When most people think of branding, they picture a logo.
Logos are a great starting point, as they make the first impression and typically become the symbol of the company. But strong branding is much more than one graphic, it’s a visual identity. An entire system that communicates who you are, what you stand for, and why people should care.
As a marketing specialist with a background in comic art and visual storytelling, I’ve spent years translating ideas into bold visuals. Whether I’m designing for a client or coloring Iron Man, the same principles apply: clarity, consistency, and impact. Let’s take a look at where to put those principles in action:
Branding Colors Ignite Emotion
Your color palette sets the emotional tone. How you want your audience to feel when interacting with your brand should guide the choices for your colors. You can get in the right frame of mind by imagining a mismatch: dropping a toddler off at a daycare with very dark colors or receiving medical bills from a hospital using red and orange. It’s uncomfortable, right?
How you want your audience to feel when interacting with your brand?
| Color | Marketing Adjectives | Brand Examples |
| 🔴 Red | Bold, Energetic, Passionate | Coca-Cola, YouTube, Target |
| 🟠 Orange | Friendly, Creative, Confident | Fanta, Home Depot, Bitcoin |
| 🟡 Yellow | Cheerful, Optimistic, Approachable | McDonald’s, Best Buy, IKEA |
| 🟢 Green | Trustworthy, Natural, Refreshing | John Deere, Spotify, Starbucks |
| 🔵 Blue | Professional, Reliable, Calm | LinkedIn, Paypal, Blue Cross |
| 🟣 Purple | Luxurious, Mysterious, Unique | Cadbury, Twitch, Hallmark |
| ⚪ White | Clarity, Simplicity, Freshness | Apple, Nintendo, Forbes |
| ⚫️ Black | Authority, Sophistication, Elegance | Sony, Chanel, BBC |
If you’re starting a business or rebranding, choose just one or two core colors. Next, build out a palette of 3-5 colors using tints, shades, and tones of the core color(s). Here’s how Media Link’s palette operates within our own branding:
Design Elements Support Brand Identity
Your logo is the anchor of your visual identity, but it’s not the only graphic you’ll need. Shapes and graphic elements, especially designed to fit in corners, are useful for designing digital ads, websites, newsletters, and more. Visuals should align with your brand personality, so consider your brand’s story, audience, and goals. Is your brand cutting-edge and modern? Soft and cozy? Are there shapes or aspects of the logo you can repeat?
Media Link’s visual language stems from the circle, inspired by commercial ad “spots.” It’s clean and seamless, suggesting a lack of snags or pain points.
Stay in Character (Typographically)
Font choice is a game of restraint. We’re spoiled for choice when it comes to quality fonts, but for the most professional results, commit to just one or two fonts: a header (used for titles) and a body style (for general text). It may feel limiting, but you can still add variety by tweaking font size, color, and styles (bold, italic, etc). Fonts should reflect your business and audience rather than popular trends. Not to say trends are to be avoided; a Gen-Z influencer’s brand would look perfect in Aeonik, but a well-established stock broker would be better represented by a more formal, timeless font like Baskerville.
Web Designer’s Tip: Fonts affect loading times on your website, and load speed affects SEO. Bespoke fonts take longer to load than Google fonts (Roboto, Montserrat), which take longer to load than system fonts (Arial, Times New Roman). For the best performance, system fonts load instantly and don’t require extra download time.
Pulling It Together: The Brand Kit
This is where everything comes together. A brand kit is your visual and tonal playbook. It includes your logo variations, color HEX codes, typography guidelines, and tone of voice. This ensures anyone working on your brand, internally or externally, can keep everything consistent and polished.
Ultimately, a well-crafted brand doesn’t just look good; it creates trust, tells a story, and opens doors. If you’re starting from scratch or looking to refresh your image, having a clear brand kit is one of the smartest investments you can make.
Need professional guidance for your brand? Media Link specializes in small business strategy. Whether you need a brand kit, a website refresh, or a professional’s guidance for strategy, we’re here to help you build. You can reach out to us for an introductory appointment here.
