Choosing the Perfect Brand Aesthetic for Your Business

5 TIPS TO CHOOSING A BRAND AESTHETIC

One of the biggest misconceptions I see is that choosing a brand aesthetic is simply about picking colors you like, finding a logo style on Pinterest, and calling it a day.

Your brand aesthetic is the visual expression of your personality, values, and the experience you want people to have when they interact with your business. It's often the first impression someone has of your brand, which means it's doing a LOT more heavy lifting than people realize.

One quick disclaimer before we dive in: I am essentially condensing 10 weeks of brand strategy into a quick read. (Sorry, not really!)

When I work with branding clients, we spend weeks uncovering their personality, positioning, audience, visual direction, messaging, goals, and all the little details that make their brand uniquely theirs before we ever finalize things like colors and fonts.

So while this guide will absolutely help you get started, just know there are entire conversations and exercises behind each of these sections. With that said, let's dive in!

1. DISCoVER YOUR BRAND'S PERSONALITY

This is one of the FIRST things we do in my brand process. One of the biggest mistakes I see women make is building their brand's aesthetic based on what others in the industry are doing rather than what truly reflects them.

Too many of us skip this step and go straight to Pinterest for inspo. The problem is that you end up collecting aesthetics and visuals that are beautiful but may not actually represent who you are. (Trust me, I've seen it happen more times than I can count.)

Before thinking about colors, fonts, or logos, ask yourself:

• What values are most important to my business?

• How do I want people to feel when they interact with my brand?

• What words describe my personality?

• What makes me different from others in my industry?

For example, two life coaches may offer similar services but have completely different aesthetics. One may feel bold, playful, and energetic while another feels safe, grounded, and calming.

Neither is wrong. They're just different expressions of the person behind the business.

2. KNoW YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE

The next step in the process is client research. Not only should your brand reflect who you are, it should be geared towards the people you're trying to attract.

Something I always remind my clients is that the goal isn't to appeal to everyone. It's to create a brand that's authentic to you and resonates with your ideal client.

Consider things like:

• Their age and lifestyle

• What brands they're naturally drawn to

• What emotions they're looking for

• What they're struggling with that you solve

• What they desire that you offer

Brand strategy is all about looking at the intersection between your personality and your audience. The magic happens when both are reflected in the final brand.

3. CHOOSE A CoLOR PALETTE THAT TELLS YOUR STORY

Color is one of the most powerful (and one of my favorite) tools in branding because it influences emotion before people consciously process what they're seeing.

You've probably heard the common color psychology associations:

• Blue = trust

• Green = health

• Pink = femininity or youth

• Yellow = optimism

• Black = luxury

While these associations aren't wrong, they're also super broad. Thousands of businesses use blue because they want to appear trustworthy.

But a luxury interior designer, therapist, wedding planner, and bank shouldn't all feel the same, even if they use the same color.

When creating a palette, I suggest going deeper into specific shades, tones, and combinations, because that can completely change the story your brand tells.

For example, navy creates a very different feeling than a dusty blue.

A bright emerald feels different than a muted sage.

Sometimes the difference between a brand feeling bold or luxurious, youthful or calming, approachable or premium comes down to subtle shifts in color that go beyond the well-known associations.

Pro tip: Make sure to include a good balance of a dark and a light neutral, 1-2 main colors, and then 1-2 accents. Accessibility is important. Light text should be used on dark backgrounds and vice versa, otherwise it can be hard to read.

4. PICK FONTS THAT MATCH YOUR BRAND VOICE

Choosing typography is another one of my favorite parts of the brand process. Fonts communicate tone just like words do. By the time we get to typography in my branding process, font decisions are usually much easier because we've already established the personality behind the brand.

As you explore font options, consider:

• Does this feel modern or traditional?

• Does it feel approachable or elevated?

• Does it feel playful or sophisticated?

• Is it easy to read?

  
  

For example, a boutique bakery might use a handwritten script font for a personal touch paired with a clean sans-serif for readability.

Pro tip: Serif fonts have the little 'tail' on the letters!

5. THINK BEYOND A LOGO

A logo is important, but your brand aesthetic is so much bigger than a logo.

This is something I spend a lot of time educating clients on because people don't experience your business through a logo sitting on a white background. They experience it through your website, social media, marketing materials, photography, packaging, and client experience.

Your aesthetic also includes:

• Photography style (bright and airy vs. moody and dark vs. ethereal and whimsical)

• Graphic elements (like patterns, illustrations, icons, or textures)

• Website design

• Social media graphics

• Logo variations (submarks, wordmarks, and logomarks)

The strongest brands create consistency across all of these touchpoints, which is what makes them feel recognizable and memorable. Consistency builds recognition and trust.

TLDR: The best brand aesthetic isn't necessarily the trendiest one on Pinterest. It's the one that reflects who you are, resonates with the people you want to attract, and supports the vision you're building. Just remember that choosing a brand aesthetic isn't just about choosing colors and fonts, it's about understanding your personality, audience, positioning, and goals first. And, the design is simply the visual result of that strategy.

P.S. If you're feeling overwhelmed by all the decisions, that's completely normal. Some people are able to apply DIY advice to their own business and others need to just hand it off. If you're someone who wants it done right but the thought of sifting through colors literally makes you want to cry, check out our Branding by Design packages!