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Branding / Canva

Why your business needs a brandboard (and how to create one for your business)

Depending on the season of business you’re in, running a company requires you to wear many different hats at any particular moment.

You may find yourself wearing the content creator hat one month, writing all the blog posts, emails, and social media captions. While the next month you’re wearing the designer hat when launching your next offer.

Unless you’re delegating or outsourcing most of your business tasks, these different hats can become a heavy weight to carry.

The very last thing you want to add to your plate is another time-sucking task that makes your business seem unprofessional in the eyes of those you want to build trust and connection with.

This is exactly why your business needs a brandboard – a document holding all your brand assets, serving as a guide on exactly how your brand needs to be applied to all areas of your online business.

Here are 6 reasons your business needs a brandboard:

6 reasons your business needs a brandboard

1. It helps you remain consistent when building your brand

If design is not your strong suit (and it’s really okay if it’s not, that’s where I come in to help you!) then you’re going to find that having a brandboard will help you cut back on so much time when doing any sort of design related task. Whether you’re creating graphics, social media posts, business collateral, or even making simple changes to your website, your brandboard is going to be your go-to resource to keep everything consistent and cohesive.

The reason you want this is to maintain a consistent brand aesthetic that allows you to build trust with your audience which is the first (and most important step) towards investing in you. And, the more you build your brand visuals with a specific look, the more memorable you’ll become among your audience.

2. Your overall business visuals will feel more aligned with your vision

The foundations upon which your brand is built, and the principles you want your brand to represent will come through more prominently when you remain consistent with that brand. A brandboard will help you do this because it keeps you within the boundaries of your aesthetics – the aesthetics designed to make your business look and feel aligned with your vision.

When these things work well together you’ll soon find that you’ll feel more confident in expressing and actively pursuing that vision of your business. This is when the magic happens!

It’s not just about how your business looks to other people, it’s about how it will make people feel and how it will make you, the source of your business development, feel. When you feel good about your business, that energy will quickly be picked up on, and your audience will feel good about your business too.

3. Design becomes less time consuming

Design tasks can be extremely time consuming if you still need to figure things out. A brandboard gives you a very specific guide to stick to, making design tasks much easier to complete.

When you have a colour palette you need to use, a font hierarchy to apply and a specific look you need to uphold, the guesswork gets taken away which allows you to get things done much faster. 

This means less time being spent on figuring out what looks good, and more productivity when it comes to design tasks while still building a brand that communicates your business vision.

4. Outsourcing design tasks will be a lot smoother

An online business will always require some kind of design work to be done, and any design project must stick to your brand guidelines. A brandboard can help make the process so much easier because you can provide this document to the service provider and they can pull your brand assets so they can apply it the way it needs to be used so you can get results – e.g. a website, sales page, course workbook, etc.

Not having a brandboard will make any design project a pain for both you and the person you’ve chosen to outsource the work to. There will be lots of confusion, back and forth, and at the end of the day you’ll most likely end up really disappointed by the final result. This will happen because you and the designer are not on the same page. A brandboard ensures that whatever tasks are being completed, the integrity of your brand remains intact.

5. Finding stock images becomes easier

If you’re not creating your own visual content (ie photos and videos) then stock photos and video plays a big role in helping you put out content for your business. It’s almost a given that at some point you’ll use stock photos in your business. A brandboard will save you a lot of time when searching for on-brand images because you will have a very specific vibe to stick to and the overwhelming choice of images out there will drastically be cut down.

Having a clear understanding of the type of photography or videography you should be using to uphold your brand identity will ensure that you keep the consistency of the look of your business. This way, when a member of your audience spots an image you’ve used, they’ll immediately know that you’re the business behind it.

6. Customizing Canva templates becomes a breeze

As business owners we are always looking for ways to save time and make things easier. One of the ways to do both of these is to use Canva templates.

However, if you are using the wrong templates or if you’re applying your brand incorrectly, those templates might do more harm than good. This is where your brandboard is crucial – it will make the process of customizing your Canva templates a whole lot smoother.

What this means for you is that you’ll have beautiful, on-brand graphics for your business in a fraction of the time! And, what’s more is that you could easily outsource this task to someone else later down the road without worrying that things won’t turn out the way it needs to.

Now that you know why a brandboard is so important to have, I’m sure you’re ready to learn all about how to create one for your business…

You’ll be delighted to know that I’ve gone and done most of the work for you – all YOU need to do is answer a few quick questions. Take the quiz below to discover the dreamy brand for your biz and get a brandboard template which you can customize for your business right in Canva!

TAGS:businessbusiness brandingcanva templatescontent creationcontent planninggraphic design tips
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Hi, I’m Nihaad!

Hi, I’m Nihaad!

I help lady bosses attract their very own tribe online with polished, on-brand graphics that truly sets them apart from the rest – giving them the confidence to stand in front of their dream clients.

Categories

  • Branding
  • Canva
  • Dream Clients
  • Graphic Design

Recent Posts

  • The types of Pinterest graphics you need to promote your biz and boost brand awareness
  • How to transform any Canva templates into unique graphics for a consistent brand look
  • How to keep the integrity of your brand when using Canva templates

It’s one thing to have a beautiful brand design. It’s one thing to have a beautiful brand design. It’s something else entirely to actually implement it so you can reap the benefits of a recognizable brand.

I’ve seen so many online business owners launch a stunning business brand, only to have them completely lose track of it because they’re disorganized or simply have no idea how to apply the brand to their visuals.

If you want to build a business that’s memorable so you can capture the eyes (and hearts) of your audience for a sold out launch, then you need to be consistent in the way you use your brand.

That being said, here are 5 small ways to intentionally implement your brand this week:

1️⃣Replace your old email newsletter header
2️⃣Update your Instagram Highlight covers
3️⃣Publish an Instagram post using a Canva template customized with your branding
4️⃣Create updated promo graphics for your core offer
5️⃣Update your Pinterest Profile cover

Need help to do this quick, quick? 

Click your way over to the link in my bio for Canva templates to create a consistent brand for your biz!
At the end of last year I received a message via m At the end of last year I received a message via my Etsy shop from someone who found my Canva templates on Pinterest.

The interesting bit? The screenshot she sent was of a template set that I updated more than 2 years ago!

What does that tell you?

Pinterest will bring traffic to your stuff, YEARS down the road!

It’s a great way to send people to your website so they can learn more about your business and all the incredible ways you can help them.

Pinterest is also a fantastic way to build awareness around your brand so that your audience becomes more familiar with your business.

And, what better way to do this than to establish a consistent brand with stunning visuals?

As it is with content sharing platforms, there are two ways to build brand awareness with your visuals:

1️⃣ THROUGH YOUR PROFILE

When someone lands on your profile, you want your brand visuals to draw their attention so they instantly become familiar with your business. This way, each time they see your content, they’ll immediately identify it as yours; which will make you top of mind.

2️⃣ THROUGH THE CONTENT BEING SHARED FROM YOUR PROFILE

Using a consistent aesthetic for your visuals when sharing content will allow for your audience to recognize your work while scrolling. This is a powerful way to build familiarity and connection, while also standing out from every other business they come in contact with online.

Wanna know which Pinterest graphics you should use for each of these so that you can build brand awareness with your visuals? 👆Swipe for the breakdown!
I’ve been lurking around in some Facebook groups I’ve been lurking around in some Facebook groups (in a non-stalker-like manner, please don’t be concerned 😅) trying to find reasons holding people back from making use of Canva templates in their businesses.
 
Want to know what popped up the most?
 
👉👉👉The fear that their graphics will end up looking like everyone else’s.
 
Of course, that’s a valid concern to have. None of us want our businesses to get lost on the internet!

So how exactly can you get the most out of using Canva templates while still making sure that your visuals stand out from the next business out there?

1️⃣ Write your copy beforehand
2️⃣ Customize text with your brand font
3️⃣ Change all design elements with your colour palette
4️⃣ Add your own on-brand photos in the image placeholders
5️⃣ Make use of on-brand stickers, animations, patterns or textures

Tap the link in my bio for the full blog post where I dive into each of these tips a bit more, or swipe for a quick breakdown.

Seriously, if you want your audience to stop feeling bored out of their minds… give them reason to go ‘what’s going on over here 👀’ by keeping these 5 simple customization tips in mind the next time you use Canva templates!
 
Thank me later, friend!

Speaking of Canva templates, remember I launched a brand new set of Pinterest templates in the shop designed to make your audience take a closer look at your sh*t!

Click your way over to the link in my bio ❤️
Last week I stumbled across a Reel made by a mom o Last week I stumbled across a Reel made by a mom of 7 where she gave her best piece of advice on how she gets it all done: “If it takes less than 5 minutes, do it now”
 
I’ve been trying to implement this in my day to day and it’s a freaking game changer!
 
😮‍💨 The dishes are not piling up in the kitchen sink…
 
😮‍💨 The kids' toys are not taking over the entire house…
 
😮‍💨 The laundry gets packed away instead of standing around until the next time we do the washing 😅😅😅
 
This got me thinking about our businesses...
 
What is a small task you can do right now, that your future self will thank you for?
 
👉👉👉 Here’s one: Take one piece of content, create 3 different Pinterest graphics for it and pin it to at least 2 relative boards in your profile.
 
Now I know what you’re thinking - “Designing Pinterest graphics will take longer than 5 minutes, Nihaad!”
 
Uhm… yeah it will! If you're not using Canva templates!!!
 
And, thankfully, I just dropped a new set of Pinterest templates in my shop for you to complete this 5 minute task yourself.

🎁🎁🎁 Don’t wanna buy templates right now? No prob, friend! You can totally grab some Pinterest templates from my free Canva library! 🎁🎁🎁

Click your way over to the link in my bio ❤️
Creating stunning visuals for online businesses is Creating stunning visuals for online businesses is kinda my JAM 😇

Staying true to a brand identity while creating stunning visuals to attract dream clients and customers is how I create MAGIC for your business 🧙

This is exactly why I felt so drawn to the email I received with the subject line “Can you help my business?”

Avery Smith is a Licensed Realtor who extends her services to corporate estate agencies looking to provide their clients with a premium level of client care. 

After going through my Dreamy Biz Brand Quiz, Avery realized she needed to uplevel the look and feel of her business to match the high level of service she provides. And, since her work tends to be more serious, she wanted to add a fun, personal touch to her visuals to intrigue her clients. Her overall aim was for her new brand and visuals to hold the attention of her clients with beautiful designs while maintaining the professionalism her field requires.

Communicating with Avery, I immediately related to her dedication to providing her clients with excellent results. Yet, through our email exchanges I got the sense that she’d lost a bit of the excitement she once had for her business while she was growing her client’s reputations. 

Understanding Avery’s desire to continue wowing her clients with outstanding service while simultaneously nurturing her own business, we created something that reignited her spark… I’m thrilled to share this stunning brand design project with you today!

Can you relate to Avery? Getting lost in growing your own business even as you’re doing the work you know in your heart you’re meant to be doing? 

I want to help you find your spark again.

Because even though design doesn’t fall into your zone of genius, it doesn't mean you can’t reap the amazing benefits of a beautiful business brand.

Let’s chat to find out exactly what you need to put your business back on the map - hit the link in my bio for the details

**Names and info of project changed per client’s request**
I know this will be a tough one to hear but there I know this will be a tough one to hear but there are areas in your business that you’re just not good at 😯

It’s ok though!

Honouring your life’s calling by doing the work that actually helps the people you want to serve with your offers? THAT should be your primary focus! Because THAT’S what will ensure that you grow your business while making an impact out there.

However, neglecting the areas of your business that you’re not the best at can be the reason you're stagnant.

Isn’t that ironic? Focusing your energy on your brilliance, the area that will actually allow your biz to thrive, could very well be the cause of your business not growing at all?

Does this sound like it might be happening to you: 

Getting lost in growing your own business even as you’re doing the work you know in your heart you’re meant to be doing? 

🔥I want to help you find your fire again.

Because even though design doesn’t fall into your zone of genius, it doesn't mean you can’t reap the amazing benefits of a beautiful business brand.

Let’s chat to find out exactly how we can make this happen for you!

Hit the link in my bio to tell me all about your biz baby ❤️

Bookings now open for 2023 🎉

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