your visual brand assets such as your design and copy elements.
Recap
Design is an important part of your business plan as it shows your customer who you are and, to an extent, how you will behave.
Focus on what is aligned with your brand and brand messaging.
Choose a colour palette that makes sense to your offering.
Look into different design elements that convey a message.
Have fun but make sure your branding makes sense to your audience.
Stay amused, authentic, and intentional.