An introduction to Summer.
Happy Summer Solstice!
If you’re anything like me, the arrival of Summer is an occasion you’ve have been keenly anticipating for the last few weeks. The warm days and long evenings make everything feel so much more alive — cheeks are pink, gardens really burst into life and you can almost always smell somebody BBQ’ing down the road somewhere. Yum. The energy that comes with Summertime is quiet and relaxed, and I hope that you’re welcoming the new season feeling hopeful and inspired.
Each season has it’s own personality and with that comes an interesting shift in mood, colour and vision. Moving with the seasons is a beautiful way to create a brand that feels energised and inspiring all year round, and subtle shifts in your brand messaging, photography and colours (more on this later) can help to keep things fresh and exciting for both you and your audience. Summer is a wonderful brand season; it’s tasteful and elegant, with noteworthy attention-to-detail. People often think of Summer as bold, bright colours, but the palette associated with this season is much more understated than you might be imagining. It’s calm and balanced, but certainly has a nod to the energy that comes with Summertime. How does Summer feel to you? For me, it feels romantic, gentle and and relaxed — nature has really comes into it’s own, my trees have shed their Springtime blooms and are now full of small, golden fruit, the garden is at it’s prime and there’s nearly always a vase of fresh flowers on my coffee table. Around this time of year, my brand messaging feels natural and unassuming; a nod to the calmness that people often feel during this season.
If you read my Introduction to Spring blog post (you can read it here, if you’d like to), you’ll know that I like to welcome the seasons in the form of colour. The colour palette for The Brand House is largely neutral, which gives me the opportunity to introduce seasonal colours, in small amounts, throughout the year — in Spring I may add a warm green, in Summer a soft, golden yellow, in Autumn a dark orange and in Winter a deep red or navy. Always do what feels right for you and your brand, but don’t be afraid to play with seasonal elements that add a little fun and excitement. If you’ve visited my website before, you’ll probably notice that my announcement banner (the small, coloured strip at the top of the page) is no longer the gorgeous, Springtime green that you’re used to. I absolutely fell in love with it, and it was difficult to say goodbye to it for the next 9 months or so, but this muted hue is a much better representation of the season we’re in now. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a sucker for anything green, and this shade has a completely different feel to the one that I used throughout the Spring. I hope that you like it. And if you’d like to introduce some splashes of Summer to your brand this year, here are some of my favourite ways to add a little Summertime to The Brand House:
- Adding a Summer inspired accent colour to my website and social media content. For me, a pale green has hit the mark. For you, a muted blue, a dark, natural green or a soft yellow could work. Have a play around and see what feels right. I know that many people believe that blue is often thought to represent sadness, but it’s not so! It’s a peaceful and calming colour, creating feelings of serenity and stability, and is a perfect representation of one of the many brilliant parts of Summer.
- Taking extra care with my brand messaging, to make sure it feels natural, relaxed and unassuming.
- Summer really is the time to get creative and be artistic, and I try to keep this in mind when I’m working on The Brand House or with clients with a Summer brand personality.
I’ve pulled together a moodboard for this post to share some of my favourite pieces of inspiration for Summer. If you’d like to see more of my influences, please do take a look at this Pinterest board.
Get the first look.
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