In this video, Katinka, a Melbourne-based photographer and visual brand expert, launches the idea of a mini-series of expert chats to help small-business owners grow their businesses and brands. The first guest is Darby, a brand strategist, and the discussion is around the importance of having a strong foundation for your brand, it highlights the difference between a brand strategist and a logo/graphic designer, and when you might need these services.
Darby explains that her ideal customers are service providers, including finance experts, bookkeepers, designers, and psychologists who have been in business for a few years and are feeling disconnected from their brand or ready for a change. She helps them refresh their brand strategy, align it with their business strategy, and take their business to the next level.
Free download: If you’re unsure about your business brand strategy and would like to check what your next step is. Please scroll down to download our Brand Strategy checklist.
Contact or follow us online: Do you need help with your Brand Strategy? Please contact and follow Derby.
Is it time to refresh or create a visual brand for your business? Please contact or follow Katinka
Katinka Kernutt Visual Brand and Personal Brand Photography www.katinkakernutt.com @katinkakernutt
Do you have a clear Brand Strategy for your business?
Download our quick checklist to help you decide if you have a clear brand strategy or if you need help defining it before you engage a Graphic Designer and Photographer to create the visual aspects of your business brand.
In today’s competitive marketplace it is becoming increasingly difficult to stand out from the crowd.
Trying to project a different image from competitors can easily become time consuming, overwhelming and distracts you from what’s really important: doing what you do best and running the business you have worked so hard on.
The best way to ensure your business is seen is simple, and getting back to basics is key.
This is done by really looking at what you actually want to achieve in your business and consider if your current branding situation is doing its best to serve your vision.
Visual branding includes all your visual content, including your logo, colour scheme, font, image styles and photographs.
You may discover that what you currently have going on visually isn’t serving your overall business vision at all. When this happens, you have two options: rebranding or refreshing.
You may consider rebranding if:
Your business name no longer serves your vision or reflects your brands image or goals.
You want to transform your business into something completely different.
You don’t like your logo or graphics and want a complete design overhaul.
Rebranding is a good way to get a nice clean slate and start off fresh with a new, more coherent vision. If you’re happy with your business name and vision and just want a bit of an update, you might only need a refresh.
You should consider a brand refresh if:
You currently find yourself not properly connecting with your customers.
You don’t have consistent visuals in place.
You feel your logo needs slight tweaking, such as different colours or font.
Your website, social media pages and business cards all look completely different to one another an you want a more consistent, professional look.
One of the most important things about visual branding is consistency. Are you giving your business the best possible chance at being a consistent, easily recognised brand that people will be able to connect with?
If you’re tired of your current branding but don’t know how to fix it or where to start, a Visual Brand Review can help. If you’re ready to build your visual brand in 2021 and start attracting your ideal customers, contact me today to book a FREE 20 MINUTE CHAT and let’s make 2022 your most visually stunning year yet!
Saving time is my number one priority these days. I am not sure about you but as I get older I just seem to leak time out my ears. The less time it takes to create the images and graphics to promote my business the more time I have to spend on making money, working on my business and enjoying my family and friends. Here are my top 5 time saving tips for creating visual content for your brand.
1.Create a mood board
Which should include:
Your fonts
Brand colours (including Hex, RGB and CMYK value so you can easily find the right colours.)
Brand visual style (a selection of images that sums up your brand’s style.)
Tip: Put your mood board on your wall so you can easily see it.
2. Templates
Create templates for all your common visual elements so you only have to add text and sometimes an image to create the visuals for your posts. Some of the common visuals you may use are:
Promotional post
Blog posts
Business tips
Testimonials
About Me
Facebook banner
Tip: Use Canva to create your templates. It’s free and easy to use.
3. Selection images that work for your brand
Spend some time coming up with a selection of images that work for your brand and that you can use across your visuals. What is the element or two that ties all the images together?
Tip: Get a photoshoot done at your office which includes professional headshot and office shots plus some more relaxed images of you at your desk, on your phone, on the couch and being silly. Change your outfit and the items around you on your desk a few times to give it a different look.
4. Save new content and inspiration as you find it
Always be on the lookout for any relevant content, text or images that you may be able to use. Save the images and text in one place so you can easily find it when you are creating your content.
Tip: Use Evernote or something similar to save all your source content in the same place. I love Evernote as you can easily find what you are looking for by searching using tags or text.
5. A plan
List all the visuals you need each week and put aside 1 or 2hours a week to create them and write the text.Use scheduling tools or a spreadsheet so you can easily find the content your need.
Finally, add all the details to one document or file and keep it somewhere that you can easily refer to it. I have mine on my computer but you could also print it out and put it on your wall.
Do you need help finding your brands visual style?
It’s no secret that a picture tells a
thousand words.
Imagery is an incredibly powerful
tool and should be taken into consideration when planning your business
photoshoot.
I love using props at all my photo
shoots as it’s the perfect way to relax you when someone is poking a camera in
your face.
Prop ideas are endless and no two
business owners would ever bring the same props to a shoot.
Here are some tips to help you
consider which props would be right for you for your next business shoot.
Industry related props:
Tools of the trade. What do you use every day in your business? You could take it further and add a fun historical element by considering what would have been used in your business 50 years ago.
Everyone uses phones and computers, so think differently and choose an object that will make you stand out.
Do you have inspirational quotes that you run your business by? Adding quotes either on letter boards or printed quote cards is a lovely way to inspire others and get your philosophy across.
Reuseable signs, boards, iPad screen, Laptop screen, mobile screen or other items. Can be a great way to create images that can have text digitally added to them in the future.
Industry prop suggestions:
Photographer – Camera.
Accountant – Calculator or computer.
Graphic designer – Pens, markers and other drawing materials.
Yoga teacher – Yoga mat, water bottle.
Health – Fresh food, cook books, weights, tape measure and vitamins.
Stylist – Colour charts, fabrics and mood boards.
Chinese medicine – Acupuncture needles, cupping equipment, natural herbs, candle, and towels.
Personal props:
This is where the fun begins.
Personal props allow you to easily
add your personality into your branding images.
Showcasing the real you to the world
helps you to connect with your customers or clients on a more personal level,
creating a sense of trust and familiarity.
The options for personal props really
are endless, but here are a few ideas:
Things on your desk such as potted plants, picture frames and small ornaments.
Your favourite mug, takeaway coffee cup, or drink bottle.
Something unique about you. You might have a nick name or an in-joke that only some of your audience will get, your favourite childhood toy or your favourite food.
Your diary and some nice pens or highlighters.
Books and magazines
Tip: Remember to consider colour.
I love colour as a way of creating a
strong visual brand for businesses and the easiest way to add colour to your
photos is with your props.
So much can be communicated through the use of colour so it’s worth considering how you can use this powerful visual tool to get your brand’s unique personality across.
Now that you’ve got a good idea of
how powerful props can be, it’s over to you. What props have you used? What
item connects with your business on a deeper level?
I’d love to hear the story behind the
props you’ve chosen!
A couple of months ago I wrote a blog post for Mayday VA. It’s very relevant so I will share it here too.
It’s no secret that in the digital age people have shorter attention spans.
In the world of
fast news and social media we are continually bombarded by information, which
makes it hard for businesses to not only get the people’s attention, but to
hold it long enough to get their message across.
Interestingly,
people are more likely to stop scrolling when they see a face. This means
that personal brand photography, photography which aims to showcase the
personality of your brand, is now more important than ever in making sure your
brand not only gets seen but is also easily recognisable.
Here are my top
reasons why personal brand photography is important to any business.
It creates the
Know, Like and Trust factor.
In the current
marketplace, potential clients and customers prefer to know who they’re buying
from, and personal brand photography allows them to actually see your face.
In the era of the
heart, people don’t want to talk to a computer. They prefer more personal
communication and are looking for the real-life person behind the brand.
Having a picture of yourself on your website and across your social media creates a sense of knowing and helps to build trust and increase likeability amongst existing and potential clients.
You
can showcase your personality.
Behind every brand is a real-life person with their own
uniqueness and eccentricities.
Some brand owners have had to overcome amazing odds to get to
where they are today and these stories should be shared and celebrated.
Whether you’re classic, bold, modern, colourful or monochromatic, personal brand photography will showcase your unique personality and tell your story which will, in turn, attract your tribe.
You
become more recognisable.
Pretty
soon, people will start to recognise you and associate you with your brand. You
may find that people may recognise you at networking events or even on the
street and approach you for conversation.
Always
remember to be true to yourself. Portraying a false image is not only
misleading but will also be a nightmare to keep up with. If you always wear
bright red lipstick, keep wearing it. Stay true to you and don’t feel like you
need to change just for the camera.
Be
kind, work hard and you will be recognised for all the right reasons.
It
markets YOU!
Because
personal brand photography markets you, you will end up creating a personal
brand and be seen as the leader in your industry.
Your
personality and the brand itself will become entwined with one another in a
beautiful dance of recognition and people will think of your name when they
hear your brand mentioned.
As you
can see from the list above there are many benefits to investing in personal
brand photography.
Creating
recognition, building trust and putting a face to the business name are all
things that will help instil trust and relatability in potential clients and
customers.
In
this fast-paced world full of multinational corporations and automation, people
crave a more personal approach when doing business with someone. This means
that personal brand photography is now more important than ever in showcase
yourself and what you do best.
It’s
time to shine, get personal and show the world who you are and what you do!
