Battling to come up with a catchy, meaningful tagline for your brand? Sometimes it can feel a little pushy and cliched, hey? Let me tell you how I (accidentally) created three taglines for my recent brand identity design clients even though I am not a copywriter. 

It was a logical step, even though it was not the job they hired me for.

(want to go straight to the free guide and worksheet? Here it is) 

It’s my brand design process that led to creating taglines that made sense for each brand:

When I create a new brand for a client, I try understand as much about the business as I can. I want to know the history, the present and the (desired) future of the brand. I want to know who they are, where they hang out, and what people say behind their backs. 

To get all this information, I lead the client through a bunch of exercises and questions that help them verbalize the thoughts and ideas floating in their minds. 

Processing the data

Once the client and I have completed our strategy workshop, I usually take a day or three to let the information sit and settle in my own mind. I start making connections,  noticing patterns, and exposing outlying or conflicting ideas that may cause confusion. 

It is during this step that I come up with phrases to transform the data into words that make sense. A tagline or brand phrase is my way of saying it in my own words and making sure that I understand what they told me. 

It makes deep sense

Time and time again a client will grab a pencil to write down these phrases that I come up with, desperate not to forget it. It is because it makes sense. It is something that they felt deep inside, they just didn’t know how to say it. And that is the beauty of a meaningful tagline.

A lot of brand design is like that. The values and principles, the personality and style, it often lives as an abstract idea somewhere in your mind. My job is to help you bring it into the world as fonts, colours, words, patterns, shapes and emotions and more. 

Want to create your own tagline?

I loosely use the tagline “Design that makes sense” in my own brand. Common sense and fruitfulness are core values in my business and it is unlikely to change, no matter how my offerings are structured. So to say that I offer design that makes sense, has nothing to do with my current offering, but rather an expectation I create.

Now, even though your tagline doesn’t have to be forever, you do want to use it just like you would use your logo or brand colours. It should be part of your brand and its message. 

One way you can choose a longer lasting tagline, is to base it on something that is important to you. Something you believe, something your teach, a hill you are willing to die on in your brand. 

Grab this free guide and worksheet. It’s a simple google doc, no printing needed. But if you are like me, keep a doodle pad close by. People like us think better when we have a pencil in hand. 

Practical tips when creating your own tagline:

• Smart and cute doesn’t always win. Don’t try create a new word that no one will understand, for the sake of rhyming or alliteration
• But if you can make it rhyme or alliterate, do it. 
• A good tagline gives the reader a taste of what they can expect from the business. This can be emotional responses like motivation, encouragement, joy, or nostalgia. Or it can be confirmation of a pain point and solution, values or principles, or unique value.
• Should be able to stand on it’s own. I like to make a brand mark with a tagline, that is independent of the logo or company name. This gives you an extra brand mark, that can add brand recognition where your logo is already present, or inappropriate.  

Where to use taglines:

• Include as part of one of your logo layouts. Use this logo where placement allows enough space without being squished. 
• Use as watermark over images on website or social media.
• Use in footer of letterheads or on website.
• Use as decorative mark on website.

Play along and share your tagline in the comments below. It will be fun to get that sneak peak of what we can expect of YOUR business.

Remember the free guide and worksheet to help you explore options for your own tagline.

Get the guide or would you like to work with me on creating your brand identity? Find me here