420 Design Blog
The importance of branding
15 May 2008 | Angie H
Large corporations get it. Designers – usually – get it. But not all small businesses and start ups do. I'm talking about brand identity. Or branding. Whatever you want to call it, it's super important for the image of any business, be it small or large, start-up or long-standing. Without it your message may be confusing and lost on your target audience. And that may be impacting your growth and sales.
At 420 Design, a majority of our clients are small businesses and start-ups. We often see that clients or prospects turn to designers - us or others - to simply "purchase" a logo design, or web design, or brochure, or what have you. But what is so often missing is a true foundation for the core message of their business that then gets translated into a solid brand. Some clients may think that just creating any old logo or any old web layout will do the trick and help their business. But that's just not the way it works. Sure, some companies have survived doing just that, but not the ones that people remember consistently.
It all starts with your core message. What is it that you're providing that no one else is? What makes you different or better?
When those questions can be answered honestly and succinctly, that's when you're ready for a designer. In particular, that's when you're ready for a logo / identity designer or brand specialist. In other words, someone who is going to do more than put together a nice logo for you, but someone who is going to help you define your brand guidelines.
Brand guidelines can be as simple as the do's and don'ts of how to use your logo in any number of media, or it can go further and get into the tone of your copy, how your signage should be, and even the typefaces you should use within your company for correspondence. All these things, in conjunction with your internal practices and policies make up your brand. They define and demonstrate to customers (and employees) who you are as a company and what you stand for, whether subtly or overtly.
When a company - especially a company that's been around for a while - doesn't have this in place, it becomes much more difficult to send a consistent message when creating new collateral, be it a new website, brochure, ad or even a business card. What you end up with is a history of inconsistent messaging and branding that in all likelihood has impacted sales and not always in a good way. More than anything though, it shows customers that you're inconsistent and quite possibly flailing regardless of whether it's true or not. Instead, a strong, consistent message, a consistent look and feel, will show customers that you know what you're doing and that you're not going anywhere anytime soon. That, in turn, will help generate repeat sales.
The take-away here is this: the next time you need a brochure or website or ad, or pretty much any other piece of collateral designed or redesigned, think about your branding. Is it consistent every time? If not, it may be time to take a closer look.