The first question I am usually asked is: "What exactly is branding?"
Firstly, let me say that, no, it is no synonymous to 'logo design' and is actually a quite difficult process to sit down and explain as most people have different opinions of what all it encompasses.
When you look at a shoe, and you see a swish icon, you know it is Nike. You don't have to look at the box, or the tag, to know that it is that company. This is branding. It is what your customer relates to you. This may be a specific color (Tumblr users often know what I mean) or a specific font (Facebook's 'F') or a combination of the two.
When branding your shop, you need to consider the following:
- Color psychology -- resturants use red in their branding because it makes the customer hungry, social media tends to use shades of blue to calm and relax the user.
- Atmosphere --- believe it or not, your customers may not feel as inclined to buy from you if you're usings lots of in-your-face colors and bold fonts. This is like the 'used car salesman' of branding.
- Uniqueness --- branding has the power to make a person remember you. You don't want them seeing someone with a similar name/logo and buying from them instead because they've already made the connection to you. They may never realize that it isn't your shop. For this reason, I don't offer may premade logos nor do I suggest them. Premades are best for people who need a cheap get off the ground logo, and I don't suggest using them without the intention to get a custom one done when it is affordable.
-Brandability--- Some business /are/ easier to brand than other. Technology companies tend to use a lot of puns, therefore their customers remember them. A bridal boutique is quite different. There's hundreds/thousands of them and almost all of them are trying to brand themselves as cute/chic/dainty. I cannot stress it enough: find the power to be different in a sea of businesses exactly like you.
Your brand is akin to your shop's personality. Be the bridal boutique who has a rocker/punk attitude (guess what? The emo generation is getting married now and they all secretly look at punkish emo things to quietly incorporate. Speaking for myself and several friends who all did the same.)
Of course, you can do this yourself. However, when you get down to the nitty gritty, you will pay more for the programs that a graphic designer uses to make your branding than you will to get a custom package. Look around at some branding services, and see what you think is best for you. If you need a cheaper option, use code 'NEWSHOP' in my shop for 40% anything over $30, so any of the logo/branding packages. :)
