#50 | Branding 101: Why Visuals Matter With Abby Moffitt

So many of you shared that last week’s lesson on leveraging LinkedIn was incredibly helpful. I was excited to see your profile updates and new posts – go you! Today we’re building off of last week’s momentum for an episode on all things visual branding with my friend and business partner, Abby Moffitt.

Abby has 15 years of design experience under her belt, working with everyone from rock stars to nonprofits. She’s given us an expert’s take on everything from brand consistency to color psychology. Green Day, Oprah and myself have all had the opportunity to benefit from Abby’s genius, today you will too.  

Creating Consistency in Branding (09:09)

Abby has had firsthand experience in the evolution of major brands like Paul McCartney and Taylor Swift. I was curious to know how they were able to maintain authenticity through their various evolutions.

She says the key is consistency. You can change design elements of your brand, but you must do so across channels. A great example is using the same fonts and color schemes on your website, social media, and emails. Abby recently helped me do this exact thing, check out my new website and Instagram to see!

Aligning Your Brand (19:30)

Does what you share online match who you are in person? According to Abby, this is what we should ask ourselves as we present our brands to the world.

“When someone’s website is very formal but in person they are not, it’s confusing. You don’t know what you’re getting. Having your verbal, visual, and real life cues match is really important to translating well to your audience.”

Color Psychology (28:35)

Can’t decide on what colors to include in your brand? Abby says go with what makes you feel good. You’ll be surrounded by these colors all the time so choose the ones that make you happy and represent you well.

Also, choose colors based on how you want your customers to feel. “Think about being at a live show, you’ll have a much different feeling if the band is playing loudly and the lights are red than if they’re playing quietly and the lights are blue. Let the intensity of your colors match the intensity of the mood.”

Pro tip: The same rule applies to fonts!

Creating a Living Brand (33:25)

Just like humans, your brand needs room for evolution, that’s why it’s important to create a “living brand.”

“In the entertainment world big brands are pretty static, but personal brands should have wiggle room. You don’t know how your business will grow and change so think of it as a living breathing thing. Make sure your personality shines through.”

Advice For Global Branding (45:46)

As we position our brands for a global audience there are a few things Abby says we should remember:

1. Have your website running and ready for translation into various languages.
2. Do a background check on what you’re producing to make sure there aren’t similar logos or products that are offensive.
3. Have a good understanding of what is and isn’t acceptable to your audience.

Speed Round (48:00)

• What have you started using lately that you love?

Being outside and planting flowers

• What is the best gift you’ve given yourself in the last year?

Joining Freedom Boat Club

• What is the next thing you’re hoping to learn?

Learning how to code websites and self-publishing a book

• What accounts do you follow that you love?

Morgan Harper Nichols, Heidi Huddleston, Jenny Pak, Kim Kaupe

Homework: One, get outside to reset. Second, work on talking about yourself in a way that is not based on your career and instead on who you are personally.

Next week

Anyone else feeling a bit awkward as we reenter this “normal”? I’ve found myself second guessing my outfits and feeling just a touch of anxiety when I meet people in real life. Tatiana Kolovou is a fellow LinkedIn Learning instructor and an award winning faculty member at Kelley School of Business, her newsletter, Stronger is all about resiliency and communication, which sounds like exactly what we need for the year 2021. Pull up a chair and bring some questions with!