Your first brand - what you need to know
So you’ve got your why, what and how, but how do you go about communicating the incredible things your startup is doing in a way that inspires and engages your desired stakeholders?
We’ve helped many climate tech startups craft their very first brand identities, and have learnt a few things over the years. Here are our top tips to bear in mind when crafting your first visual identity.
Don’t forget about it - With everything that comes with starting a company, branding is not normally high on the list. However, especially if you are a B2C company, the way you present yourself will have a huge impact on how people view you, and how much traction you gain and when.
Less is always more - It is much better to do one thing well, rather than multiple things badly. Keep things simple and your brand will feel more professional, and easier to engage with (not to mention less work for you!)
Consistency is key - When using multiple types of materials (website / decks / social media etc.) you need to make sure that each channel feels coherent with each other. Having inconsistent visual styles is a big turn-off when it comes to impressing customers or investors.
Talk to people - Focus on gaining a deep understanding of who would be interested in your company, and how they see the brand. Even different members of the team might have different opinions of what the company's personality is, so it’s important to bear them all in mind.
Be aware of accessibility regulations - When you’ve perfected your company content, you want to make it as easily comprehensible as possible. This free colour tool from adobe can help guide you on creating accessible colour pairings.
Think carefully about how to use stock imagery - As an early-stage company, stock imagery is something you will have to use at some point. To avoid photos from looking too generic, try and think outside the box about a specific angle you could take - e.g human-centred, microscopic etc.
Use typefaces that are widely available - google fonts has a huge database of great fonts on it, but if you know specifically where you’ll need to be applying your brand (specific website builders / powerpoints etc.) it’s worth checking you can use those typefaces on those programmes before you make a final decision.
Remember your why - A famous quote by Simon Sinek - “People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it.” As a climate startup, your story will be compelling, so always remember to come back to that!
Words by Emily Brown
Emily is a graphic designer and alumni of Kingston School of Art. Since joining the team at Sustainable Ventures, she has already supported over 30 startups and organisations with their branding, UX/UI and digital design.