Branding 101: The Basics of Branding for Musicians

1. Start with purpose: who are you and who do you serve?

Let’s take our musician hats off and try on a designer’s. Grab a piece paper of write two big questions on it:

• Why do I make music? (Joy, storytelling, activism, dancefloor vibes, healing)
• Who am I making it for? (Outcasts, easy listeners, folk fans, hippies, dive bar crowd, )

Write one sentence that answers both: e.g. “I write intimate, guitar-led folk songs for sleepy coffeehouse crowds and film editors looking for honest vocals.”

This sentence is your north star for decisions about visuals, tone, and promotion.

2. Define your sound and personality

Put your music into words:

• Sound keywords (3–5): e.g., “dream folk,” “acoustic-driven,” “warm vocals”
• Personality words (3): e.g., “warm,” “wry,” “hopeful”

Use these words on your website, press kit, social bios, and when pitching. Consistency = recognizability.

3. Music Brand Identity: sound, logo, colors, fonts, and photos

You don’t need a complex brand. Let’s start with the basics:

Music

At the core of your brand is your music. Your songs translate meaning, emotion, and your unique point of view — so helping people find, recognize, and remember your work is part of the craft. Start with the music, then build a simple visual system (logo, color, fonts, photos) that reflects the mood and personality of your songs.

Logo

One way to help people remember your art is to design a readable name-mark or simple symbol — scalable and legible on small screens. Today you have endless options when it comes to creating a logo. You could simply Google “Free logo generator” and use any the free logo makers. Or you could try designing something more personal.  Quiet your inner critic for a minute, take a breath, and think about how you want people to feel when they interact with your art. Then grab a piece of paper and sketch a simple logo. When you’re done, scan and upload your sketch to an AI (e.g. ChatGPT or Google Gemini Nano Banana)and get the AI to design an SVG logo for you.

Your logo should be memorable and easily recognizable.

Logo Test: look at your logo, hide it, then try to redraw it from memory. If you can’t, it’s probably too complicated.
I bet you could design Nike, Spotify, or Instagram’s logo from memory.

Colors

‍Pick 1 primary color and 1 secondary color. Pick colors that match your target mood (e.g. earth tones for folk, neon for synthpop). On a website, the primary color is usually used to signify an action (e.g. Listen Now button).

‍
Take a look at two example below

Anderson Paak's Website

Taylor Swift's Website

Fonts

Select two typefaces: one for headings and another for body text. It is advisable to prioritize aesthetic appeal for the heading font while ensuring readability for the body font. A recommended choice for body text is Inter Slab, known for its clarity and ease of reading, as exemplified in this blog post.

Photos

When you're just starting out, you might not have a wide selection of photos. However, as you perform more, you'll receive more photos from attendees. While these crowd and friend photos can be great, they often lack quality or fail to capture the moment fully. Consider hiring a professional photographer for one of your shows.
It’s important to have a set of visually appealing photos that translate the feeling or mood you are looking to transfer to your audience — this does not necessarily mean a studio headshot.

4. Your voice: bios and messaging

You need to prepare three bios (short, medium, long):  short bio for social handles, medium for show listings, and long for your website/press kit.

For example:

• Short (1 sentence): Jon Hanin is an Ethopian-Canadian singer-songwriter blending folk storytelling with Eastern melodies.
• Medium (2–3 lines): Jon Hanin blends East and West with acoustic folk and traditional setar lines. He tours Canada and writes songs about identity and belonging.
• Long (1 paragraph): Jon Hanin is an Ethiopian-Canadian singer-songwriter who blends intimate acoustic folk with delicate Eastern melodies, crafting songs about identity, home, and quiet resilience. Since releasing his debut EP [EP Title], Jon has toured across Canada, playing rooms and festivals while winning fans with his warm vocals and evocative storytelling. His music has been featured on curated playlists and praised by local press for its “haunting clarity and emotional honesty”.

5. Video: choose visuals that match sound

No video is better than a low-quality video.

Avoid uploading low-quality videos to your website simply because you have limited content. The negative impact of a low-quality video can outweigh any potential benefits. Instead, wait until you have a video with good sound quality, or work on enhancing the audio quality of an existing video before uploading it to your site.

Pro Tip: You can share a YouTube video starting at a specific timestamp — click “Share” then check “Start at” to link directly to the best part.

6. Website = your “home base” (why it matters)

Your website is the canonical source of truth: shows, bio, EPK, music embeds, and contact info. Social platforms change; your website doesn’t.

Practical: make it easy for bookers to find your contact email, EPK, upcoming shows, and music samples — all above the fold or one click away.

(If you’re using About My Sound, you can launch a professional site in two steps and keep these elements updated from your dashboard.)

7. The EPK and press assets

Create a one-page EPK that includes:

• Short bio + longer bio link
• One hero photo + gallery
• 1–2 music links (Spotify embed, SoundCloud)
• Video link (live performance)
• Contact info and booking email

Make it downloadable and easy to send. This is how promoters or festival bookers quickly assess you.

8. Live performance consistency

Your stage look and setlist should match your brand. Take time to think about your stage setup. Setting up the stage can act as a smoke mirror that ads an element of mystery between to your performance. It can be as simple as covering the keyboard stand with a scarf or adding fairy light to your backdrop.

Again think about your brand, the feeling your trying to portray, then have your stage visuals match the vibe.

Consistency builds trust.

9. Practical branding checklist (doable right now)

• Write your one-sentence artist statement.
• Choose 3 sound keywords and 3 personality words.
• Pick 2 brand colors and 1 font pair.
• Build 3-length bios (short, medium, long).
• Upload 1 hero photo + 5 supporting images.
• Create or update your EPK and link it on your site.
• Add show dates and ticket links to your website.
• Link Spotify (or embed) and a sample video.
• Make sure your contact email is obvious.

Examples & mini-templates you can copy

One-sentence artist statement:“I make warm, guitar-led indie folk for late-night coffeehouses and reflective film moments.”

Short Instagram bio (use emojis sparingly):indie folk • Toronto 🇨🇦 • new album 2025 • booking: name@youremail.com

Email pitch subject line for a booking:“Booking: [Your Name] — intimate folk set available [date range]”

Quick press blurb:“[Your Name] blends modern folk with traditional melodies, delivering intimate performances that have played at [venue name(s)].”