You stare at your logo, scroll back and forth over your website. It just doesn't feel quite right. Maybe it needs a few tweaks?

You jump on Pinterest and get lost looking at all the gorgeous brands and designs. You open up Photoshop and start playing around with some new ideas. But somehow it still isn't sitting right with you.

How are other people doing it? They seem to be consistent, their style stands out and is memorable. Meanwhile, you are a constant mess that can never settle on one distinct style direction.

You may say 'It is too hard to design for yourself' or 'I just like too many things.' It may seem like an impossible task, and the temptation to outsource it and hire a designer will creep in.

Hiring a designer can be great for your business. But there is still hope to tackle this for yourself. Even if you hire a designer, you want to go into it with clarity. You want to know what it is you are trying to achieve so that you can get the best out of your designer, and be left with something that feels absolutely perfect.

As a creative I know all too well how hard it can be to tackle your own brand design. How you can feel pulled in so many directions, fall in love with so many styles and be easily strayed by a pretty font or stunning colour combo.

So I decided to tackle the problem head-on. To create a process that is far deeper than anything you would do with a designer. Something that gives you clarity and confidence. Because you want to feel rest assured that your branding is exactly everything it needs to be, and you can simply enjoy it and get on with creating, working and doing your thing, rather than getting stuck fussing over your branding.

These are the steps you need to take if you want to finally feel at rest and fall in love with your branding.

Step 1- Audit Your Current Branding, to see where there is misalignment.

It's likely that over time you have added elements, graphics and various pieces to your branding over time, and as time has gone on your brand has evolved as well. Perhaps you have even had a number of different people work on the brand.

Going back over and reviewing your brand is the critical first step, to feeling content with your branding. You need to find where the holes in your branding are and what is going wrong.

Is it speaking to the right audience? Is it saying the right things? Is it consistent? Is it cohesive? Are there missing parts?

Once you have identified where the problems lie, you will then more easily be able to make changes and head the brand in the right direction, so that you will feel confident with it.

Want some help with auditing your branding? I have a free workbook you can download to give you some prompts, so you know exactly what to check for so you don't miss a thing.

Step 2- Set a strong foundation, and get clear on what you want to communicate.

Branding isn't just about looking good. It is vital that your brand has a strong foundation and that all your brand elements are chosen for a reason. This means it is important to define your 'why' and the purpose and mission of your business.

You also need clarity around your audience and niche, as well as your offers, values and business model.

Then once you know those things, consider what you want to communicate to your audience. How do you want to make them feel and what impression do you want to leave them about your brand?

Also consider the action you want them to take and how you can go beyond creating a brand, but also a movement and something people can feel a stronger connection with.

Step 3- Understand how colour, type, design elements and images can all play a part to tell your brand story.

To attract your dream customers and position your brand the way you want to be seen.

With the strategic use of design elements such as colour, type, images and design elements and even layout you can subtly communicate a message in a way that is quickly understood.

Considering people make a judgement about what they see online very fast before deciding to take a further look or scroll past, it is imperative that you use visual communication to quickly capture the attention of the right people.

Colour can evoke feelings and inspire action. Colour is highly memorable making it a very powerful tool in your branding. By selecting colours based on the feeling and actions you want to inspire in your audience, you will be able to better connect with them and creating a memorable lasting impression.

Typography can set the tone for the position of your brand and it's vibe and feel. Elegant classic fonts can make your brand look stylish and classy or a modern rounded font could make your brand look youthful and playful. It set's the tone and expectation of the brand and what it offers.

Colours and fonts are just the start. Every element of the design and style you use in your branding tells part of the story and the more you understand how that works, the better you can visually communicate and connect and attract. It will help you be seen and perceived that way you want to be.

Step 4- Put it all together and create a brand style that has meaning, rather than just looking pretty.

Finally, it's important to create a cohesive and consistent style. You can't be constantly changing things and confusing your audience. You also don't want to use conflicting design elements but have everything work harmoniously making it both functional and pleasing to the eye.

This means getting specific about your brand elements and creating a style guide that you can reference, to maintain consistency.

As well as making sure everything works well together and testing your brand elements in various scenarios to be sure nothing else is needed and it looks good in various usages.

Learn more about creating a compelling brand. Join my free workshop.