Whether you’re transitioning from an aside hustle or launching a modern-day venture, a sturdy digital identity will assist you to succeed.


A digital brand tells a visual and written story approximately who you're and what people can assume from you. And, it could be a treasured asset—a steady brand presence throughout all platforms can growth sales through as much as 23%, in keeping with the “State of Brand Consistency” report, posted through Lucidpress.

“Particularly in this day and age, your digital brand may be the primary contact people have together along with your enterprise,” says Rachel Ritchie, Principal, Creative Services at Portland, OR-primarily based totally on digital marketing and design agency Good & Gold. “If an enterprise pursuit to grow, scale, and create a target market of engaged customers that keep in mind them and are available back, their digital brand needs to be a significant priority.”

Ready to get started? Rachel stocks 7 belongings you want to give attention to creating a robust digital brand.



1. Devise your positioning


Start by considering your brand and what it needs to convey. Focus on why a person might need what you have to provide through considering what impact it has on the lives of the individuals who use it. And, consider your audience, which includes who they're and why they're attracted to you. From there, you could construct out a set of phrases and pictures that are paintings to communicate your essence.
Keep in thoughts that after you’re looking to stand out, a compelling part of your tale can be something aside from what you provide, like in which you supply materials. Or, it is probably the experience people have together along with your business. User revel is expected to be the primary logo differentiator in 2020.
“If people propose something, it won’t be due to the system or the legacy of the business,” Rachel says. “It’ll be due to the fact the product was brilliant and the revel in becoming easy. Experience is a large piece of the puzzle.”




2. Choose a brand voice


The procedure of getting the right brand voice and tone will range for each business, relying on the defined market that you serve and your very own personality. “Find out what feels genuine and real for you,” Rachel says.
Brand voice ought to be steady throughout all digital outlets, in addition to any offline channels like direct mail, print, a factor of sale, or presences at in-person activities which include festivals or trade shows.
A regular tone will make your brand sense greater credible and reliable to users, giving them an awesome experience of your center values. Think approximately the way you need to be perceived—your tone can assist deliver honesty, knowledgeability, reliability, friendliness—all sorts of human values.
Brand voice can evolve over time, Rachel notes. See what people reply to in different channels. Evaluate in which you’re connecting together along with your audience, and don’t be afraid to tweak the method to enhance your reach.







3. Craft a timeless style


The visual factors of your digital brand are one of the first matters a visitor will notice. Your selections of color, font, and different style factors ought to sense fresh, however now no longer too modern. Once making a decision on a color palette and fonts, create a style guide to present each steward of your brand with clean direction and a shared language to explicit your message visually. Rachel notes that there isn’t one “right” preference of color and style. “Everyone is unique, and absolutely everyone has their very own feelings approximately color and typefaces.”




“You need to reference what’s out there—for example, high-contrast colorations or color blocking,” keeps Rachel. “But, you need to live far from typefaces or color schemes that sense too modern so that you don’t seem like each different site.”
Instead, search for an undying visible aesthetic a good way to be durable. Typefaces ought to be paintings throughout more than one channel, including social, video, email, and your internet site.
“Think approximately how matters can spin off in exclusive guidelines throughout time,” says Rachel. “The ultimate aspect you need is to want to remodel your website 6 months from now as it seems dated.”




4. Pick the right images


While the plethora of stock art easily available online may make it tempting to grab something quickly and add it on your website or social feed, think before your post.
Draft an overall approach for what imagery feels appropriate for your brand so you have a consistent visual style across all digital channels.
Rachel explains that this can vary widely depending on what your business offers. If you sell a physical product, high-quality photography is somewhere you shouldn’t skimp. “It’s an investment that needs to be made in consideration with brand guidelines and how visuals can integrate across all channels."
For other types of organizations, stock photography can be a great option. “There’s tons of high-quality stock photography out there—some of it free—and that would be a great way to illustrate many sites,” she says. “That’s an area where a business can save money for sure."



 5. Take time with templates


The early wire-framing process—in which you essentially figure out the layout or blueprint of your website—is extremely important, says Rachel.
“You want to put in a lot of time to figure out the layout and structure,” she explains. A good website feels intuitive to the user and not distracting or random when they’re searching for information or content.”
Scalability should also be considered. If you offer a few products today, consider how the website will function as your business grows and you offer more. If your website is a content portal, you need to make sure readers can easily find archived articles as well as new, featured posts. A nonprofit will want the ability to highlight pop-up fundraising campaigns tied to current events or holidays, in addition to annual efforts.




6. Design an eye-catching logo


A brand’s logo is its calling card, both online and off. To design yours, look at what other brands in the space are using, and talk to people who work with different aspects of your brand. Get their input on what they think your audience will respond to and what feels right.
“Listen to all the stakeholders before you jump in and start sketching,” says Rachel. “You can go into a project thinking you know everything and then be completely wrong.”
As with all your design elements, make sure your logo doesn’t feel too trendy and is durable, built to live in many different ways across different platforms. A good logo works in different colors and can be reversed. For example, if a logo is a red type on a white background, it should also work as a white type on a red background.
Different versions of your logo should also be created for use in various formats—horizontal and vertical, for example. But, don’t go overboard creating alternate versions. Design 2 or 3, and provide precise guidelines for what version should be used where and when.





 7. Think cross-device and cross-platform


Finally, remember that everything you’re designing must work across not only multiple digital platforms but multiple devices as well.
When you create your website, for example, think of your email design, too, says Rachel. “My philosophy is that email doesn’t need to feel like a carbon copy of your website, but it does need to live in the same universe.”
Look at all your details, and take note of how design elements can be adapted to other channels, keeping in mind that not every channel has the same requirements. “What might catch someone’s attention in an email inbox could pull from the same elements as your website, but each channel should feel different,” says Rachel.
Also, consider desktop versus mobile needs when designing, and remember that many elements of your website will display differently on a PC, tablet, or phone.
“We still design for desktop, because that’s where things look the best and a design can live and breathe and deliver the best user experience,” Rachel notes. “But, mobile can’t be an afterthought. Customizing the mobile experience is constantly on our minds.”


 Unleash the power of your digital brand
A consistent digital brand strategy with strong copy, visuals, design, and positioning can help you find and grow an engaged audience. Select digital design elements that are durable and translate across channels, and you’ll tell a compelling story and build a strong online presence for your brand.