Does this sound like you? You sit in front of your computer, open Canva, and start designing your post for the day. You have your brand colors saved, fonts are uploaded and you can envision the design. But it’s been 20 minutes, you have a design in front of you that doesn’t look anything like you imagined.

Here we go again. A ton of wasted time to end up with a post you don’t like. You might think, well I’m not a graphic designer so this is normal. One day, I’ll be able to hire a graphic designer to do all this for me.

You know what, you’re right! If you’re here, reading this post, it means you care about your business. One day you will be able to have a whole marketing team!

In the meantime, you have two options. One, you can have us handle it! We offer a monthly retainer that can handle all your design tasks.

If you’re not ready for that kind of support, try making a brand guide for yourself.  Having a brand guide is going to keep your brand focused on the brand message. this is what aligns with your dream clients.

A brand guide is a document that includes your fonts, colors, and logo variations. It also contains your brand message, brand strategy, brand personality, and brand voice. That's where the magic is. A good brand identity isn’t just colors and fonts. Quality branding is based on a strategy that aligns with your dream clients.

That's why, your cute fonts and nice color palette, aren't enough to make it look good. If you don't have a strategy behind it, they won’t work. If you want help developing a brand guide, Adobe does a great job of breaking it down.

 If you see all your designs together, they should look like they belong together. A brand guide is your branding rule book. It’ll tell you what your colors are, approved combinations, and logo design variations. Your fonts are customized using spacing. Your brand guide tells you which fonts you can use and what the exact spacing is for your brand. You’d be surprised how much spacing can do for font customization.

 Your brand identity saves you time. But the only way to do that is by knowing your brand rules. Having a brand guide tells you the do’s and don’ts for your brand. Things become much more simple when you know what to do and what not to do. Leave no room for questioning!

 Like I said before, quality branding has a strategy behind it. Part of that strategy is your brand message. This is the vibe you want your brand to ooze. Keeping true to your brand message is what creates loyal customers. People like to know what to expect from a brand. Your brand message says hey, this is who we are, what we stand for and we want to work with people who respect and value that.

I know it's super exciting to have a finalized brand identity in your hands. But the flame quickly gives out when you’re making designs that don’t excite you. Keep that flame bright with a brand guide. I'm telling you, it will be worth the time and effort of making it.

Part of our brand identity package is a brand guide. We can also handle your monthly design tasks in our retainer. But if this kind of support is not what you’re looking for, I suggest making yourself a brand guide to follow.

Do you have a set of rules to follow when making your designs? I’d love to hear your process in the comments!