The Red Flags of Bad Branding (According to My Pet Peeves)

You know that moment when you stumble across a brand so baffling, you do a double-take, stop scrolling, and squint at your screen, wondering, "What in the abstract art is this?"

NOT-SO SPOILER ALERT: That’s usually the moment you’ve encountered a branding fail.

Whether it’s a logo trying to do too much, a font that makes you question humanity, or a campaign that feels thrown together during a “coffee break,” bad branding always has a way of sticking in your brain for all the wrong reasons.

So, here’s my attempt at sharing a personal list of red flags in branding that instantly scream trouble and make content creators like me secretly weep.

Fonts That Ruin Your Brand Image Without Even Trying 

Fonts might seem like a minor detail, but choose the wrong one and suddenly your brand looks like it was designed in a 3 a.m. panic.

We’re not just talking about the infamous Comic Sans or Caveat, though both deserve a special place in designers’ nightmares. Sometimes, it’s a font that’s unreadable at normal sizes, one that’s far too fancy for no reason, or a chaotic mix of three clashing styles that somehow got approved.

If your audience is squinting, tilting their heads, or secretly judging your choices, congratulations, you’ve just hit a giant red flag.

Fret not, every branding hurdle comes with a solution: 

✅ Stick to a simple font family that matches your brand personality and use it consistently. 

✅ Choose a maximum of two complementary fonts, one for headings and one for body text, and make sure they are readable for all formats.

✅ Test your fonts at different sizes and ask someone outside the creative team for their opinion.

Following these simple steps will make your brand feel intentional and approachable instead of chaotic. 

And for the love of good design, leave Comic Sans and any other gimmicky fonts in the past.

Colour Palettes That Should Come With Sunglasses 

Colours are fun until they become an all-out assault on the eyeballs. One wrong combo and your brand shifts from approachable to headache-inducing in seconds.

We’ve all seen it: six shades of blue that do not match, neon green slapped on top of hot pink, or a rainbow of random colours that somehow passed every approval stage.

A chaotic palette doesn’t just look messy; it confuses your audience and dilutes your brand identity.

The good news is, these disasters are easy to fix:

✅ Pick a main colour that really reflects your brand personality and let it lead the way.

✅ Add one or two supporting colours that complement the main colour instead of competing with it.

✅ Test your palette on digital, print, and social platforms to make sure it works in every setting.

✅ Keep things consistent and avoid adding random colours just because they look “fun.”

When your colours finally stop fighting each other, your brand image will look smoother, cleaner, and more confident.

The Identity Crisis That No One Asked For

Nothing sends mixed signals like a brand that’s formal on its website, unhinged on Instagram, and oddly motivational on LinkedIn.

One moment you’re “delighted to announce,” the next you’re posting memes at 2 p.m., then suddenly speaking in corporate riddles no one asked for.

A brand voice that keeps switching personalities doesn’t just confuse your audience, it makes your brand feel unreliable, like it’s going through an identity crisis.

If your audience can’t tell who’s talking, or worse, feels like they’re talking to a different person every time, then you’ve uncovered yet another giant red flag.

The easiest fix is to give your brand a clear personality and stick with it:

✅ Decide on a tone that actually matches who your brand wants to be – whether that is friendly, confident, bold, playful, or a mix that makes sense.
✅ Create a simple voice guide with a few do’s and dont’s, so everyone on the team writes in the same style.
✅ Keep your tone consistent across every channel, from social posts to emails, to your “About” page.

When your brand finally speaks with one steady voice, people trust it more, understand it faster, and feel as if they are talking to someone who actually has their life together.

Green Flags From Here On Out 

At the end of the day, branding isn’t about being perfect, it’s about being intentional. A clean font choice, a calm colour palette, and a consistent brand voice can take you from “What is happening here?” to “Okay, this brand actually knows what it’s doing.”

If any of these red flags hit a little too close to home, do not stress. Every brand has had an awkward phase. The good news is you do not have to navigate the glow up alone.

At DOX, we take your fonts, colours, tone, and overall identity from “please no” to “yes, this is the one.” When you are ready to clean things up, we are ready to jump in.