Branding Tips
Explain your business clearly before starting the design
Design is more useful when the business message is clear. First agree who your customers are, what they need and what makes your offer different.
01Know who you want to reach
Trying to serve everyone can make your message unclear. Choose the customers you can help well and explain how your offer meets their needs.
Think about the customers who get the most value from your work. Describe their situation, their main problem and what they want to achieve.
02Write the main message first
Describe what makes your business useful in one clear sentence. This gives your website, design and marketing a shared starting point.
A useful format is: "We help [who] to [result] by [how]." It will not be your final headline, but it keeps everyone focused on the same idea.
03Use the message to guide design
Choose colours, images, fonts and layouts that support your message and suit your audience. A clear purpose makes these decisions easier.
When the team disagrees about a design, go back to the message and the audience. Ask which option explains the message more clearly to the people you want to reach.
04Know what makes you different
List the reasons customers choose you over others. Ask some of them directly if you can. Their words are often clearer than the ones you would choose.
Focus on differences that matter to customers, such as speed, expertise or a particular way of working, rather than features they do not notice.
05Test the message before the design
Share your one-sentence message with a few people who match your audience. Ask them to explain back what you do. If they cannot, simplify it.
It is much quicker to change a sentence than a finished website, so test early.
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