Importance of Branding for Artists

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“Brand identity for your business provides an opportunity to create distinction, making your story one-of-a-kind. The beauty of branding is that it gives you the power to create the perception to create an impression for your target audience that is unique and classy.”
​― Germany Kent

​Branding is an often overlooked element of running an art business, yet successful branding can be a huge leg-up for the success of your artistic career. Branding is made up of who you are and what you do. It is putting your best foot forward through media, design, and content to best represent yourself as an artist. If you are an artist trying to sell your work, you already have a brand whether you know it or not. Bringing mindfulness to your branding strategy can help you strengthen your brand and make it work for you.
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This article will explore what branding for artists is, why branding is so important, and the 5 top benefits of branding.

What is Branding for Artists?

​Branding for Artists is the process of using media, design, and content to create a recognizable brand for your art business. Branding as an artist helps you to encourage more engagement and long-term loyalty with your audience. Branding is not just a logo, colors, and font, it should be an integrated part of everything you do for your business. Successful artists have honed their skills and developed their techniques to create artwork that is unique to them. As an artist, this is part of your brand.

​Think about times when you’ve walked into a gallery, saw a painting from across the room, and said, “oh there's a piece by so-and-so.” That artist has created a style of work that is their own. With branding, we take this approach to your website and content as well. Think about the following well-known brands:  Wal-Mart and Dior. Each of those names immediately brings a picture to your mind, and one brand immediately makes you think “cheap/ low-quality” and the other makes you think “valuable/ high-end.” That is the result of branding. The longer a business is around the more impactful a good brand can be. If you always provide high-quality products and great customer service your brand will become stronger because people will begin associating these things with your brand.

​In the end, successful branding is when our mission, beliefs, purpose, personality, content/imagery, and products all align with the same message. As you can imagine, banding can have a powerful impact on the minds of consumers and collectors. When working on branding for artists keep in mind the following 4 steps in creating your brand:
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1. The first step is to identify what your art is about, what you stand for, and what sets you apart. Unlike big companies built around a variety of products, art creation is a very personal and individualistic business. Therefore your branding will be focused on you and your work. It is important to understand where you want to go with your business and what type of art you are wanting to create.
2. The second step is to identify your ideal audience and what they value in art and life (i.e. what they relate to). Understanding who will buy your artwork will help you better connect with your target audience. Tasks 1 and 2 go hand in hand. You won't be for everyone and everyone won’t be for you. Finding your niche and your niche audience is a good thing.
3. The next step is deciding on the presentation of your brand. Things to consider here are your business name (typically your name), logo, brand colors, fonts, style/vibe, and other visual elements that will represent your art business in a cohesive manner. 
4. The final step is promoting your work, and utilizing branding strategies so that people know who you are and what you do. You will want to do this consistently to effectively build your brand and create brand recognition in your target audience.

A strong brand can help you to stand out from the crowd and become more visible and recognizable in your field.
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Why branding is so important?

​Branding is important because it helps you to build your reputation and identity as an artist. A cohesive and consistent brand becomes more recognizable and helps the right audience connect with you. A consistent brand also helps you create trust and loyalty with your current followers and collectors. For artists, branding can be another fun way to express your creativity and help set you apart from the crowd. Here are 5 top benefits of Branding as an artist:

1. Establishing identity:

As an artist, branding allows you to establish your own identity in the market. This is essential for you if you want to be successful in your art career. Think of the Wal-Mart and Dior example above. What do you want people to think of when they think of your business? 

2. Making a profit:

As your work becomes more recognizable you have more opportunities to sell your work. Branding can help you achieve this goal by increasing your visibility and recognizability among potential clients or customers. 

 3. Building trust: 

Branding allows you to establish trust with your fans and collectors, as it signifies that you are serious about the business side of your career. No one wants to do business with someone who doesn’t run their business well, ignores deadlines, or doesn’t communicate. A solid brand shows that you’ve put in the work and taken your career seriously. In other words, you look professional.

4. Acquiring reputation: 

Brands can become known for quality products and services, which means that you can build up a reputable brand that will provide clients with high-quality work. This is important as it demonstrates that you care about your work and strive to meet the standards set by your brand.

5. Differentiating yourself:
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Branding allows you to be different from others in your field by having a distinctive style or look. This allows you to stand out and develop a unique style, distinguishing you from other similar artists. Remember, your actual artwork comes into play here as well. Your artwork should be uniquely yours- that is part of your artist brand.

Wrapping Up

​Branding for Artists is a valuable asset to help you achieve success in artists career and stay strong in the art market. Branding is a way to create an identity and connection with a market and identify oneself. It also builds trust and reputation. If you want to showcase yourself as a unique artist to your fans and followers you must have your own brand that reflects your style. (Remember you already have a brand, you just may not be tending to it mindfully.) Having a unique brand helps you to stand out from the other artists in the crowd, builds trust in your clients, and earns a reputation in the field.
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This article has provided you with an overview of the importance of branding for artists. What questions do you have about branding for artists?

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