Branding Made Simple For Health Practitioners

Many practitioners struggle when it comes to branding terminology and concepts. It can feel like a completely different language!

By understanding the common branding terms and concepts, you can ensure that your branding is effective and achieving what you want it to do.

With that in mind, let’s look at some of the terms that you might not be familiar with.

Branding Made Simple For Health Practitioners

Branding

When practitioners think 'branding', they often think of their logo - and not much else.

But your branding incorporates so much more, such as:

• Colours

• Fonts

• Photos

• Stock images

• Any Canva templates you use for social media

• Visual elements you use such as circles

• Copy on your website and socials

• Videos

Basically, if it's a form of communicating your business to the public - it's a piece of your branding.

To create a brand that is easy to recognise and that potential clients trust, you want to ensure that your branding is consistent across the board.

Submark

Have you noticed a reference to submark in a logo or branding package?

A submark is a variation on your logo that you can use when your primary logo isn’t the right fit. For example, a submark can be used on your social media profiles or the icons on your website.

It should be visually similar to your main logo, but more simple in terms of design. So for example, if you have your full name as your logo, you could have a version with your initials.

Stock images vs professional photos

When it comes to your branding, there are two important types of photos – stock images and professional photos.

Stock images are generic images that are taken by professional photographers. Some stock images are free for commercial use and others require purchasing for you to use them. However, you do want to make sure that your stock images are consistent with your other branding elements and images.

Professional photos are the photos taken of you during a photoshoot. These are an important part of your branding as it allows people to become familiar with your face. You can use your professional photos wherever you like – your website, your social media and even for media coverage.

Typography

Think that when it comes to fonts, you just pick one and use it everywhere? Typography shows us that it can be a little bit more involved than that!

Typography is all about arranging written content to make it legible, readable and appealing to the eye. This includes fonts that complement each other, the right sizing for headings and content, spacing between lines and letters and more.

Typography can be essential for branding elements including your logo, your website and your social media templates. A graphic designer can help you to decide on typography that supports your branding.

HEX codes

A HEX code is a code that describes a particular colour. HEX codes are a way for you or your designer to use the right branding colours across different applications and your website.

For example, some of the colours on my website and social media include:

#740b24

#d3cacf

#4d0012

Don’t have specific colours or HEX codes for your branding? You might want to consider a branding package.

Copy

You might see people referring to website copy and sales copy. Don’t be overwhelmed – copy is simply written content.

Your copy is a good chunk of your branding. The language and tone you use needs to be consistent and relevant to your niche and your own personality as a practitioner.

Mood board

Creating a mood board is an excellent way to guide your graphic designer or web designer as they design for you. A mood board is a guide of what you would like your site or brand to look at, using visuals from other people’s branding and sites.

The easiest way to create a mood board is using Pinterest. Simply browse topics such as colour palettes, websites, logos. fonts and branding, and pin any that resonate with you. You can add notes about what you specifically like or dislike about a particular pin.

You can also use a mood board to keep yourself inspired or to prepare for a brand refresh.

Visual elements

Visual elements are shapes or props that are used frequently in your business images. This can include:

• Colours

• Graphics

• Photography style

• Props you use in photos or around the clinic e.g. a teapot, laptop or notebook

To keep your branding consistent, you’ll want to use the same or similar visual elements across any images you use for your business.

Does branding leave you feeling lost and overwhelmed?

I’m here to help you create beautiful branding that attracts your dream clients. Check out my branding and logo services right here.