You might be thinking "what do texture and pattern have to do with branding? We're not picking out a sofa here." Like choosing graphic elements it's an optional choice. But before you decide to not choose these things let's take a look at some brands that I think are excelling in this department.

The Branding Series: Patterns and Textures — The Branding Series Patterns and Textures by Maker-Monologues.com

First, if you haven't been following along, no worries! It's not too late. This post is a part of a series called The Branding Series where I'm taking you along on my journey to branding Maker Monologues! I've partnered with Creative Market which is an online marketplace for all things digital and visual!

Caitlin Bacher is a social media strategist and her graphics are a perfect example of a consistent brand using patterns. Every time I'm scrolling Pinterest and I see one of her posts I know it's hers immediately.

Caitlin uses fun, poppy colors and patterns that stick out in a sea of "samey" posts. You'll see these fun patterns all throughout her brand and on her social media accounts tying everything in together. 12/2/2021 UPDATE: Caitlin has completely changed her branding, it’s a lot less colorful and fun and more sophisticated and I think it totally fits the direction she has taken her business. benziedesign.com is another brand you can check out that uses a lot of colorful elements.

Another brand that makes great use of patterns is Mikel Rumsey, a bridal service.

You can see their pink paint strokes in the top left corner of their website. When you scroll down on their homepage you can see different options to click (Blog, Meet Mikel, etc.) where they make use of their other brand patterns. No matter where you go on their website you see the same theme reoccurring. 12/2/2021 UPDATE: Mikel no longer has a website but you can still check out her Instagram to see her brand identity.

Now you might be thinking about choosing some patterns and textures for your brand, huh? If you're still not convinced, no worries, it's not something you have to do. You can also skip this step for now and decide to introduce these things later on when you see a need for them (just make sure they match the rest of your branding choices for a smooth integration).

I'm going to head over to my favorite place these days, Creative Market, to see what I can find.

I found some hand drawn/painted patterns that I really love. Here's one called Hand Drawn Patterns:

I really like the paint stroke horizontal lines and the paint stroke mixed with dots pattern. I messaged the seller to see how I could change the colors of them to match my branding so I'm awaiting her reply.

Another one I loved was this one called Ink & Pink Seamless Patterns:

There is a lot in the pack that I liked. So this is a good option for me.

One more I found was a pattern pack called Seamless Hand-Drawn Patterns:

There were just a couple I liked in this pack. Like the first one, I messaged the seller to see if I could change the color of the patterns.

I can't wait to play with some of these patterns with some different colors. I may even change two of my colors from my color palette based off this beautiful color scheme I came across. Lots of thinking to do.

As always, post your progress and all the fun patterns you're choosing on Instagram and use the hashtag #MMBranding so I can see!

Happy Branding!

The patterns used in the blog graphic and title is by The Little Cloud.