5 Design Tips to Instantly Elevate Your Brand (And Make You Look Pro)
Let’s be real – in a world where first impressions are everything, looking polished matters. Whether it’s your website, your business card, or your latest social post, strong design builds trust, grabs attention, and quietly tells customers you’re the real deal.
The good news? You don’t need to be a creative genius or break the bank to make your brand look professionally designed. You just need to know a few key principles.
At Glu Group, we help Kiwi businesses look their best through smart, effective design. Here are 5 simple tips you can use to instantly elevate your own branding and content.
1. Embrace White Space (Let It Breathe)
White space (or negative space) is the empty area around design elements. It’s not blank space – it’s active space that helps guide the eye and makes content feel clean and intentional.
Why it works:
Cluttered designs feel chaotic and hard to read. White space creates elegance, improves readability, and makes your key message pop.
How to do it:
- Add more padding around text in flyers or social graphics
- Avoid filling every corner – let the design breathe
- Prioritise one focal point per layout
2. Limit Your Fonts (Less Is More)
Using too many fonts is one of the fastest ways to make design look amateur. Stick to two fonts maximum – one for headings, one for body text.
Why it works:
Consistency builds recognition. Too many fonts create visual noise and weaken your brand identity.
How to do it:
- Choose one expressive font for headlines
- Pair it with a simple, highly readable font for paragraphs
- Popular (and free!) Kiwi-friendly combinations: Montserrat (headings) + Open Sans (body), Playfair Display (headings) + Lato (body)
Pro Tip:
Bold and italic versions of the same font family count as one font – use them for variation safely.
3. Use a Cohesive Colour Palette
Your colours should work together like a team – not compete like rivals. Choose a simple palette of 1–3 main colours and 1–2 accents, and use them consistently everywhere.
Why it works:
Colour consistency makes your brand instantly recognisable and feel polished.
How to do it:
- Define your brand’s primary, secondary, and accent colours
- Use free tools like Coolors.co or Adobe Color to find harmonious palettes
- Reflect your NZ context – blues/greens for eco-brands, warm tones for artisanal products
4. Align Everything (Grids Are Your Friend)
Alignment creates order. When text, images, and icons align to invisible lines, everything feels intentional and polished.
Why it works:
Our eyes naturally seek order. Misaligned elements feel messy and haphazard.
How to do it:
- Use alignment tools in Canva or Adobe apps (never eyeball it!)
- Line up edges of text with edges of images
- Stick to a consistent margin around pages and screens
Quick Check:
Draw imaginary lines along the edges of your elements. If they don’t line up, nudge them until they do.
5. Use High-Quality Images
Blurry, pixelated, or generic stock photos can undermine even the best design. Great imagery feels authentic, sharp, and relevant.
Why it works:
Humans process images 60,000x faster than text. Quality visuals build immediate trust.
How to do it:
- Use high-resolution originals (modern phones work great!)
- Source professional free stock photos from Unsplash or Pexels, Freepik
- Choose authentic, local-looking images over cheesy stock art
Bringing It All Together
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