How to Create Strong Branding in Your Videos With Graphics and Media

Once you’ve put your first YouTube together, you may find that something is missing. Having great footage, tight editing and an excellent subject matter is not enough – there’s something more that all of the biggest channels have that gives them an additional air of professionalism and helps them to grow.

And what that is, is branding.

Your branding is your logo and your name but it’s also your ethos and your mission statement. A great brand should be able to communicate what it is all about based on the name and on the subject matter alone – and this means that new viewers should very quickly be able to get an idea of what your channel is and whether or not they’re likely to be interested.

What’s more, is that a strong brand can really improve the professionalism of your channel – especially if you use it prominently throughout your videos with graphics and extra materials. Here are some good ways to do that:

Corner Logo

Most big YouTube channels have a logo that is visible throughout their entire videos. What this does is to create stronger brand awareness, so that there is never any doubt as to who they’re watching and what the nature of that video is – even when clips from your footage are taken out of context. You’ll even notice this on TV channels, where the logo of the channel is constantly in one corner.

And because we’re used to seeing it, this also makes the effect one that we associate with professional video content. Ergo, simply adding a logo will instantly elevate perceptions of your video.

Video Opener

One of the most important types of media for your video creation though is the video opener. This is a short video introduction that will play right at the start of your video and act as an opening bookend. It will reinforce your brand again, while also setting the tone for your video. This should be short and evocative of the tone and nature of your video. Generally, it’s better to pay someone a bit of money to make your opener rather than try to make it yourself. 

Bottom Thirds

A bottom third is a graphic that comes in whenever you need to caption something happening on the screen. Very often, we see this in documentaries where people are interviewed on the subject matter. During these segments, a title will normally come up in the bottom third of the screen to introduce them.

Adding these will help to provide more information for your videos and will also look more professional. But at the same time, you can tie it in with the aesthetic you chose for your logo and your opener to make a more cohesive whole.

Music

Finally, you should also think about the music you want for your videos. These can really set the tone and create a great ambience for your footage – but at the same time it can further help to enforce your brand if there is consistency with your opener again!
