Designers can throw around some pretty confusing terms am I right?

So first up, let’s do some defining of these terms. 

Your brand style is the general tone of your brand (Rustic, Vintage, Classic, Feminine etc.) Where your brand is the cumulative effect of all the elements of your business- think your visuals, your personality, your story, voice etc, that gives your audience an idea of what you do and what you stand for. All you need to do is look to your favourite clothing store for an example of how branding works.  Ask yourself how you feel when you shop with them, What image are they projecting? What do they represent to you? How does it feel to walk through their store? Are they high-end or affordable? Are they unique or ubiquitous? Do they sell to the masses or the elite? Do they promote inclusivity or exclusivity? The answers to these questions are what help to create and define a brand. 

When you know your brand style you can start to create everything else that accompanies your brand, which will give you a clear model to follow and audience to speak to. When Walmart set out to create an affordable place to shop you can bet Gucci wasn’t their brand model, and when Gucci began, they were inspired by the luxurious luggage of the elite travelers of Paris and not crafting affordable and accessible bags for the masses. Both of these stores have found great success, but with two very opposing brands and audiences. 

At Fourth Street Creative we have 6 brand styles – Classic Luxe, Minimal Modern, Colourful and Bold, Feminine and Elegant, Rustic, and Vintage Chic. Over the years, and after creating the brand assets of countless realtors, we’ve found that starting out with a general style or aesthetic is the easiest way to get started in branding. 

Not sure which brand style you fit into? Take our quiz!

Once you know your general style, it will be that much easier to create your logo, colour palette, and other brand assets. For example, if you fall into the Feminine and Elegant brand style category, you’d most likely be leaning towards softer typography choices, like cursive paired with serif fonts, and an elegant colour palette made up of pastels and complimentary colours. More of the Rustic type? Your brand style might comprise deep browns and muted greens, and your font choices might be more rough, like serif paired with display fonts.