Archive for August 2013

Showing your distinct sense of style

Know anyone with a very distinct sense of style? You can pick them out of a crowd anywhere with just one glance at their outfit. This might even be you.

That’s what you want to create for your brand: a signature style that everyone will recognize, a style that invites your ideal clients in.

You can do this in part by selecting images to use on your website and in your branding that capture how you want your ideal clients to feel when they interact with you.

Conveying different emotions

Images of the same subject, shown in different styles, can convey very different meanings and make you feel different emotions. Take the images of apples, below, for instance. They are a mix of photos and hand drawn and computer generated illustrations. Some feel fun and playful, some feel welcoming, some feel a bit like something you’d see in a health magazine at the doctor’s office. Each image has a slightly different style.

Figuring out what works for your brand

To get started figuring out what image styles work best for your brand, the first step is to do a little bit of detective work. The second step is to do a little bit of party planning.

1) Be a detective of YOU

Create a completely selfish Pinterest vision board that’s just about you and what you like. This can be photos, illustrations, quotes, colors, fonts, designs of any kind, anything and everything that speaks to you. Don’t question why, just notice and gather.

(If you are not on Pinterest, you can bookmark interesting things you find online, or create a vision board from images/words out of magazines).

2) Plan a party for your ideal clients

How well do you know the folks who buy your products/services? If you were throwing a party for your ideal clients/customers what would that party be like?

Make a Pinterest board that shows the atmosphere of your ideal client party. Include images (photos, illustrations, quotes, colors, fonts, designs of any kind) that capture how you want your ideal clients to feel when they are at your party. What are the guests wearing? What’s the atmosphere of the party? What kind of food are you serving? What kind of music is playing?

Take some time to put together your completely selfish board and your client party plan. I’ll be back next week to show you how evaluating them can help you pick out the best image styles for your brand.