So you are ready to take your brand to the next level? Congratulations on taking the big step!
Let’s talk about one of the most important tools in your branding toolkit: the brand board. Whether you’re just starting out and heard of it just a couple of times or looking to polish up your existing brand and wondering how to put it together, you’re in the right place.
I’m gonna share here all the details. I’ll walk you through the process of putting all the brand elements together into beautiful and free Canva brand board template.
We all know that building a business takes a lot of time and effort, and creating a brand for your business can be a challenging process. To build a brand that you truly love and care requires time and consistency. Because without a consistent look and feel it will be lost in already overcrowded online space.
In order to stand out, you need to organise your brand assets. And here’s when having a brand board becomes a game-changer. It helps to keep everything look cohesive, no matter where your brand shows up.
What actually is a Brand Board?
A brand board is a visual document that contains all the key elements of your brand’s identity. It includes your logo, color palette, typography, and other design elements that represent your brand.
if you want to update your website, create new social media graphics, or design new printed materials, a brand board helps to keep everything look consistent.
Why Every Business Needs It?
Most of your favourite brands has a consistent look across all the touchpoints, and it’s not a coincidence. They know that consistency is key in building a recognizable and trustworthy brand.
You can’t change your brand colors every month. If you are not sticking to your brand rules, your marketing materials will look disjointed and all over the place.
Brand board helps to maintain consistency and it simplifies the design process for everyone on your team, making sure they are on the same page.
For example, you can share your Canva brand board with your graphic designer or assistant, and get back the marketing materials with the right colors and fonts. It saves a lot of time and energy on answering all those “What colors should I use?” questions. You can also share it with your photographer to decide how to style your photoshoot, and even choose what to wear.
Must-Haves for Your Brand Board
Your brand board needs four essential elements. Let’s take a look at them!
1. Logo Variations
Your logo is the face of your brand. Insert into your template all logo variations you gonna use: primary, alternative, circular and simplified versions (submarks). With different variations, your logo will look great in any context, whether it’s on a business card, a website, or a social media profile.
2. Color Palette
Your color palette should include primary, neutral and accent colors that match your brand’s aesthetic.
You can learn more details about choosing colors in this blog post “A Complete step-by-step guide to create an amazing brand color palette”. You don’t have to include all six colors, it could be only three, one for each category.
3. Typography
Fonts also play a major part of your brand’s look and feel. Choose a primary font for headings, subheading, body text, buttons and an accent font for some extra touch.
4. Photography Style
Images play a huge role in your brand’s identity. Define the style of photography that fits your brand. Whether you go for light and airy or dark and moody, your photos should tell your brand’s story.
Extra Elements
To personalize your style guide even more, you can add a few additional elements. They aren’t necessary, it’s totally up to you. But adding a few extra touches can really make your brand special.
5. Design Elements and Textures
Unique design elements and textures can clarify you brand even more and help you to stand out. These might be specific patterns, icons, or graphical elements that you use regularly. And you may include guidelines on how to use these elements.
6. Tagline and Keywords
Your tagline and keywords describe your brand in just a few words. They should be memorable and reflect what your brand is all about. Include these in your brand board to keep your messaging consistent and powerful across all your platforms.
7. Business Card
Include a mock-up or template of your business card in the brand board. It should include your logo, brand colors, typography, and any design elements you use.
Putting it all together into one brand board:
Now that you have all the elements, it’s time to put them together in Canva. Crab this free Canva brand board template. And then put together your logo variations, color palette, typography, and other elements. Once everything is in place, save and share your brand board with your team so everyone adheres to the same branding guidelines.
Download your Free Canva Brand Board Template
It may seems like a lot of work, but it’s so worth it. it’s the best way to organize all your brand assets in one place and will be a convenient reference point for your contractors. And you can always make changes anytime as your brand grows. Take the time and watch your brand shine!
Brand Board Example
I hope this was helpful for you. If you think it’s valuable, I would appreciate if you share this post with your friends and fellow entrepreneurs who may benefit from it. If you have any questions or just want to say hi, let’s connect on Instagram.
