Create the perfect Brand Identity
Posted By XternalStory on December 26, 2009
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When launching a new business in a competitive marketplace, it's important to think about your offering not as a commodity but as a brand. Consumers recognise brands, and develop trust in them that is a powerful marketing tool. In today's marketplace, those businesses that succeed are those that manage their brands effectively and present the right image. Considering that your brand design influences the success of your business at every level, it makes sense to make a small investment in geting it right from the very beginning.
5 Steps to a great brand identity -
When you mention brand design, most people immediately think of logo design. Logo Design is of course important, but there are also other factors to think about. Follow these steps to create a strong brand identity:
1. Establish your niche – Work out what it is that makes your business special, and what distinguishes it from the competition. Focus in on any specific benefits that help customers to save money, make money, save time or feel good.
2. Summarise – Sum up what your brand stands for in just a few words. If you can't describe it briefly in a way that your target customers understand, then its surely not clear what your brand stands for. Get this right before you invest too much time and money in your identity.
3. Name your brand – This is the single most important aspect of your brand’s identity. Simple, suggestive and distinctive are the key qualities of a good brand name. You can ensure that your name is not used in your industry already by searching the internet and checking trademark directories. If you choose a more abstract name, use a descriptive slogan to explain what you do, and if you have a very descriptive name, use an emotive slogan to explain why anyone should care.
4. Design your logo – Only now should you design your logo. As a general rule, simplicity is the key to a great logo. A logo that looks great and fits perfectly in your website header may not be possible to print on your packaging or on staff uniforms. Listing all the key applications of your logo into your brief is a good idea. Why not ask for more than one variation of your logo from your designer to fit different applications. Whatever you do, make sure that your designer gives you full copyright to your logo and provides the original vector artwork, in a format such as .ai, .svg, or .eps. This file can be streched to the size of a building without any loss of quality. You might want to have your logo printed on more applications than just your business card and compliment slips. And any large applications will need the original vector file so make sure that you ask your designer for it.
5. Everything else – Your brand presentation isn’t just about a catchy name and eye catching logo. If you went to make a great impression then everything you do needs to be presented to a high quality and in a consistent style that reinforces your brand's credibility in the eyes of your customers. A co-ordinated brand design should be displayed across all your marketing materials. A brand style guide can save you a lot of trouble by documenting your brand's important elements such as fonts, colours and style along with the other visual elements. This way your brand will be displayed consistently even if you work with more than one designer or agency.
The above 5 steps are really the basics of creating a great brand identity, but will hopefully give you a good starting point.
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