Today I’m auditing my brand for the Blogging University course.

I recently created a logo for my blog:

Blogging University says I’m not just a blogger, I’m a brand.  This is the leader, Krista’s, advice:

Why do this?

• Because every choice you make, from header image to background color to widget title, contributes to your brand (or hurts it).
• Because a strong brand creates an emotional connection with readers, and that connection is what keeps them coming back.
• Because your design choices aren’t just about appearances — the colors, fonts, and layouts you choose have a big impact on your words and photos. Good design makes good content even better.

A strong brand is more than a logo: it’s a guarantee. When readers see something associated with your brand — a post on your site, a guest post, a tweet, an email — they know what to expect, be that a laugh, a great DIY project, a recipe, parenting advice, or whatever else you blog about. It’s unique to you, and it’s distinctive.

The good news: you’re already a brand! As soon as you chose a theme, picked a blog name, and started publishing, you announced to the world, “This is the place on the internet where you come to find XYZ.” The better news: you can shape it even further to make sure your brand helps you meet your goals.

I’ll buy that.

Now, the homework:

(1) Does my theme match my blog’s intent? What about my font and color choices?

About two months ago I changed my theme to the Sela Theme from the Dusk to Dawn theme. The new theme was happier and allowed a lighter appearance. I like the fonts. I’d like them to be bigger though. I think it would be easier to read.

(2) What are my title and tagline saying? What about my post titles? My About page? My username and nickname?

“Something different in each block” is my tagline.  That goes with my “sampler’ name. I try to have fun with post titles. I enjoy making them interesting.  I recently updated my About page, and it tells my story. I confess I didn’t know what she meant by “username and nickname” until I clicked on the link, and of course I didn’t know I could change it. That’s something I’ll have to explore.

(3) Do the titles of my widgets contribute to my brand?

I have three widgets at the bottom of my blog: Home, Quilt Gallery and Tips & Tutorials. They definitely contribute to my brand. I have “I’m Participating” as a widget title. That seems self explanatory.  I have “Search”, “Recent Posts”, “Meta”, “Categories”, and “The Sewcial Swarm”. The last one is a group of quilt bloggers. It’s not self explanatory. Not sure what to do about that.

After reading the link, I realized there is so much more I can do. I can have more fun with my “leave a comment” box or my “follow by email” text. That’s a project for another day.

(4) Do I have a consistent visual identity? Am I choosing images that support my brand, both in posts/pages and widgets?

I want to produce better photographs, and I’m spending more time thinking about how to create interesting images for the blog. It’s time consuming and takes away from my creative work.

(5) Are there elements that are counter to my brand? Why have I included them? What role do they play?

I’m not sure what “elements” means. I suppose there is clutter on my blog that gets in the way of my brand. I’ll have to study on this some more.

(6) Does all this carry through in the other places my blog has a presence — Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, or forums/sites where I’m active?

I don’t have a Facebook page for my blog. I’m not on Twitter. I just joined Instagram. I have a blog board on Pinterest but I forget to add to it. It’s seems like I can’t keep up with all this social media. It’s overwhelming.

Taking a breath,

Wanda