A lot of new businesses and organisations, eager to create an online presence, need a website fast. But they have no brand. Likewise, a similar tension arises for existing businesses and organisations who need a website upgrade, and a brand refresh.

I would argue the modern equivalent to this riddle could be “which should come first, the brand or the website?” So today, I wanted to make a strong argument for doing things in the correct order. Brand first, then website. Always.

At Tone, we advocate that you should take the time to develop, (or refresh), your brand before you launch into your website project. Our recent branding and website project for Change & Co (see the full case study here) illustrates why getting this order right is so crucial.

Why should brand always come first?

Your website is commonly the first connection your community, (prospects, customers, donors), will have with your organisation. It is for this very reason that it is crucial that your website embodies your brand and vision for the organisation. To do this effectively, the website design requires several brand assets. And you won’t have these until your brand has been developed. These include:

1. New logo

2. Typography

3. Hierarchy and space management

4. Colour palette

5. Graphic devices

6. Imagery / Photography

For our client Change&Co, it was important the website design extended on, and embodied, the key insights from our research and brand development phase, which were:

1. The use of circles to represent the network.

2. Copywriting is their craft, so the words had to be elevated above imagery.

3. Like a news network, their communication needed to be authoritative. Therefore, use of high legibility and classic typography, and bold use of colour would be the key ingredients for this new network brand.

Once we had a strong foundation for the new brand, we could define our design principles for the website.

1. Elevate their product, (the words / copy), to be the hero. In contrast to a traditional solution that would involve imagery.

2. Animated text changing “above the fold”, (via scroll or toggle), creates a unique and memorable user experience for first time visitors.

3. Give a sense of arrival – of this new, (exciting), company of change agents for good.

4. Fresh take on a blog system, that is easy to navigate and looks great on both desktop and mobile. For a copywriting business, this is the equivalent to their online store.

5. Distil a large amount of technical information into digestible chunks. Make the page visually engaging to encourage sign ups.

Tailored solutions, built to last

A website is an investment. You’re creating an important asset for your organisation or business that will need to have longevity. Taking the time to do things in the correct order will ensure you have a much smoother experience and a higher quality outcome.