Working on Your Branding? Here's Where to Start

Have you selected your color palette and font(s) for your business? Do you have a logo or business cards that reflect those choices?

Branding is something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately—it’s more than just pretty colors. When your fonts and colors are all over the place, your brand expression can feel generic or disconnected. But when it’s cohesive? That’s when it starts to feel polished, professional, and *memorable*.

Start by asking yourself: How do I want my customers to describe my brand? Is it rustic, modern, farmhouse, luxe, minimal, vintage, boho, corporate, or playful? Then think about what colors, fonts, packaging, and overall design can help communicate that aesthetic.

I’ve been using light pink for a while, but I hadn’t nailed down secondary colors or a font pairing I truly loved. Recently, I started exploring branding board templates in Canva, and it was incredibly helpful! These templates let you see your entire look at a glance—colors, fonts, logo, and photo style—so you can easily spot what works (and what doesn’t).

Helpful tips as you explore your branding:

• In Canva, you can set your brand colors to apply them consistently across your graphics.
• You can also upload custom fonts you’ve purchased, even if they aren’t built into Canva.
• Branding boards help you quickly test if all your design elements complement each other—fonts, tones, logo placement, and more.

It’s likely I’ll work with a professional designer down the road to refine and finalize everything—but even this early-stage work is making a big difference in how I think about the brand I’m building.

📸 Pictured: My in-progress branding board.

Want feedback or ideas? Come join us in the Monarch Pine Craft Supply Insiders group—we talk shop design, branding, and beyond!