build your brand
THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO
Fashion Branding
In fashion, branding is everything.
When it comes to building a fashion business, nothing is more important that branding. Your brand is how your business conveys its message to the world through the use of visual design, color and careful messaging.
Here at Prototype, we’ve worked with hundreds of brands from across the fashion spectrum and we understand the needs of fashion brands better than anyone in the industry.
Let’s talk about branding and why it’s so important to your fashion label…
PARTS OF A LOGO
LOGO MARK
A logo mark is the what most people think of as a logo. It’s a unique combination of shapes and colors that visually communicates something about the brand. A strong mark is powerful indeed, as you’ll see below.
TYPOGRAPHY
Typography is a surprisingly effective way to communicate both with words and with visual design. Typography is just as powerful a tool as the mark.
Logo Mark
Take a look at these logos. How many of these companies can you name?
Probably all of them, right? Easy!
That’s the power of the logo mark.
Typography
Back when I was in design school in San Francisco, I used to tease the typography students in my school (Sorry guys!). I was kidding, but that time, I didn’t understand the raw power of a font for visual communication.
For example, take a look at these typography-based logos. Do you think you could recognize them even if they had other words written? Probably most of them, right?
Think about that for a second… Wow.
The subtle ways our written alphabet can be tweaked in order to trigger memories and associations is truly remarkable.
The Elements of a Brand
The Logo
The logo is the cornerstone of branding because it visually represents the identity and essence of a brand, making it instantly recognizable to customers. It serves as a powerful symbol that communicates a brand's values, mission, and personality. A well-designed logo builds trust and helps establish a lasting impression, distinguishing a brand from its competitors.
Typography
Typography is a powerful tool for communicating the various qualities of your brand and its message. It is a vital part of branding because it conveys a brand's personality and tone, influencing how customers perceive its message. Good typography design creates a visual identity that aligns with the brand's values and enhances recognition.
Color Palette
The brand color palette is a crucial element. Color is powerful. It evokes emotions, communicates personality, and encourages recognition. Consistent use of colors across all brand materials creates a cohesive identity and a unified visual experience for customers.
Messaging & Storytelling
Messaging and storytelling are essential to creating a strong brand identity. Your brand story communicates tells the "why" of your brand and connects with your customers' emotions. Careful messaging teaches and reinforces your values, mission, and purpose, giving depth to your visual identity and making it more relatable.
Ready to build your brand?
Prototype is the only design resource that specializes in fashion brands and has the ability to take your brand all the way through the process and across the finish line to manufacturing.
We know fashion branding and we know what's needed to give your brand the competitive advantage.
Learn More About Fashion Branding
Common Fashion Branding Questions
You can definitely create your own brand logo using software like Adobe Illustrator or my personal favorite, Affinity Designer. Truthfully, however, if you're not a graphic designer, we'd strongly recommend that you hire someone to do the work properly. Your logo and branding is every bit as important as your products. You shouldn't neglect either. It's a bit of an investment up front, but it's well worth the expense.
It's relatively simple to create your own logo using software like Adobe Illustrator or Affinity Designer. Truthfully, however, if you're not a graphic designer, we'd strongly recommend that you hire someone to do the work properly. Your logo and branding is every bit as important as your products. You shouldn't neglect either. It's a bit of an investment up front, but it's well worth the expense.
If you do decide to create your own, you should definitely be using a vector software, NOT an image software. Why? Because vector artwork can be easily resized with no loss of quality. That's not the case with images. In other words, use an Illustrator type software not a Photoshop type software to create your own logo.
There are probably 100 million people out there that could make you a logo. But how many of them are going to be legitimately talented?
One of the biggest mistakes you'll ever make in starting a business is asking a friend or relative to do your branding. Trust us! Worst decision ever. ?
One of the biggest mistakes you'll ever make in starting a business is asking a friend or relative to do your branding. Trust us! Worst decision ever. ?
At Prototype, we specialize in fashion branding, so we know exactly what you will and won't need to start your fashion label off right.
Logo designers are generally called "graphic designers", meaning that they design much more than just logos. A logo is perhaps the best-known part of a brand, but in reality, there are many more parts of a brand.
The typeface or font is another critically important part of a brand. When our designers work on a project, we have to consider ALL the various places your brand will need to be represented. It needs to be consistent everywhere.
The short answer is... Don't look for a logo. Create one.
There's just no way that a stock logo will have the same level of power to describe your brand as a custom logo.
However, if you're just looking for inspiration for a logo, we recommend using a stock vector artwork site, like Shutterstock.com.
Sites like that will have lots of ideas that you can adapt to your own brand.
Fashion logos and branding are somewhat unique. They have all the same requirements of any small business. They must tell the story of the brand clearly and guide the customer's impression.
However, fashion labels also often have a personal touch to the branding that connects to the fashion designer herself. In many cases it could be just the name of the designer. But the font and the flavor of the branding needs to tell a story about what type of products to expect from the brand.
The #1 most important consideration when making a logo is to choose the designer carefully. Make sure they have a strong portfolio in exactly the type of business that you're starting. Don't rely on words and promises. Look carefully at their work and let that make your decision for you.
We highly recommend using proven professionals, like the team at Prototype. Professional designers will be able to get better results, faster. This allows you to focus on sales, knowing that you have a strong design foundation.
Making a logo for a boutique is the same process as making a fashion label logo. The most important consideration is that your logo represents your business. The stronger the branding, the stronger your business. It's not exaggerating to say that your brand is just as important as the products you sell, and often more important.
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