When it comes to branding, something that can often be forgotten in the process is the addition of a pattern. Patterns are a wonderful way to add personality and more detail to a Brand, beyond simply having a set color palette. There should be a special spot on your brand board to place a pattern that fits in perfectly with your branding, so if you don’t have one already, create the space!

Adding A Pattern To Your Brand

The pattern I’ve incorporated into Blog Pixie’s branding is a marble texture, in particular the stone marble available in my Pretty Textures Kit. I use this marble as the background for the website and it just ties everything together perfectly. The pattern you use for your brand doesn’t necessarily have to be a typical pattern – it can be a texture or very subtle print, as long as it compliments your color palette and photography.

I have a brand new collection of Floral Patterns, which are also included as part of the Floriana Creator Studio. There’s a pattern file to install in Photoshop and easy-to-use JPG images for any other program (a handful of them shown below). Most are in muted tones that are unlikely to detract from your content. There’s also quite a few light grey and black options in case you want something to sit simply beside the colors you already use.

Floriana also has a brand board template for Photoshop with a spot ready to include a pattern if you don’t have one already.

Another range of patterns I have are in the Whimsical Patterned Prints – these are pre-made patterned images which you don’t need any special program to use (they can go straight into Canva or Picmonkey). I’ve found them to be very helpful as the background to my top blog post images when putting a post together

Remember if you ever see a pre-made pattern you love that isn’t in the color you need, you can always pop it into Photoshop or a photo editing app on your phone like PS Express (just email the picture to yourself) and adjust the exposure, saturation, etc. to hopefully get it to the color you need.

If you’re trying to choose a pattern, it might be helpful to fill out the rest of your brand board first – the colors, logos and inspiration – then try out different patterns to see what looks best with it all.

Using A Pattern On Your Blog

There are all sorts of ways you can use your new branding pattern throughout your blog and social media, a few examples include:

• Blog Post Images

  If you create an image for the top of your blog posts which has the post title, your logo and your website on it (ready to add to Pinterest), chances are you need a creative background to place that information on. If you don’t have time to take a photo or don’t have the right stock photo to use, this is where you can use your pattern instead. You will see in the image I used at the top of the Free Calligraphy Fonts post, I used one of my Whimsical Patterns as the background and placed a simple white rectangle on top. In 5 minutes I had a pretty, eye-catching image ready for Pinterest.

• Instagram 

  Sometimes it can be nice to mix up your photography on Instagram with something different. Patterns can be used as the background or border for quote images, or even as the background with a photo layered on top.

• Mood Boards 

  A pattern can add an extra creative element to a mood board, rather than simply using all photos. Choose one in a color that will fit in with the other photos in your mood board and it will add that breathing space.

• Banners 

  If you want your site banners to stand out amongst the photography on your blog, mixing a pattern with a photo works really well. You can place a photo down, then layer a pattern to the side of the image with writing on top.

• Buttons 

  Throwing a patterned button into your side bar amongst plain colored buttons will add interest and style.

• Mailing List 

  Adding a pattern to your mailing list emails is a great way to promote your brand’s identity when you send an email out. A lot of the time I find myself opening emails without looking at who it’s from, and I find the ones that have their brand’s pattern incorporated into the images within the newsletter are the ones that stand out to me. I can immediately tell which blog an email is from when I spot their pattern in the mix.

• Facebook And Twitter Banners

  Sometimes it can be impossible to know what to upload as the cover image on your Facebook page or Twitter profile. A pattern is easy and works wonders!

• Site Background 

  If you have a soft, easy on the eye pattern, you may be able to use this as your blog’s background image. This works best for very subtle patterns or textures, and white/grey tones (such as the marble I use). If your pattern is dramatic in itself, keep your site background white and use the pattern as a statement piece.

Patterns are fun, interesting and will definitely amp up your blog’s design and creations. If you don’t already have a go-to pattern, I hope you find your perfect one soon!

The post How To Add A Pattern To Your Brand & Blog appeared first on Blog Pixie.