Design

7 Designer Secrets for Creating a More Professional Brand

7 Designer Secrets for Creating a More Professional Brand

These past couple weeks I’ve been working with one of my first official freelance design clients, making small updates to the original brand and website I created for her 5 years ago.

As I’ve revisited fonts and tweaked colors, I’ve found myself subconsciously using designer tricks that I’ve learned both in design school and by experience.

I haven’t been shy in sharing these design secrets. In fact, you’ll find many of them scattered throughout past Elle & Company blog posts.

But I’ve never compiled them all in one place.

Whether you’ve designed your own brand, hired a designer to create the elements of your brand for you, or you’re a self-taught designer trying to improve your design skills, implementing these insider tricks will help you create a more cohesive, professional brand.

Canva or Adobe Illustrator: Which is the best fit for your business graphics?

Canva or Adobe Illustrator: Which is the best fit for your business graphics?

We just wrapped up the 2019 Brand Challenge last week, and over 1,300 business owners took part to create a one-of-a-kind brand from start to finish!

Fonts, colors, logos, photos, icons - we left no stone unturned.

But creating a brand is really just the beginning. From here on out, your days will be spent implementing it.

Whether you took part in the challenge or not, every business owner who can’t delegate their design work is faced with the important task of choosing an app to help them create their graphics.

The two most popular options at the moment? Canva and Adobe Illustrator.

Both apps are helpful, but they aren’t created equal. So in today’s post, I’m highlighting the biggest differences between the two so you can figure out which program is the best fit for your design needs.

Did you miss out on the Brand Challenge? It’s never too late to jump in and take part! Visit this page to sign up and get started.

Brand Challenge Day 20: Compile it all together in a brand style guide

Brand Challenge Day 20: Compile it all together in a brand style guide

Congratulations! You’ve officially made it through Elle & Company’s Brand Challenge.


But before you start implementing your new brand on your website and collateral items, take some time to compile all of your hard work and create a beautiful reference for your brand by creating a brand style guide.

This post is part of Elle & Company’s 4-week Brand Challenge. Click here to see more details, sign up, and access the free workbook.

Brand Challenge Day 19: Determine your photography style

Brand Challenge Day 19: Determine your photography style

You can do a killer job on all of the steps we’ve covered over the past 3 weeks.

But if your photos are amateur or inconsistent with the rest of your brand, your brand will fall short. Every. Single. Time.

This post is part of Elle & Company’s 4-week Brand Challenge. Click here to see more details, sign up, and access the free workbook.

Brand Challenge Day 18: Design custom patterns

Brand Challenge Day 18: Design custom patterns

Just like icons, patterns are another fun way to add interest to your brand and make it more memorable.

When you create a custom pattern that’s unique to your brand alone, you have the opportunity to stand out from competitors, communicate the message of your brand, and add some flair to your stationery, packaging, designs, and website.

This post is part of Elle & Company’s 4-week Brand Challenge. Click here to see more details, sign up, and access the free workbook.