My Branding History + Tips on Streamlining Your Online and Offline Brand

One of my many price tag incarnations. This is #2 of  about five total. #6 is being developed!

I've been brainstorming on branding a lot these days. I'm working on making my antique mall booth, Etsy shop, blog, and more one consistent, flowing, strong brand. It's fun and challenging, and I'm happy with my progress thus far. I've been asked by fellow Etsy and online sellers to provide specific tips on branding and to share my evolution thus far. I figured right now, before a big switch-out of tags, cards, etc. would be a perfect time to discuss it!

Price Tag Incarnation #1: Simple white hand tags hand stamped with boat and owl stamps

Pro Tip 1: You don't need to spend any or much money to make your brand look pro or stand out. Be creative with your resources, the handmade look is often prized in antique malls or selling in marketplaces like Etsy. These old stamped tags are by far the ones shoppers responded to the most! They received many compliments and "coos" over their simple cuteness and classic look. And they were the easiest/cheapest!

Price Tag Incarnation #2: Home printed tags on colorful card-stock. Hand cut, hole punched, strung.

Pro Tip 2: Be consistent with your brand. Your tags, cards, website, and every single photo should project your brand experience. Infuse it into everything you do. Tell a story. My brand's always been colorful and playful, and I keep trying to add more to that story and develop it.

Price Tag Incarnation #3: Huge colorful Price Tags on Card Stock, hand-stamped with item's price.

Pro Tip 3: It's important to use time wisely! If you have a huge amount of items to tag (like I did, for three different antique mall booths at this time!) hand cutting out, stringing,then stamping each tag is a bad idea. It took me hours and hours to switch out my booths with these tags. You may want to order pre-strung and cut tags if you have the budget- time is money! They were worth a try to see if they would be attention grabbing enough on their own to entice sales but I'm also told they were distracting and could have caused the opposite reaction. What do you think?

The background of the price tags above and below was this hilarious scan from my 1980s Transformers comic books collection. I liked the white version better, you could see the transformers even more!

They were also the backs for cute stud earrings, I still have some of these hanging around. They'll likely go on to my Etsy Shop to be sold along with some other up-cycled quirky pieces I've  been holding on to behind-the-scenes.

Price Tag Incarnation #4: Huge plain white Price Tags on Card Stock, no more hand-stamping prices

Pro Tip 4: With good design, less is more! It's all about the challenge of presenting as much of your message as possible at a glance. This makes good branding a ever-evolving, streamlining effort. As much as I enjoy my transformers watermarked tags I'm phasing them out for something more branded. I'm using plain white hang tags in the meantime.

First Etsy Incarnation: Put Up in a Rush for Christmas Shoppers. Did the job, but needed more!

Current Incarnation: The fonts and use of photography in the logo ties into the shop better than the previous ones. Pleased with the improved tagline, too!

I've also developed new packaging but I'll write about that along with how the website's evolved another time. I wanted to show that you rarely get it right the first time and it takes years of streamlining and developing to arrive where you're satisfied with your brand-- only for you to change it up again. The constant innovation is the funnest part of owning a business for me. (By the way, if you ever need a website banner, tags designed, or logo/branding packages e-mail me, I love doing them!)

What do you use for price tags? How has your brand developed over the years? What do you like to see from a company you're going to buy from? Got any printers/companies/designers to recommend?! Do share!

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