So you’re starting your business and need to create a look and feel to represent you, but where do you even start — especially if you don’t have the budget to hire a designer and you need to DIY it?

Well, if you don’t keep your dream client in mind and at the center of your visuals from the very beginning, your business won’t stand out to them.

So you need to be sure you nail down these 3 things before you create your brand — and specifically your logo.

What you do & Who you help

If you haven’t spent time narrowing down what specific services you offer, exactly who your dream client is, and the outcome someone gets from working with you then you need to uncover these things first.

I know you hear this all the time, but so many entrepreneurs breeze over this work and simply blow off really taking the opportunity to understand their audience.

The thing is, if you don’t know who you’re marketing to and how you can help them then your visuals won’t align with them and it will be that much harder to make a sale — and that’s no good! So don’t skip this step.

Your dream clients “why”

Understanding your dream client’s problem may seem easy enough. For example, it’s what they type into the search bar of Google, like how to lose weight or how to deal with anxiety.

But what about the deep-seeded internal reasons why they want to solve their problem?

Knowing this will make connecting with them so much easier so you’ve got to narrow down to the very core of what is motivating them to make change.

Remember while your brand is yours, it’s not really about you. It all comes down to your audience. You’ve got to understand where they’re at and then meet them there.

Your brand’s personality

The third thing you need to know is your brand’s personality — or the 3-4 key adjectives that describe your brand as if it’s a person. For example, is your business outgoing, quirky, or collaborative?

You see, how your dream client feels about your brand has more pull than what they think about your brand. So you have to know how you want to make them feel.

Because colors, shapes, and symbols all have built-in associations that can impact the way your brand is perceived, you’ve got to know this first — before creating the visuals for your business.

I know it can be super tempting to dive into creating the visuals for your business before doing the foundational work. I get it — it’s the fun stuff.

I promise you though, by taking the time to nail down these three things you’ll save tons of headache in the long run because you’ll begin with a solid foundation from the start.

If you’re thinking great, got it, but how do I know I’ll be able to DIY my branding — then make sure you read this post where I bust the common myths about DIY branding and website building.