4 Key Ways You Can Build Your Brand Without A Logo

Have you ever felt like you didn’t know where to start when it comes to your brand? Do you get a logo made as soon as possible, or should you get your website up and running? What about your shop or social media?

What if I told you that a brand is more than just a logo or other other visuals…

That there’s actually a lot that goes on behind the scenes – like strategy… or at least, that’s the idea, and it’s what sets you apart if you have one.

Given this, there is a lot you can do for your brand that has nothing to do with your logo.

4 ways you can build your brand without a logo

If you don’t have the margin to purchase a brand package just yet, you can still work on some pretty big items behind the scenes in order to build your brand. Things like:

  1. Ideal Client Profile
  2. Brand Tagline
  3. Visual Guidelines
  4. Promoting Your Brand

So I want to talk about the 4 ways you can build your brand without a logo. Yes, it is possible, and the good news is that these are things you should be working on anyway. So why not get a head start?

>>>One of the ways to build your brand without a logo is to find your brand’s personality. I’m giving you the exact questions I ask my branding clients, and an easy-to-use template, right here – Click here to get your resource!<<<

Now, let’s get into it… Here are your very first steps to building your brand without your logo:

Step One: Ideal Client Profile

Build your brand by getting to know your ideal client or customer. I know, it’s hard to do, because I’ve tried to do it before – many times. And it just takes time to narrow down and get really specific about your ideal client, but you’ll hear over and over again that having a specific person, with a specific story, pain points and dreams will increase your chances of success in business by a landslide.

Why?

Because you’ll be talking directly to that one person that you can actually help.

You can’t help everyone. I’ve even been guilty of this in the past – trying to market my design services to everyone and take on every little thing that comes my way – and it just doesn’t work, at least not for me.

I do not claim to be an expert on this subject at all. Like I said, it’s hard! But some tips I’ve gathered on the quest to creating my own ideal client profile include thinking about things like: 

  1. Demographics (age, gender, marital status, kids, education level, business type, etc.)
  2. Psychographics (lifestyle, interests, beliefs, goals, dreams, hobbies, fears, etc.)
  3. Personal Story (challenges, achievements, background, upbringing, how they got where they are now, etc.)
  4. Motivations (to buy what you offer, why do they need it?)
  5. Objections (to buying what you offer, why do they think they don’t need it?)
  6. End Goal (what they could have, do, or be, because of your services or products)

Now… I know this is a lot of information to figure out.

I wouldn’t put it on yourself to have all the answers in one sitting, but rather to block off a bit of time to start the document and do some research.

Then, keep the document in a shareable place – whether on an app or a google doc – so you can access and add to it at any time.

I personally think this is the beauty of the process. You really can’t figure all of this out at once, or at least I haven’t ever been able to! But in my experience, over time, as you get to know yourself as a business owner, and what you really have to offer and what you really want to offer people, your ideal client profile will become more and more clear to you.

TAKE ACTION:

Open a blank document, or app, or get out a pen and paper, and write “Business Name – Ideal Client Profile” at the top. Underneath that, write down points 1-6 above. Use those as a guide to research, write down, and refine your ideal client profile in the coming week.

Step Two: Craft A Tagline

Your messaging has just as much to do with your brand as the actual visuals.

I’m a brand designer. I love creating brands and graphics, even after doing it for more than 12 years, it’s still really fun to me to wake up and create something for someone. I believe that your brand identity – your logo, fonts, colors, etc. – plays such an important role in your business.

But even I know that it’s not the only piece to the puzzle, and messaging also plays a big part in your business. Without messaging, without words, I really can’t create the brand package that you love and your audience can’t forget.

Your brand messaging fuels your brand visuals.

One of the things you can start brainstorming now, before you even have a logo, is your brand tagline. This is part of your non-visual brand identity. A tagline is a really great way to put words to an image, and help your clients or customers remember you.

I am not the best tagline writer out there (although I do have fun thinking of them!), but I do have a bit of experience in this area since I’ve created my own, as well as helped clients create theirs. The best tips I have are:

  1. Make it simple – You don’t have to use big words, or complicated phrases.
  2. Make it memorable – Try to do this by rhyming, being clever or funny, or saying something catchy.
  3. Be clear – Don’t complicate it, simply state what you do.
  4. Tell a story – Use words that paint a picture, an image in their minds.
  5. Be creative – Think outside the normal boring tagline ideas, and have fun with it!

A great tagline tells your customer what you do, grabs their attention, and makes them remember you. Don’t make it so clever that it doesn’t make sense, and don’t make it so long that you can’t say it in about 3-5 words. (This isn’t your elevator pitch – but I’ve heard you could use that as a starting point and condense into your tagline, if that tip helps!)

TAKE ACTION:

Start building your brand now by brainstorming tagline ideas in your favorite note-taking app, or on paper. Create at least 30 – yes, 30! – to choose from. Having to think of 30 will really help you get into the zone, and pull out those creative phrases. Mull it over, and take some time to think about which you like best, and which one you think better conveys what you do. Then choose one! You can always change it later, but having a tagline is a great start to building your brand without a logo.

Step Three: Start On Your Visual Guidelines

Even if you’re not a designer, and you don’t have a logo made, you can still set some parameters around what you do and don’t want to do when it comes to the look of your brand.

This is actually a really great thing to establish early, because it allows you to set a firm foundation.

You don’t want your brand to be all over the place – you want it to have a structure and consistency built in, which is where a style or brand guides come in handy.

Even without a logo, you can start this process by choosing your fonts and colors, and then create your style guide using a simple blank document.

You can even add in your tagline, and any other messaging you’ve crafted, as well as your ideal client profile details. This way, all of your “branded things” that you’ve created or decided on so far will be housed under one roof. I’ll show you how.

TAKE ACTION:

Tap the image below to get your free tutorial: Create A Brand Style Guide With Me!

To drive this point home: If you’re going to use something like Canva or Adobe Creative Cloud Express, or some other free/cheaper app to create graphics for your business (such as your social media graphics or your banner for YouTube, for instance), then your style guide will really start to shine. You’ll be able to use it as a guide to making those visuals, and that will also help you start to weave consistency into your brand.

Step Four: Promote Your Brand

You can and should promote your brand without a logo.

Especially when you’re starting out, you may be the only one on your “team”, and you’re probably the face of your business. Use that to your advantage, even if it’s not exactly your favorite thing.

After all, you’ve started a business, it’s not going to get anywhere or grow without you… (talking to myself here, too!)

Some ways you can promote your brand without a logo include:

  1. Social Media
  2. Email List
  3. Videos
  4. Podcast
  5. Website

One of the main (and probably most obvious) ways you could promote your brand is by posting to social media. You could also start your website, an email list, write blog posts, record a podcast, create videos – or all of the above.

You might be thinking, “I can’t do any of those things without a logo!” or “HOW can I do those things without a logo?!”

And here’s the thing: You can set up, start posting to, create, manage, and edit all of those things without a logo.

For instance, you can use your business name or your name on your website and social profiles, start using your tagline, and use a picture of yourself as your profile image. Sprinkle in any other brand messaging you’ve created, abide by your style guide, and you will be well on your way to building your brand without a logo.

Of course, please make a plan to save for and get that brand package you’re dreaming of! But don’t let it hold you back from starting or building your business today. You don’t need a logo to start, you just need one eventually.

TAKE ACTION:

Promote your brand! Using the list above, write down all the ways you might want to, or would be willing to promote your brand. Feel free to add to it, and jot down every idea you can think of. Then, depending on how well-versed you are in whatever you choose, pick 1-3 things. If you’re already on social media for your business, then keep that up and add one more thing. If you’re not doing any of the things, then pick one to start with.

As a tip, I keep hearing over and over again that choosing one thing, like Instagram, to master be what you’re consistent on, is way better than trying to do 3 things and not show up consistently like you should because it’s too much. So choose whatever and however many promotional avenues work for you that you can be realistically consistent with.

Please let me know if this is helpful, and drop me a comment or a follow on insta, @designwithclarissa. You can also get on the list to to know when my latest guide (coming soon!) all about developing your brand identity drops, which will help you to further grow your brand.

The whole point I’m trying to make here is that you can start building your brand now, and worry about getting your brand identity made later. I’m not saying to wait too long, but if you need some time to get things off the ground, you can start here and circle back to the visuals:

  1. Create your ideal client profile
  2. Craft a tagline
  3. Start on your visual guidelines
  4. Promote your brand

Pin it for later:

4 ways to build your brand without a logo