Define Your Blog with a Brand Identity

You may not even realize it, but if you have a blog or website, you have a brand. What you put out there on the internet is a visual representation of what you, your blog, and your business have to offer, and it's crucial that your brand identity be clear and consistent.
Let's back up for a second and define what we're talking about. A brand identity is simply "the outward expression of a brand including its name and visual appearance" (thanks for the definition, Branch). It's the words, colors, fonts, and graphics that make up your digital or printed materials. While you may have already thought intentionally about these details, if you haven't, now is a great time to start. Do your wordmark (business name) and symbol (logo) appear the same everywhere they're used? Have you intentionally selected the fonts you use for blog post titles and body copy, and do you use them consistently? Is it easy at first glance to identify the color palette of your blog? Do the avatars and colors used on your social media channels mirror your website? And if you have printed business cards, do they match your online branding?

I created the brand identity above for Lesley Myrick Art Design in preparation for the new website that's in the works to be launched in January 2015 (sidenote: eek!). Visually assembling the elements of your brand is an incredibly useful exercise that I recommend for anyone with an online presence. If you're not Photoshop-savvy, a simple document can even be created in a text editing program like Microsoft Word or Open Office. Keep it close by as a handy visual reference.
With the new year just around the corner, it's a great time to review your website and begin to define your blog with a clear brand identity.
Find more Indie Business posts here with tips on blogging, business and productivity. Happy Monday!

Images: Death to the Stock Photo and Lesley Myrick Art Design. Have something to say about this post? I'd love to hear from you on Twitter! Tweet me @lesleymyrick.