What Does Your Brand Identity Say About You?
Confusion At First Glance
Brand confusion, always something you want to avoid. When you think about your brand identity. Consider the following, what does your logo, overall aesthetic and message say about you? What is the name of your business and why is that your business name? What problem does your product or service solve and does your branding communicate what you do at first glance? Why should people want to work with you? Branding shouldn't be cute, it should be clear.
Branding your business is an important decision and one you should not rush through. Not only do you have your logo and overall brand aesthetic to consider, but also your tagline and any other messaging that will be derived from your brand identity. Everything (and we mean everything!) needs to be representative and aligned with your overall branding-you are creating your brands DNA.
Hello… Where Are you?
If someone is searching for you, you want them to find you quickly and easily. When you show up in a search, you want to stand apart from your competition. You also want to make sure you are showing up in the right place. For example, you’re searching for dog food and come across a brand name that says “pet food” and the brand’s logo displays Noah’s Ark. Um, what? What animal is this food for? Is the food organic? Available online? Locally made? For both dogs and cats? Do they even care about my pet? I’m confused! So, I am moving on. Know the keywords that people use to search for you and know where they are searching for you. Keyword words and phrases can be a great resource when refining your brand and overall message.
What Does Your Logo Say About Your Service or Product?
I will use my own brand as an example. I didn’t get too crazy with my brand name. Jamison Communications clearly paints the picture for what my company does. When it came to my logo, I asked my designer for something simple, elegant and clean and something that matched my personality and mission as a business. Trust me, there is meaning in every detail.
My brand colors represent confidence, stability, sophistication, authority, approachability and energy. The circle shape of my logo encapsulates that communications and marketing always come together and come full circle. And last but not least, the representation of my last name, not only am I extremely easy to find by using my name, but I’m proud to put my name on every project. Why is “communications'' part of my brand name and logo? Easy. It’s what we do!
Brand Identity and Logo Development Is A Process
Ok, you have a brand/company name, now what? Brand identity is more than logo development. You will need to develop your logo, including color, font, shape, brand name, tagline and additional content and outline the channels you should be on and what assets are needed.
Remember I said let’s be clear and not cute? Don’t brand yourself based on trends or something catchy that will look good on TikTok or Instagram. Your brand identity should give the prospect searching for you a BIG clue on what it is you do… they will know they are in the right place, they want to emotionally connect with you and they want you to give them a reason to contact you.
How does your branding represent your business and will you be happy carrying the overall look, feel and messaging of your branding across multiple channels such as your website, social media, digital ads and printed materials?
Lastly, use an experienced graphic designer to create your brand. This will be one of the best investments you make for your business. It will take several concepts and rounds of edits and brainstorming before you finalize your branding-this is normal(and worth it!).
Have a Rollout Process
You have a great logo, an informative message and are ready to make an impression. After you have done your major channel updates, what now? Make sure to have a launch plan. Your website is the very first channel to create and/or update and then social media and printed materials. Don’t just throw a logo up, tell your story. What does your branding mean, explain your mission, how have you grown, why are you here and what do you want to do for your customer. Reach out to your current clients/customers and tell them first. Including them makes it more personal and meaningful.
Branding, rebranding and brand identity and development projects are some of our favorites to execute. Your brand is here to solve a problem and how you communicate that is what drives you straight to the top of the list. You are the expert, the top choice, now you have to make sure everyone can find you and understands you.
Contact us, we can help!