The difference between branding and web design
I recently had to part ways with a client when it became apparent that they were looking for someone to provide branding alongside their new website. The experience was thankfully very amicable, with us both realising that we weren’t the right fit for one another, but it did get me thinking that perhaps I needed to be more clear in my messaging - particularly about the differences between web design and branding.
It’s unsurprising that some authors don’t know that there’s a difference, but they really are two distinct disciplines. And while naturally there is some overlap between the two skills (and you can get some web designers that specialise in branding, as well as some branding experts that offer web design), they are very much not the same thing.
“Branding is more than just a logo or a colour palette. It goes far deeper than that”
What is branding?
Branding is more than just a logo or a colour palette. It goes far deeper than that.
At its core, branding encapsulates the essence of a business: its values, mission, and personality. It's the emotional connection that customers develop with a company, influencing their perceptions and loyalty.
When big businesses work on their branding, they start by defining their brand strategy, which involves lots of research and includes things like target audience analysis, brand positioning, and messaging.
Once those elements have been nailed down, the company has a foundation upon which to build a recognisable identity that their target consumers will relate to. Consistency is key in branding - across all areas, from advertising campaigns to customer service to packaging and more.
Of course, one of the fundamental aspects of branding is storytelling!
Effective branding tells a compelling narrative that resonates with the audience, evoking emotions and fostering a sense of belonging. Through storytelling, brands can differentiate themselves from their competition and create loyal consumers.
At its most fundamental, branding is all about building a reputation.
What about branding for authors?
As you can probably tell, branding is a complicated business, and for authors, the waters are a little muddier.
Is your brand the type of books you write? Is your brand the colours and fonts used on your books? Or is your brand your social media persona, and the relationship you, the author, has with your readers?
Author branding is different for different authors.
If you’re self-published, you’re going to have much greater control over your ‘author brand’ than if you’re with a traditional publisher, who will undoubtedly have an idea of what ‘kind’ of author they want to market you as.
“Branding is a complicated business, and for authors, the waters are a little muddier”
It’s ALWAYS a worthwhile enterprise to spend some time thinking about your author brand - who your readers are and what they’re looking for, and focus your marketing efforts on responding to those cues.
If you’re self-published, branding will be a huge part of your marketing strategy.
I would advise spending a decent amount of time researching your ideal readers and how to reach them - how to package your books and your marketing messages so that they appeal to them as much as possible. And if you do have the budget to work with an expert on this, then it’s definitely worth doing so.
Furthermore, if you are a traditionally published author, you can certainly work with your marketing team and publisher to get their opinion on where best to expend your efforts on building a ‘brand’ for you and your books.
“Web design focuses on the visual and functional aspects of a website”
What is web design?
Let me begin by re-iterating: web design is not branding!
Web design focuses on the visual and functional aspects of a website. It's the art and science of creating an online presence that is aesthetically pleasing, user-friendly, and optimised for performance.
Web design encompasses layout, navigation, typography, colour schemes, as well as interactive elements.
A well-designed website guides visitors seamlessly through the content on the website, making information easily accessible and ensuring that any interactions are intuitive. There’s lots to consider and get right when you’re building a website, such as page loading speed, mobile responsiveness, and clear calls-to-action to ensure that visitors to the website don’t get lost or confused and leave.
While aesthetics play a crucial role in web design, functionality is just as important. A visually stunning author website isn’t much use if it lacks functionality or fails to meet the needs of readers. Functionality encompasses features such as forms, search functionality, e-commerce capabilities, and integration with third-party services.
Web design also involves more technical considerations such as search engine optimization (SEO) and accessibility.
“I design my author websites to be complementary backdrops to an author’s books and that enhance the overall brand feel”
What I offer
As a web designer, my expertise lies specifically in creating and optimising websites to meet the technical needs of my clients.
As I specialise in authors, the majority of whom are traditionally published, my clients already have a 'brand' which their publisher / cover designer / marketing team have worked with them on, and thus it’s important that their website doesn’t 'fight' with this.
Instead, I design my author websites to be complementary backdrops to an author’s books and that enhance the overall brand feel.
For example, I’ll take inspiration from the fonts used on the cover to ensure that the fonts on the website work in harmony with them, and I’ll make sure any colours used are sympathetic to the covers too.
Most importantly, I try to ensure my websites are flexible and neutral enough to support any future books the author might release, so that the site doesn’t have to be redesigned each time.
While I am passionate about delivering exceptional web design, I don’t offer branding services, as these are very distinct skills and I am not trained in brand strategy.
Many web designers include 'light-touch branding' during the process of the website build (choosing colours and fonts that reflect the author’s books and audience etc), which is where I think it can be a little confusing, but as I said, they really are two distinct disciplines.
I believe that an author’s brand should be firmly established before they start thinking about building their website.
But what if I want a web designer who can do branding too?
This can definitely be a more affordable way of developing your author brand, and luckily there are web designers out there who are excellent at branding!
I can recommend the following ladies who are all highly skilled at this:
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