What should you work out before you start designing your brand?

Before you start designing anything, you need to stop and think. Not in a big corporate “strategy session” kind of way, just in a practical, work out what you’re actually doing kind of way. Where you’re going, what you’re trying to achieve, and who you’re trying to reach. That’s the step most small businesses - especially solo businesses - skip, not because you don’t care, and not because you’re avoiding it, but because you think it doesn’t apply to you.

If you’re just starting out, working from home, doing this on your own, it feels like that kind of thinking is something the bigger businesses do. They’ve got the teams, the time, and the budget for it. So instead, you jump straight into the design, because that feels like progress. You’ve got a business idea, so the next step must be a logo.

Even if your services aren’t fully worked out yet. Even if your audience isn’t clear. Sometimes even before the business name has properly settled.

But doing it like that is how you end up going around in circles and getting nowhere. You can spend hours designing a social post and it still feels a bit ordinary. You’re trying to say everything to everyone, so nothing really feels right. Or you quickly throw together a business card for a networking event, and instead of helping you, it quietly says more than you think, and not in a good way. If you’ve ever handed one over and watched the reaction, you’ll know exactly what I mean.

It’s not that you’re doing anything wrong. You’ve just started in the wrong place.

This isn’t about big business branding strategy. It’s simply about making your life easier. Because when you take a bit of time upfront to work things out, designing becomes simpler, faster, and far more consistent. You’re not guessing every time. You’re not redesigning everything three times. You’re not staring at a blank screen wondering where to start. You’ve actually got something to work with.

So where do you start?

Grab a pen. Not your laptop. Not Canva. A pen.

• Write down what you actually sell. Not everything, just the main things.
• For each one, describe the one ideal person it’s for. Be specific. The more detail the better.
• Work out what you want them to do next. Call, book, enquire, follow, buy… pick one.
• Look at others in your space. What stands out? What feels generic? What would you avoid?
• Keep it simple. If you’ve got three messages, that’s three posts. Not one overloaded graphic.

You’ll start to notice there’s a bit of overlap in those ideal clients, and one of them is probably you… just a few years ago. That’s not a coincidence. That’s usually the reason you started the business in the first place.

Once you’ve got that clarity, then the style starts to make sense. Your colours, your fonts, your tone, the way things look and feel, it all starts to line up with what you’re trying to say, instead of the other way around.

This process isn’t just something big businesses with their marketing teams need. Having clear foundations makes designing easier for every size and stage of business.

If you get stuck at that stage, that’s usually the point where a bit of outside perspective helps. Sometimes you just need someone to help you untangle it so you’re not guessing your way through it on your own.

If that’s you, you can take a look at my brand direction sessions. We work through it together, so you’ve got something solid before you start designing.