Design Your Online Coaching Brand: The Ultimate Guide

As a coach, you have a unique opportunity to help people transform their lives. However, to reach the clients who need your services, you must design a successful online coaching brand. A brand is much more than a logo or a catchy tagline; it’s how people perceive you and your business. 

A strong brand can help you attract the right clients, establish credibility, and grow your coaching business. In this ultimate brand building guide for coaches, we’ll explore the steps you can take to build a powerful brand that resonates with your ideal clients.

As a branding and web designer specializing in working with online coaches, I’ve created 100+ bespoke coaching brands and 1000+ coaching website pages. In this ultimate brand building guide for coaches, I’m taking all of that expertise and experience and creating a step-by-step guide for you to create a professional coaching brand that converts, even if you’re on a budget.

Why is Branding so important?

Whether you’re a business coach, life coach, fitness coach, nutrition coach, health coach, spiritual coach, feminine empowerment coach, relationship coach, money coach, finance coach or any other type of online coach, you need to create a brand that is going to connect with your ideal client and create the trust they need to feel in order to hire you. 

You also need to showcase how you get the desired transformation for your clients so that your ideal client can really envision themselves working with you and achieving the same transformation.

Because online coaching is so much about energy, connection and transformation, we need to take a really intentional approach to build connection with your online brand.

Your brand needs to do way more than just look beautiful (although that is a very important aspect of your brand as well.) 

In the last 5 years of working with online coaches to create premium brands for their business, I have developed a signature process to create a stunning coaching brand that not only feels uniquely you, but also that converts. 

Today I’m going to walk you through each step of that process and show you how you can approach DIYing the branding process so that you can create a professional and high-converting coaching brand even if you are on a budget. 

I’ll be sharing with you exclusive resources, strategies and exercises I use with my private clients. Of course, my recommendation is always to work with a professional designer to create your coaching brand and website when that becomes available to you.

The reality is not everyone is in a position to invest in a professional brand, and that’s okay.

However, that is not an excuse not to have a well thought-out and intentional brand so that you can put your best foot forward online. It just means you’ll need to put in a little elbow grease to make it happen. If you are DIYing your coaching brand, I will also be sharing tools you can use for free and on a budget to create a premium and cohesive brand experience.

There are 6 major steps to building an online coaching brand that converts.

It’s important to take these steps IN ORDER and not to skip any, even if you have completed similar exercises before. 

Also note that while these steps can be completed in a single day, I recommend spending at least a week creating your brand so that you can come back to it each day with fresh eyes. This is a tried and true tactic I use myself as a designer for clients and it has a HUGELY positive impact on results.

Okay, let’s dive into the ultimate guide for building your online coaching brand in 6 steps:

Design your Online Coaching Brand Step 1: Create Your Brand Mission Statement and Brand Values

Before you can start building your brand, you need to know what you stand for.

In the famous words of Alexander Hamilton from one of my fav musicals “Hamilton” – “If you stand for nothing, what will you fall for?”

Pro Tip: People want to work with coaches that have a strong, established perspective that they admire, aspire to and relate to.

Ask yourself: What do I want to be known for? What are my values, mission, and vision? What makes me different from other coaches in my niche? 

Take some time to reflect on these questions and write down your answers. This will help you create a clear and compelling brand message. Your Brand message consists of 2 parts: Your Brand Mission Statement and Your Brand Values.

Your Brand Mission Statement: In one statement, answer the following question: What is my WHY and what motivated me to launch my coaching business? What problems am I solving, and how am I different from other brands?

Example Brand Mission Statement for an Online Coach:
We support service based entrepreneurs in sustainably scaling companies that cultivate regenerative wealth through CEO development, business development and systems automation.

Your Brand Values: Brand values are words or short statements that illustrate what the company stands for and what you BELIEVE IN. These are the ideals by which decisions are made across every aspect of the business.

• Example Brand Values for an Online Coach:
  • Ethical Embodiment
    We want to ensure that all that we do causes no harm and allows us to stay fully in our lane. We develop clear boundaries that cultivate safe spaces and empower us to feel in integrity with what we do and HOW we do it.
    
  • Sustainability
    We want to build something that will last forever. We focus on taking the time to engineer an infrastructure and entire business model unique to each individual client’s core values and lifestyle goals so they never have to compromise their overall wellbeing just to hit numbers. 
    
  • Regenerative Wealth 
    Every aspect of what we do, HOW we do it and WHY we do it is INTENTIONALLY and consciously curated so we become a zero waste company, meaning each and every aspect of the company plays an essential and vital role in contributing to the overall health and well being of the rest of the company.
    
  • Fulfillment
    Building a brand, company and IMPACT that is in full alignment and as connected as possible with what lights you up and allows you to go to sleep every night feeling overwhelmed with gratitude for the work you get to do in the world.
    
  • Impact
    We strive to make a change even at the smallest levels whether that be directly with the clients we work with, their families, communities or even global.

Design your Online Coaching Brand Step 2: Get Super Clear on Your Ideal Client

To create a brand that resonates with your clients, you need to know who they are.

Who is your ideal client? What are their needs, challenges, and goals? What are their pain points, and how can you help them overcome those problems and achieve their desired solution? Once you have a clear understanding of your ideal client, you can tailor your brand messaging to speak directly to them. 

This is *almost* like cheating in online business, because when you are sharing the right message to the right person, marketing, sales, and growing your online business become SO much easier.  

Pro Tip: Do not skip this ideal client exercise! Even if you have done it before, it’s crucial to reconsider your ideal client during the branding process (or rebranding process).

Open up a Google doc and describe your ideal client. Include information like age, interests, gender, marital status, income, education and employment. Good demographics help capture the mindset, attitudes and behaviors of the people your brand is trying to appeal to. Who will care about this brand the most?

• Here is an example business coaching demographic:
  • Women in their 30’s and 40’s
  • Early stage online business owners
  • Have an established corporate career and ready to break free from 9-5 life
  • Knowledgeable, educated and tech savvy 
  • Can-do, positive attitude
  • Know it’s possible for them and ready to put in the work
  • Looking for a proven path to follow to online business success

Ask yourself the following questions about your ideal client and write down the answers: 

1. What problem do you solve for your ideal clients?
2. What are the major pain points your customers have that your business addresses? Try to incorporate emotion here—how do these problems make your customer feel?

• Example of phrasing you can use in your pain points for online coaching:
  • Not enough time in the day
  • Always in pain and don’t know why
  • Can’t boost your biz to the next level
  • Tired of ____
  • Sick of _____, etc. 

3. What are the major positive outcomes your business provides? These should be things that will attract clients with a positive, emotional hook.

• Examples of positive outcomes of online coaching:  
  • More free time to spend with family
  • Confidence boost
  • Taking control of your health
  • Landing your dream job

4. What might be the most common objections to your business, and how can you reassure potential customers?

1. Examples of common objections in online coaching and their solutions:
   1. Too expensive → Is there a way to be resourceful or a more accessible offer?
   2. The result isn’t worth the money → What is the cost of not taking action, how much will it cost to be in this same place a year from now?
   3. Not sure I can stick to the program → Explain the support included
   4. Not enough time to complete the program → Explain the time commitment and quantify against the time it costs to NOT have the desired result currently
   5. I don’t think I can get this result → Mindset coaching
   6. I don’t trust you to get me this result → Credentials, Social proof, testimonials, client case studies

If you have completed ideal client exercises in the past, here are some additional questions to ask yourself: Has anything changed about your ideal client? Has anything changed about your business? How has the world and economic climate changed and how does that impact the solutions your ideal client is looking for? 

Design your Online Coaching Brand Step 3: Conduct Your Competitor Analysis

Consider three of your stronger competitors and why your ideal client might find value in using their services.

In business, we use the term “competitor” to describe other businesses that offer a similar service and/or a similar result. You don’t need to think about “competitors” as people you are actually in competition with. It’s actually a GOOD thing if there are businesses out there offering similar services, because that means there is proof that people out there are actually interested in your services.

PRO TIP: Understanding what similar service providers are and are not offering, as well as how they are speaking to a similar ideal client will help you determine what aspects of their approach you may want to do differently.

• Ask yourself the following about your competitors:
  • What about your competitor’s branding might attract your ideal client?
  • Why your ideal client might object to using their services. 
  • What about your competitor’s branding might repel your ideal client?
  • How are your offerings superior or unique compared to your competitors?

The purpose of this exercise is to help you come up with your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) for Developing your Brand Message in the next section.

Design your Online Coaching Brand Step 4: Develop Your Brand Message & USP (Unique Selling Proposition)

It’s time to put everything together into your brand message, the core of your brand.

This is the message you want to convey to your clients about who you are, what you do, and your big picture WHY. To create a compelling brand message, you need to articulate your unique selling proposition (USP).

Your USP is what sets you apart from other coaches in your niche.

It’s the reason why clients choose you over your competitors. Your brand message should be concise, clear, and compelling.

Your brand message should be concise, clear, and compelling.

For example, the USP of a luxury car might be its superior performance and comfort, while the USP of a budget airline might be its low fares. 

Your USP can be based on many factors, including price, quality, performance, features, design, convenience, or customer service. The key is that it must be unique and appealing enough to create a competitive advantage and drive sales.

Example Brand Message / Unique Selling Proposition for Online Coaches:

“Transform your online course business with our signature method, proven to sustainably scale clients to millions while working only 20 hours a week.”

Design your Online Coaching Brand Step 5: Develop Your Strong Visual Identity

Your “visual identity” is the visual representation of the business identity we created above via your Brand Mission, Brand Values, & Brand Message.

To create your visual identity, you’ll create your Brand Descriptive Adjectives & Mood board. Your Brand Descriptive Adjectives and Mood Board are internal documents that act as a visual guide for your brand vibe and will be used as a north star for your brand. 

Nailing down your brand vibe is the first step towards making informed decisions about what tone to take in your copy, what types of photos to post on Instagram and how to design marketing and promotional images for your business. 

Your visual identity should be consistent across all of your brand touch points. The goal here is for your ideal client to feel like they are living in the same universe of “you” when they go from your marketing materials, to your website to your social media profiles. A strong visual identity can help you establish credibility and make your brand more memorable.

• Here are the 5 parts included in the visual branding process:
  • Select your brand descriptive words
  • Create your brand inspiration Pinterest board
  • Assemble your Mood Board
  • Create your Color Palette
  • Design your Logo

PRO TIP: Once you have your mood board, you’ll be able to measure any design work against this mood board to make sure you are staying on brand and creating a cohesive brand experience.

Visual Branding Part 1: Select your brand descriptive words

Choose 4 Brand Adjectives from the word bank (or create your own) that you feel best embody your brand. 

Ask Yourself: Which adjectives should your brand embody in order to attract your ideal client?  

Keep these 4 words front and center as you go through the rest of the design process.

Example Brand Adjectives:

Visual Branding Part 2: Create your brand inspiration Pinterest board

This is one of the most fun parts of the visual identity process! Your Pinterest inspiration board will help you create the look and feel of your brand. You’ll use the board to nail down your brand vibe and from there you will find visual patterns in the images you choose. Identifying these patterns will help you to develop your color palette and mood board for your brand. 

The goal here is to find images, colors and vibes that you feel would resonate with your ideal client. What would they gravitate towards?

Your board doesn’t need to consist only of other brands/websites – pin anything that inspires you! 

• Here are some ideas for types of Pins you can add to your Pinterest Board: 
  • Lifestyle photos
  • Fonts
  • Colors
  • Logos
  • Graphics
  • Interior Design
  • Magazine Design
  • Design from other Industries
  • Images from nature and the world that INSPIRE you

Step 1. Head on over to Pinterest and create a free account if you don’t have one already. If you are brand new to Pinterest, here’s a tutorial from Pinterest on how to get started.

Step 2: Create a new board called “Brand Inspiration” (you can make this a secret board if you wish) 

Step 3: Pin examples of colors, logos, fonts and images that you feel align with your vision for your brand. Try to Pin at least 20 images to have enough to work with and feel free to Pin as many images as you like! 

Here is an Example Pinterest Board for the Mel Judson Design Brand:

Click here to see the full Pinterest Board

PRO TIP: While it’s important as a coach that your online brand resonate with you, it is even more important that your brand resonate with your ideal client.

You aren’t creating a brand that represents you, you are creating a brand that will magnetize your ideal client. To that end, DO NOT get feedback from your husband/mom/dog/friend who used to work at a bookstore unless they are your IDEAL CLIENT.

BONUS: To get you started, here are some Pinterest boards I’ve created that you can pin from:

• MOOD – this board includes imagery that encapsulates your brand vibe and is your foundation to create your brand mood board
• COLORS – colors to be used in your brand
• LOGOS + ICONS – this board contains examples for your brand name spelled out in a wordmark logo
• TYPE – typography, fonts, font styles and font layouts to be used in your branding materials

Visual Branding Part 3: Assemble your Mood Board

Now we’re going to put everything together and create your brand mood board. We’ll be using Canva in order to do this. Canva is a free web browser drag and drop based design tool that is easy for you to use to create your own designs.

BONUS: Here is a FREE TEMPLATE you can use in Canva to create your mood board.

If you click on the link above, you can copy the template into your Canva account. If you don’t have a Canva account, click here to sign up for free and then click the link above to copy the template into your account.

Once you have the template open, the first thing you’ll want to do is go ahead and update the text with your company name, your descriptive brand words and your website. You can just click on the text in the template in order to type your info.

Here are some examples of Mood Boards for Online Coaches:

Next, we’ll review your Pinterest Brand Inspiration Board. Creating the Pinterest board was the brainstorming phase where you collected ALL of the visual inspiration that aligned with you. In this phase, we are going to hunt for patterns in your Pinterest board in order to narrow down your brand into a cohesive aesthetic. 

Scroll through your Pinterest board and look for recurring themes and patterns. Is there a particular color you’ve pinned often? Are you usually drawn to a more minimalist aesthetic? Or do you regularly pin bright colors and images with lots of energy? 

Once you have identified some visual patterns in your Pinterest board, it’s time to create your mood board in Canva. The goal is to create a collage of images in your mood board that align with a cohesive visual style and theme for your brand.

• Here are some examples of visual styles for you to consider when creating your mood board: 
  • Neutral Minimalist
  • Boho & Earthy
  • Feminine & Creative
  • Spiritual & Luxurious
  • Healthy & Fresh
  • Bold & Energetic

Pull 7-10 images from your Pinterest board that you feel best represent the vibe for your online coaching brand. You can just right click on these images and save them to your computer. Then, upload those images to your Canva library by clicking the “upload” button in Canva.

Next, you can drag and drop your images into the gray squares in the template. Keep filling the squares with images until you find an arrangement you like. You may want to try certain images in more than one square or rotate the image so that it is vertical or upside down.
You can also use your own brand photos, photos from Canva or Stock photos.

Note that if you use photos from Pinterest, those images are typically copyrighted by the photographer. It’s okay to use these images in an INTERNAL document that is for your personal inspiration and brainstorming, but if you plan to include your mood board in your marketing material, post on social media etc. then you need to use royalty free images.

Here is an examples of completed Mood Board Images (no color palette yet):

Visual Branding Part 4: Create your Color Palette

After you have completed your Mood Board, it is time to create your brand color palette based on the photos in your mood board. 

A brand color palette is a selection of 5-8 colors that you will use in the branding materials for your coaching business to convey a specific message or create a desired emotional response from your audience. 

You’ll also use these colors in your logo, social media posts and on your website.

PRO TIP: The colors in your brand color palette are typically chosen based on your brand’s personality, values, target audience, and the emotions or feelings you want to evoke.

Review your Pinterest board to find patterns and inspiration for which colors and color palettes you Pinned.

Then, look at the images in your mood board and write a list of 5-8 colors that stand out to you from your images. These will form the foundation for your color palette.

Canva makes it super easy to create a brand palette from your photos because you can use the color selection tool and select any color from your photos.

Select one of the color squares in your mood board template, a panel will open on the left hand side with a bunch of color tiles. Click on the “+” icon to see the color wheel. Now, select the color dropper icon.

Then move the dropper around the photo that you want to pull the color from until you are happy with the highlighted color and then click to add that color to the box.

Keep selecting colors until you are happy with the combination. If you need some inspiration, you can use a free color palette generator tool called Coolers to help you create color palettes. You can start from scratch with these tools, or select one color you know you want to use and create a color palette around that color.

You can also browse existing color palettes inside of Canva.

PRO TIP: It is helpful for your brand color palette to include a shade of black to use for text and a shade of white to use for backgrounds.

It’s important to keep in mind a few Color Theory tips when selecting the right colors for your color palette.

What is Color Theory?

Color theory is the study of how colors interact with each other and how they can be used to create effective designs. 
Colors invoke emotion. This is the whole reason you are creating a brand in the first place, to invoke a certain set of emotions in your ideal client so that they become interested in working with you. Here is a quick rundown of color theory to get you started.

1. The color wheel: This is a circular diagram that shows the relationships between different colors. The primary colors are red, blue, and yellow, and secondary colors are created by mixing them together (e.g. orange, green, and purple).

2. Color temperature: Colors can be divided into warm (reds, oranges, yellows) and cool (blues, greens, purples) categories, which can affect the mood of a design.

3. Color harmony: Colors that are next to each other on the color wheel (analogous) or opposite each other (complementary) tend to work well together and create a sense of harmony.

4. Color psychology: Different colors can evoke different emotions and associations in people, which can be used to convey a specific message or mood in a design.

5. Color contrast: The contrast between different colors can create visual interest and make certain elements stand out in a design.

6. Color value: The lightness or darkness of a color can affect its perceived weight and impact in a design.

So let’s review some colors and the emotions they can convey. I recommend selecting 1-2 colors based on your desired emotional effect and build out the rest of the color palette from there: 

• The emotional content of colors can vary depending on cultural and personal associations, but here are some commonly recognized emotions and associations for different colors:
  • Red: Energy, passion, excitement, danger, love, anger
  • Orange: Warmth, enthusiasm, creativity, playfulness, youth
  • Yellow: Happiness, optimism, energy, caution, warmth
  • Green: Nature, money, growth, balance, harmony, health, envy
  • Blue: Calmness, trust, stability, loyalty, wisdom
  • Purple: Royalty, luxury, creativity, mystery, spirituality
  • Pink: Love, romance, femininity, playfulness, innocence
  • Brown/Tan: Earthiness, stability, warmth, comfort, reliability
  • Gray: Neutrality, balance, sophistication, wisdom, sadness
  • Black: Power, sophistication, elegance, mystery, editorial
  • White: Purity, innocence, cleanliness, clarity, simplicity, minimalist
  • Gold: Luxury, money, wealth, sophistication

Here are some color palette examples for you to reference:

In general you will want to incorporate a balance of light and dark colors to create some contrast in your color palette. You will also want to vary in color intensity, so you have some brighter, more vibrant colors alongside lighter colors. This will create a sense of movement in your color palette.

If you aren’t color savvy, don’t worry. Focus on selecting 1-2 main colors based on their color theory meaning (emotional content) and then use one of the free tools listed above to create the rest of the palette.

Bonus Step: Naming Your Colors

Once you have your colors, the last part is to name them! You can be as silly as you want with the color names. They are there to help you remember the colors and refer to them in the future when you are delegating this kind of work to a Designer, Virtual Assistant (VA), an Online Business Manager (OBM) or any other member of your team.

Here is our completed Mood Board & Color Palette for an Online Coach:

Design your Online Coaching Brand Step 6: Create your Logo

Ah the infamous logo! This is probably the part of creating a brand that I see people stress out and obsess over THE MOST. And I’m here to tell you that all that stress just is not worth it from an ROI (return on investment) standpoint.

Here’s the truth – people overcomplicate logos. The most impactful logos are clean, clear and simple.

If you take a look at major industry leaders, you’ll see that they are just using some nice text for their logo (aka a WORDMARK logo). No crazy color combos, no complicated symbols or imagery, no watercolor brush strokes or glitter. Just some clean, legible fonts featuring their business name.

A well-designed logo establishes your online identity and creates a sense of trust and familiarity with your ideal client. It can also communicate important information about your company’s values, products, and services, and can help to differentiate you from your competitors.

The type of logo that typically works best for coaching business is a wordmark logo. A wordmark logo is a type of logo that consists only of your company’s name or initials, typically presented in a unique and stylized font. Wordmark logos are also sometimes called logotypes.

A well-designed wordmark logo should be visually appealing, legible, and easily recognizable, even when scaled down or presented in different colors or on different backgrounds.

Here are some examples of wordmark logos:

Why are Wordmark logos the best choice for online coaches?

Wordmark logos are the best choice for online coaching businesses for several reasons:

1. Emphasis on brand name: As an online coach, you will likely rely heavily on your reputation and personal brand to attract your ideal clients. By using a wordmark logo that prominently features your name / your business name, it reinforces your brand identity and creates a strong association between your company name and the coaching services offered.

2. Memorable and recognizable: A well-designed wordmark logo can be very memorable and instantly recognizable, even without accompanying visuals. This creates a lasting impression with your potential clients and makes your business stand out in a crowded coaching industry.

3. Versatile: Wordmark logos can be easily adapted to different marketing materials, such as social media profiles, website headers, and email signatures. They can also be easily scaled and used in different colors and formats, making them versatile and easy to use in a variety of contexts.

4. Sophisticated: One common branding mistake I often see, especially with newer online coaches, is the desire to create a logo with all the bells and whistles: a watercolor brush stroke, a gold foil background, color blobs, a bespoke icon or image to go alongside their logo.

While this can sometimes work, a stronger approach is to let your business name stand alone in a solid color. This will set you apart and align you with the industry leaders.

How to create a wordmark logo for your online coaching business

The good news for you is that wordmark logos can be straightforward to create yourself.

How to Create Your Coaching Business Logo – Budget Professional Option: 

There are lots of places where you can purchase a logo template. A logo template is a pre-designed logo that can be customized to create a unique logo for your business.

Logo templates are often designed to be easily customizable, with editable text and color options that allow you to create a professional logo that matches your brand identity and messaging.

Here are some places you can purchase a logo template: 

Mel Judson Design (yes, we offer logo and Brand Kit templates!) 

Creative Market

Etsy

How to Create Your Coaching Business Logo – FREE DIY / FULLY CUSTOM option:

You can create your logo yourself using Canva! 

If you don’t have a Canva account, click here to sign up for free.

Go ahead and login to your Canva account and we’ll get started!

Step 1: Create a new blank design
Create a new blank design with dimensions 2000px width and 2000px height. This will let you create a logo that is going to be high resolution. 

Step 2: Open up your “Brand Inspiration” Pinterest board and browse through any logo inspiration that you’ve pinned. Copy and paste some of your favorite examples into the Canva doc. Remember, we don’t need to reinvent the wheel here and create a logo design that no one has ever seen before. We are creating marketing material, not art!

Step 3: Select Fonts/Typography for your Coaching Logo. Play around with different fonts inside of Canva until you land on one that best aligns with your brand vibe.

What is Typography?

Here’s a quick overview on the 3 main types of fonts: Sans-serif, Serif, and Script.

If your company name is just one word, you’ll want to choose just one font to write your company name in. You can decide based on your brand vibe if you want it to be serif, sans-serif or script. 

If your company name is 2-3 words, then you can use up to two fonts. One font for one word and the other font for the other word.

What you’ll do to choose a font is write out the name of your company in any text in Canva. Then, in the upper left hand corner click on the fonts dropdown and go through the fonts until you find one you like.

Duplicate the page in your Canva doc for each new font. When creating a logo, it’s common to create 20+ pages experimenting with different fonts. 

This isn’t an exact science and there are multiple fonts that will work for your brand. Review your Descriptive Brand Words and Mood board so that they are fresh in your head as you go through fonts to select one that embodies your brand vibe.

PRO TIP: Create all of your logo design concepts in black and white – black text on a white background. This will help you see more clearly which design works best for your brand without getting distracted by different colors.

OPTIONAL: Add your company tagline to your logo. Your tagline should be 3-5 words that summarize who you are, what you do and what your company stands for. If you don’t have a tagline it’s okay. Taglines are often written in smaller text below the company name.

After you are done selecting fonts, review all of the pages with your business name written in different fonts and remove any that are a definite “no” from you.

Then, STEP AWAY (this is the most important step for logo design)

Especially if you have been completing ALL the branding steps in one day, it’s time to take a break. The best design work is created with fresh eyes over a period of days or weeks. So, close Canva and go for a walk, read a book or play with your dog.

After a day or two has gone by, open up your Canva doc and review your logos again. Before doing so, it can be helpful to review what you have written for your Brand Vision & Mission statements as well as your brand adjectives. Also review your mood board and color palette so that you have your entire visual identity fresh in your mind as you review your logo concepts. 

First, remove any logo design concepts that stand out to you as definite “no’s”. Then, do a gut check. Are all the fonts you have selected easy to read? If you are unsure, step back 3 feet (1 meter) from your computer. Can you still instantly read your logo? Remove any concepts that are even approaching hard to read. 

From here, narrow down your logo concepts to your top 3 designs. Ask yourself which logo concepts best embody the brand vibe that you’ve established.

For example, if I am creating a Neutral Minimalist brand vibe, I might narrow my choices down to these 3 options:

However, if I am looking for a more Boho & Earthy vibe, I would select these 3 designs:

Once you have narrowed it down to your top 3 design options, it’s time to play around with color to help you make your final decision. 

What you’ll want to do is create a duplicate page for your Canva logo so that you can have a black and white version and a color version. 

Once you’ve created a duplicate, go ahead and add some colors from your color palette to the text. You can either make the text all one color, or make one word black and the other word a color.

You can also add the color to the background of the page and make your logo white or another light color to see how it looks. 

PRO TIP: Looking for a way to jazz up your logo while keeping it simple and sophisticated? You can choose to add some basic design elements, like making one of the words italicized or adding an underline under one of the letters. Remember, we want to keep it super simple here!

Often this step will give you some idea of how your logo works “in the wild.” After adding some color options to your 3 logo concepts, take another break. 

Come back to your logo concepts one final time and back a decision!

PRO TIP: In the online coaching industry, it is common to change or update your logo once every 3 years or less as your business evolves and grows.

So take comfort in that knowledge and choose the best logo for your business at this moment. You can always make updates and changes later. 

Once you have your final logo, you can copy and paste it onto your Mood Board to see how your new brand looks all put together! 

Here is our final Mood Board with the Wordmark Logo added:

My loving encouragement is not to spend too much time on this! All you need is something clean and simple to get started with your brand and then you can evolve and grow from there. 

And there you have it! 6 steps to building an online coaching brand on a budget.

Building a strong brand is essential for coaches who want to attract and retain clients in a competitive market.

By following the tips and strategies outlined in this ultimate brand building guide, you can create a compelling brand even if you’re on a budget that reflects your values, expertise, and unique offering. 

By consistently delivering high-quality services and promoting your brand through social media and your website, you can establish a loyal client base and grow your coaching business over time. Remember that building a brand is an ongoing process that requires effort, dedication, and a willingness to adapt to changing trends and customer needs.

I would love to see the brand you create using this guide! Send me a message on Instagram or an email to hello@meljudson.com with a link to your lovely new brand!

Want to save this post for later? Click on the images below and save it to your BRAND INSPIRATION Board on Pinterest.