Branding for a Craft Show

When I first sat down to write this post, my first thought was “How in the world am I going to explain this one?” Branding is really an art all in itself. It’s not just a pretty logo or selecting a few colors to associate yourself with, although that is a good start.

Branding is what makes you instantly recognizable. It really is a feeling that should represent a style that is relevant to your main product offerings. For example, if you sell mostly modern farmhouse wood signs, then your branding should be soft colors with a clean, minimalistic logo.

No lie… I was at a craft show and spotted a gorgeous display of bright pink and purple balloons, it was loud and caught my attention. I was thinking that I might find some hair bows for my granddaughter, what I found was farmhouse wood signs. Not kidding. I was surprised and confused! It can take years to define your branding and honestly, it will always need to be “tweaked” to keep up with current trends. There are a few things you can do to help brand yourself.

• The first thing I did when creating my branding was to create a mood board. This board helped me visualize what it is that I like and helped me to define my style. I created several mood boards and took my favorite photos from each board and created one board. This gave me a great starting place and helped me to see what my style was. I am sharing my free mood board template on Canva with you so that you can try it out yourself and see what your style is. Canva is free to use and a great little online photo program if you haven’t discovered it yet.

• Next you will want to work on your logo. Did you know that you can create a logo on Canva? They have a ton of free ones that are fantastic and easily editable to add your business information. Just find one that fits your new style and that appeals to you. You can even create business cards and have them printed directly from Canva and delivered to your mailbox!

• Finally, choose your branding colors. I recommend 2-3 colors in the same tone. Go to Pinterest and search “color palettes”. Several photos will show up with a suggested color pallet that is collected from that photo. It’s a great place to start! 

Now you have your logo and are branded. What now? Time to incorporate it into your craft show setup. You should have the name of your branded business prominently displayed somewhere in your booth area, but where? I personally believe that it should be in 3 places.

1. You should have your branded business name displayed on a sign somewhere. A small sign on the table near your checkout, on the tablecloth or banner. This sign needs to be your logo and in your branded colors. 

2. As the seller, you need to stand out from the rest of traffic, especially when it is crowded, so that customers know who to go to if they have a question or want to purchase an item. So, you need to brand yourself. Wear clothing in your main branding colors, wear a t-shirt or an apron with your logo, you get the idea.

3. Lastly, you need to have some marketing material with your logo and business info. As I said before, I prefer to have a quarter sheet of paper with my business info, logo and all the upcoming show dates, times, and locations. I drop one of these in the bag. I don’t even ask. I just give them one, but I also have them sitting out for them to grab on their own. 

Just a little secret, If I have a custom order, ask them if the next show date would be a good time for them to pick up their item.  It is safe pick-up location; no shipping hassles and they may even shop again with you.

Download this article "Branding for a craft show" as a PDF here: