What is brand identity design?
Brand identity design has to do with a brand’s style and voice. You can think of it as the set of choices a blogger or company makes for the overall aesthetic of their brand. This includes how copy is written, how content is organized, and how users experience the site.
Why it matters
Running a site may seem simple, but those who work online know it can be a full-time job. This is especially true for bloggers with small teams (or no team at all).
Between creating content, writing posts, and developing a quality user-experience, bloggers may feel they don’t have time to focus on blog identity design. However, these steps are all parts of the identity-building process, which means as a blogger, you’re constantly making changes and adjustments to your brand’s identity design.
Blogs you can learn from
If you’re a blogger, content producer, or somewhere in-between, you may be searching for ways to improve your brand’s personality. That’s why we’ve listed 10 blogs with great brand identity design, perfect for inspiring blog newbies and longtime entrepreneurs, too.
Let’s get started!
Creative Revolt
From freelance writer and budding entrepreneur Jorden Roper comes Creative Revolt, a help-yourself blog with an aesthetic that is two parts tech and one part rockabilly flair.
With the help of a designer, Roper was able to incorporate her unique style into a professional website—one which provides resources for those looking to be their own boss.
Small Town Noir
Small Town Noir is about as niche as it gets. This entire blog is devoted to documenting decades-old criminal activity in New Castle, PA.
Perhaps this is why the blog has a minimal layout and a newspaper style. Since the content is so unique, the brand identity design seeks to complement—rather than detract—from the posts.
The Crisis Text Line Blog: The Cool Calm
The Cool Calm is a crisis hotline blog, born out of DoSomething.org. This blog covers topics that may be triggering or troubling to those in crisis, but it also aims to help those in need.
The Cool Calm creates a serious yet supportive tone with its mix of bold colors and simplistic fonts. Additionally, the clean layout has a calming effect, making the blog’s title a perfect fit.
Lunchbox Dad
There’s no shortage of parenting blogs, but this one in particular offers a unique spin. Unlike many other mommy/daddy blogs, the brand identity design in Lunchbox Dad lets the highly niche content do the talking.
Lunchbox Dad is exactly how it sounds: a blog about a dad who makes lunches. Only this dad goes above and beyond to create truly artistic snack packs. In addition to the photos of his exciting lunches, he also uses quirky fonts and a bright, lime green palette to emphasize the fun nature of the blog.
Brit Co
Brit + Co is a women’s lifestyle blog that focuses on society, politics, home, beauty, fashion—basically everything that could be an important part of how you live your life.
Because this blog is catered toward women and women’s interest, the design embraces traditionally female colors. The site also features photos and illustrations of women, all while working to make a fun, happy brand users will want to incorporate into their everyday reading.
Brand New
We had to include Brand New in this post, since it’s all about brand identity. Brand New’s look is different than most blogs, partly because of its landing page layout.
Brand New uses this layout to examine the latest brand redesigns. The organization and uniformity of the site form an aesthetic that is easy on the eyes and hard to ignore.
Illustration Age
Illustration Age is a blog for the illustration community, which is clear through its featured content. This blog is simple, but the brand identity design incorporates strong fonts and various tones of blue, a color many brands use to improve trust.
Nom Nom Paleo
When considering brand identity design, mascots can do wonders for your brand. The makers behind Nom Nom Paleo certainly know this to be true; just look at their popular animated chef (who bears a striking resemblance to the blog’s founder, Michelle Tam.)
The mascot is extremely simple, but it is instantly recognizable, along with NNP’s striking color scheme of red, black, and white. These bold colors don’t distract from the recipes, but instead make them pop.
Studio DIY
Studio DIY isn’t just a DIY blog; it’s a party-themed, rainbow-inspired land of fun projects. Kelly Mindell’s blog uses bright colors and uniform photos to create a strong brand identity.
Mindell successfully targets female millennials through more than just exciting colors and projects. She also incorporates her strong, high-positivity personality into her brand, both documenting her interests and her personal journey of business and family.
Socality Barbie
We end our list with the Socality Barbie Instagram account. And you may be thinking, “Can an Instagram really count as a blog?”
The truth is, this hipster Barbie has earned a place on our list because of one important lesson: content is everything. Without using bold words or an overarching color palette, the creator of Socality Barbie has used a deeply recognizable set of images (millennial fashion, current trends, and, of course, Barbie herself) to create a satirical blog with thousands of followers.
Even if you can’t personally design a website or afford to hire a developer, you still have the power to design a brand identity. How will your content choices define your brand?
Read more: How Brand Nuances Impact the Bottom Line