Four top tips for creating coherent DIY design

Starting a new business can be a tough gig. I know. I’ve been there. And while I’ve been fortunate enough to have the skills and knowledge to create my own kick-ass visual identity and branding (ahem), not everyone has this luxury. If you’ve read any of my earlier blog entries, you’ll know I’m a strong advocate for investing both your time and dollars into developing professional, considered business branding, but I’m also keenly aware that when starting out, sometimes the budget just doesn’t exist. Starting a business can cost a helluva lot of money, and sometimes you need something just to get things off the ground. A placeholder for the real deal. And with design apps like Canva popping up on devices, it makes the DIY route much more accessible and a little less daunting.

So, with this in mind, I thought I’d cover what I consider to be the top four tips for DIY-ing your business design. Some bare bones basics for creating beautiful and cohesive design - yourself!

NUMBER 01

Keep it simple - like, always

I know it’s an old cliche, but less really is more when it comes to designing your own logo. There’s a bit of a misguided idea that good design needs to include a lot of ‘designy’ elements. But just because you’re a dog, cat and llama groomer, doesn’t mean you need to include illustrations of a dog, a cat, and a llama in your logo. Keep the design simple and you’ll immediately look more polished. And be sure to consider spacing - white space (or negative space: the empty areas in and around your design) is your friend. You design needs room to breathe and negative space is a really great way of presenting a clean, refined and balanced aesthetic.

NUMBER 02

Consider your palette choice

When it comes to choosing colours, don’t just choose your faves. Be more considerate of the story and feeling you’re trying to convey and whether your palette selection is helping or hindering this. Colours convey so very much about who we are and what we’re about and your chosen hues should elevate the values at the core of your business. Think about the combination of colours you’re using too and how they work together. I like to plan my palettes around one light neutral tone, one dark tone to anchor the palette and two accents.

If you’re stuck, check out sites like Coolors, Design Seeds or even Pinterest for palette inspo.

NUMBER 03

Font selection

Fonts, fonts, fonts... Now, there’s a lot to be said on this topic, so I’ll try to keep it brief and not bore you all with my opinions on serif vs sans.

Firstly, and maybe most importantly, choose two fonts only for your logo. That’s right, just two. Any more than this can be complicated and confusing to look at. You want to present as professional and qualified and legit, right? Choose just two fonts and make sure they’re easy to read. Beautiful flowing scripts that are ‘on trend’ right now but are sometimes the worst choice for logos because they’re just so damn hard to read. 

Next thing to keep in mind when selecting fonts is licensing. This can be a bit of a minefield, but it is worth mentioning that not all fonts can be used within logos. Some can. Some cannot. Some can, but have usage clauses. If you’re purchasing a font, be sure to read through the license first, and if you’re still unsure, it can’t hurt to ask.

Google Fonts has a great selection of free fonts that can be used throughout your logos, websites and general design projects, so it’s always a great place to start, especially on a budget.

NUMBER 04

Consistency above all else

I know, I know... I talk so much about consistency, but it really is the glue that holds it all together. You’ve got your beautiful new palette colours selected - paint everything those hues. You’ve found some fonts that work well in your logo - use them everywhere. Website, business cards, social media - build out your visual story. Now is not the time to go rouge and mix things up. Stick with what you know and you’ll start building recognition with your audience.

Ready to take on that DIY design project? Go forth and Canva.

(But if you’re ready to invest in elevated, professional business branding design - you know where to find me too!)