Is your branding human-first? Here are 5 standards to test it by…

#1: It feels like you

If your branding doesn’t truly, wholly feel like you— if you can’t look at it and see yourself strewn out through shapes and colors right before your eyes, it’s probably not “YOU” enough.

#2: It excites you to talk about

Imagine this: you’re getting virtual coffee with your biz bestie who lives across the country, and they say, “Oh, I like your branding BTW.” What’s your reaction? One of those, “Errr…ugh, thanks 🥴” situations? Is that what’s happening here? Your branding was likely a 4-5 figure investment; you should be shouting from the rooftops about it, friend.

#3: You feel confident using your branding

When you use your logos, colors, or even branded GIFs (yeah, I design those), you shouldn’t feel like settling. You shouldn’t feel reluctant about using them for whatever reason. If you do, it’s time for change.

#4: You understand it

Anyone can create a logo [or anything, really], but not everyone can design. Design is strategic and intentional by definition, which means branding should have reasoning behind it. Each choice — curved or straight, geometric or organic, floral or abstract, etc. — communicates something. If you don’t know why your branding looks the way it does, maybe it shouldn’t be representing you.

#5: It’s not an industry gimmick

Avoid cliches at all costs. If you’re a copywriter, your logo should not have a pen or a book in it. It’s a gimmick, and it could work for anyone in your industry, which means it doesn’t perfectly work for you specifically.

These five tests are like a brand design SMOG check; if it doesn’t pass, it doesn’t hit the road. I highly recommend you take 10 minutes this week to audit your branding according to these standards. You deserve branding that truly is human-centric.

If you find that your branding doesn’t truly honor you as a whole human, let’s work together on your rebrand/refresh! 🤓💌

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