Last week I had the privilege of attending a Webinar for the Summit of Awesome, which is a conference geared towards independent Artists and Crafters, the topic of which was Branding. In it, Jeffrey, the Graphic Designer behind El Jefe Design offered industry knowledge about  Pantone/PMS colors, successful logo and branding campaigns, and trademarking.

Throughout the entire presentation, I had the voice of a very good friend and colleague playing back through my head saying “Audience, audience, think of your Audience!” From the reaction of the crafters in the virtual classroom with me, there was alot of confusion as to what all this stuff had to do with them… new or existing Etsy shop owners looking for startup advice.

Towards the end of the seminar, Jeffrey offered the following as the top 3 things that new crafters and artists should do as they embark upon making a business out of selling their art.

1. Get a logo (which Jeffrey previously acknowledged as being in the neighborhood of $500-$1000)
2. Get a rubber stamp made of your logo (and stamp it everywhere)
3. Get a website

There is validity to what Jeffrey was saying, especially for startup companies -  I can say this because I already have an understanding of  branding, design, and corporate identity. Others that were present with me in the webinar - artists and crafters of handmade goods - left the seminar with more questions than answers.

Clearing it All Up

When all is said and done, a logo and a brand are two different things.  Yes, they both come together to work FOR you, but they are not the same thing.  To put it succinctly, a brand reflects how a company or organization wishes to be perceived by its customers… what feelings does the company wish to invoke? A successful brand showcases the company’s purpose and why it is what it is.  Some brand attributes one may wish to include as part of their identity include caring, honesty, humor, professionalism, intelligence, sophistication, reliability, and trustworthiness.  Notice most of these are intangible feelings or ideals.

But… what about a logo?

The power behind a logo is that

1. It stays the same
2. It is easy to remember and provides instant recognition to the intended audience
3. It can easily be used across multiple mediums (print, online, signage, etc)

The logo is the constant that helps to support a brand.  It is instantly recognizable, and (if done correctly) it will invoke the brand attributes for its company or organization.  On a large scale, a logo is an integral part of a successful branding campaign, however can a  brand be built on a smaller scale and without the up-front cost or expense associated with professional logo design?

Author’s Note: This article is not intended to dissuade you from seeking out the work of a professional designer to shape your  image.  I do, however, wish to offer techniques and solutions for those that may be starting out and may not be able to spare the up-front cost of developing a traditional brand and  logo.

It’s All About the Image

A customer needs to be comfortable in order to be convinced to spend money… especially online.  No, this doesn’t mean they need bunny slippers and a cup of coffee (although it may help ), but it does mean they need to be assured that their money is going to a legitimate place.

Lets take a side-by-side comparison of the recent Etsy store remodel of my friend and colleague, Christina from Just Envelopes.  She specializes in beautiful and quality handmade cards, which, as a former scrapbook store owner myself, hold a very special place in my heart.

I have experienced her craftmanship and attention to detail first hand, and her cards are exquisite, however you would never guess by looking at the “Before” shot of her store (you may click the photos below for larger versions):

Etsy Store: Before

Her banner was simply an off-center  photograph of some scrapbook paper and her avatar is the same thing shrunk down to near-illegible quality.

Whats more, her business card (personal information has been removed) had a completely different look and feel:

Just Envelopes Business Card (Before)

This sort of mixed message is exactly what you don’t want to do.  The memorablility of such a “confused” identity is severely diminished.  Is Christina the one with the Blue-ish Etsy banner?  The one with the green leafy business card?  The diluted imagery is unmemorable, unremarkable, and easily forgotten… all of the feelings you don’t want your brand to invoke.

Her store has undergone a drastic change over the last few weeks:

Just Envelopes Etsy Storefront: After

Her banner incorporates imagery of what she does - adorning sophisticated and velvetty papers with ribbon embellishments. Copper scrolled fontwork artfully illustrate her store name. Her avatar nicely coordinates without being redundant. It showcases consistent imagery, but is canted on the diagonal to make it stand out on the page.

And what about the Business card?

Just Envelopes Business Card - After

It now promotes the same memorable imagery of her site.  This sort of cohesive branding professionally showcases what Christina does, but more importantly it is indicative that she took the extra time and care to make her customers feel comfortable shopping with her.  This attention to detail reflects positively on her, and her craftables.  She really doesn’t have a logo in the traditional sense, but she does now have a brand.

Wrapping it Up

As a paper artist on Etsy, Christina has LOADS of opportunity to stand out from the crowd.  Why not turn the business card into a functional piece of art?  Clip the corner with a hole punch, add an eyelet and some trailing fibers, turn it into an artist trading card that shows off her skill.

Speaking from experience from my former scrapbook store owner days, you will be noticed if you take extra time to package your orders… wrap everything in printed tissue paper, available by the thousands for pennies per sheet. Maybe toss in a few pieces of candy or extra handmade craftables that aren’t quite perfect, but still pretty.  The point is, the creativity of the Etsy marketplace lends itself nicely to such extra touches and it is these touches that will catch the eyes of customers and leave them with happy thoughts of their shopping experience with you.

Jazz up your image and spice up your packaging! Take a step back and put yourself in your customers’ shoes… you already take pride in your craftables, why not take charge of your storefront and identity?  It won’t set you back the $500-$1000 that a logo would, but it will keep your customers coming back, and hopefully with friends.

Authors Note: As I mentioned, Christina is a friend and colleague and has given me permission to use her identity in this article.  Rest assured, no Christina’s were harmed in the making of this posting