Designing Your Brand: The Look & Feel of Your Band
Branding is a process of self reflection.
Think about a brand that has made an impression on you. What makes that brand memorable? What makes it unique? How does it make you feel?
Ask these same questions as you build a brand around your product: your music.
Your favorite brands weren’t created overnight. They were re-envisioned over time with a lot of work and intention on the front end. With the goal of creating something you can be proud of, here are some starting points in which you can help narrow down what feels like your brand and what doesn’t.
Mission Statement and Core Values
We’ve all heard of a mission statement, right? Great mission statements includes a solution that solves a problem. It also might identify the end user of the product. For you, this means your listeners and your biggest fans.
When I was in a band our mission statement was something along the lines of, “Create music that is honest and personal, put on a good show and give fans a memorable experience.” I thought there was more than enough music available, some of which I thought to be inauthentic, so it needed to be honest and personal to stand out. I also believed that as an entertainer your focus should be on creating memorable, entertaining experiences for your fans.
In addition to a mission statement, there is a newly emerging practice to evaluate the culture of a business: identifying core values. Your core values should include the values & priorities shared by the whole band.
Artists have many motivations and intensions behind playing in a band. Those focused on the art itself may site values like creativity, authenticity & empathy. Those focusing on the band as a communal activity may say collaboration, teamwork and community. If you are a career musician your core values might include growth, success & self improvement. Here is a great list of core values created by Indeed.
Look and Feel of Your Brand
The look and feel of your brand will include the more obvious components including the your logo and merchandise designs, but also the finer details such as what color schemes or fonts you use. Focus on creating something unique and memorable.
Consider the themes found in your music or lyrics for inspiration. If you find yourself writing in minor keys or writing about challenges you have faced in life, you may want to opt for neutral or dark color schemes. If you find yourself writing upbeat or empowering songs, you may want to use brighter colors or softer fonts. (Check out Colormind for ideas on color schemes and DaFont for font ideas)
Band Name
One of the first components of starting a business and consequently, a band, is coming up with a name. Creating a band name can be a daunting task. Make sure it’s something you can confidently promote. The second question following, “You’re in a band?” is generally going to be “What’s it called?”.
Brainstorm a list of ideas using 2-3 word phrases. Come up with a list of 10-20 ideas, then eliminate half the options and rank the remaining names. Once you finalize the name, create an LLC and register a trademark. (I will create more detailed guides on this part of the process)
Design a Logo
When designing a logo it’s helpful to look at other bands logos for inspiration. Have each band member find a few different logos and compile them in a GoogleDrive for your designer to reference. I also highly recommend you have multiple logos designed. Going with the first design and not considering alternatives would be similar to publishing the first demo of the song you wrote.
You can always change your logo as the band evolves, but again, you will want to make sure it’s something you can confidently promote and print on your shirts.
Merchandising
Explore your options when it comes to graphic designers. Research who your favorite bands are working with. Ask other local artists who they work with. If you find someone you believe to be out of your budget let them know you like their work, let them know your budget, and ask if they know an artist who can work within that budget. (If they like your work, they may be inclined to give you a discount.)
Find an artist who captures your brand well and has a unique style. Working with the same artist on multiple projects over time can make the branding increasingly cohesive. It also can create a sense of familiarity for long term fans.
Note: As you engage with each graphic designer, make sure you have an agreement in place. Unless it’s a work for hire (a contract in which you are paying someone explicitly to create a design that is your property), you will want to make sure you understand the terms of licensing. For example, hiring someone to create a merchandise design does not implicitly give you the right to use that design on a tour flyer.
Incorporate your brand into everything you do, and the way you do it.
Remember to incorporate your brand in everything you do from merchandising to stage design. This will create a unique and authentic experience for your fans. It will also keep the various components cohesive. When you are generating ideas for a new project or promotional item, stick to ideas that feel genuine to your bandmates.
When I was in a pop punk band, we use to throw pizza parties before some of our shows. This was a fun gimmick that felt in line with the genre, but it also served another purpose. We did this to get fans to our shows early so they would watch the other bands. Community would have been high up on our core values list, had we done the exercise back then. Our local music scene was important to us because we realized support at home was what sustained and supported our band enough to tour nationally.
I also had a passion for pop culture which showed up in our branding from printing a Pokemon Go parody shirt, to embracing a Rick & Morty themed tour with The Home Team, and creating a Taco Bell themed lyric video. We even did a Marvel themed music video where the lead characters had super powers and debuted it on Stan Lee’s Youtube Channel.
When I worked with the band Ded, they took their branding to an extreme, doing the first set of tours and music videos in support of their first album with white contacts in their eyes to simulate you guessed it… being dead. It caught a lot of attention and it was not an easy task to pull off. Ultimately, the gimmick was called off to save their eyesight.
I hope that sharing some of my experiences will help you create unique ideas of your own. Remember to stay true to your mission and your core values along the way. Whatever you do with your band, embrace the things you are passionate about, make it unique, and as always enjoy the process.