Beginner's tips on company branding and design

PlaceholderBuilding a strong and creative brand identity is paramount for the success of your business. It is important that your brand convey the right message while appealing to a target audience. The visibility of your business will grow exponentially if you follow the right steps to get your brand out there.

Of course, startups and new businesses may not know where to begin when crafting and building a profitable brand. There are several facets to consider, and you’ll want to follow the right steps to increase the longevity of, as well as the favourable outcome, for your business.

Read on to find beginners tips on company branding and design!

Be aware of your audience

When it comes to developing a company brand and design, a significant amount of time, effort and money will go into the process. Therefore, the first and most important aspect of building a company brand is to answer the question “who is the audience for my business?” Understanding the wants and needs of your customer will greatly assist you in creating a brand and company design that will resonate with your target audience.

Knowing the likes and dislikes of your customers is just half the battle when it comes to creating a brand identity that is appealing while remaining unique. A good rule of thumb is to create your branding and design as though it was for your ideal customer and think about the brand itself as a person.

What would they want to communicate about your business to the world around them, and in what way would they do the communicating? By building an attractive, compelling and clear business identity, you’re more likely to gain visibility, while creating a loyal following.

How to define your company's brand

Once you have considered who you want your brand to appeal to, you will need to begin hashing out the details of the brand itself. One of the important aspects of building a brand is to remain consistent and to do this you will need to clearly define the who, what, where and why of your brand.

Be sure to have a clear and direct mission statement or mandate that you swear by. Use this statement to describe both the vision of your business as well as your goals.

With a clearly defined purpose, your customers will know exactly what they’re getting when they reach out to you. Staying consistent with your mandate as well as all design aspects is key to the success of your business. Customer recognition will only happen if you build a strong visual aesthetic that is consistent with all other brand aspects.

You’ll want your branding and design to be a direct reflection of the tone of voice you wish to foster. Do your research to find the design trends of the time, and find a way to incorporate these elements into the style of your brand without relying on them. Furthermore, find ways to effectively convey your message!

Doing countless hours of market research, working on a logo, a website as well as promoting this on various channels is a lot of time and energy.

However, if you fail to convey and communicate your message consistently and correctly, these efforts will not pay off as you may have hoped. Understanding your market and using that knowledge to convey the right message is integral to building a successful brand.

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Pay attention to colour and design for your visual identity

The consumer's first introduction to your brand is by way of your visual identity or your logo. Your logo is a vital element in the branding process of your business and is usually the first thing that clients will associate with your business. Therefore, you should look to create the right first impression.

There are many aspects to consider when designing a logo, including colour, form, typeface and flexibility. Colour may not seem initially important, but it is worth your attention. Humans are incredibly responsive to visual stimuli, and therefore, the colour of your branding plays a significant role in how the consumer will respond.

Also, the colour itself, as well as the shade and tone of each colour, will have an impact on how your brand is understood by an audience.

There are specific meanings and feelings associated with each major colour, so it would be worth doing a bit of research or working with a professional designer who can help you design your logo and build a solid brand. Another thing to keep in mind when designing a logo is what it will look like long-term, asking yourself if your logo will hold up in 10 years time.

Also, consider the ways in which your logo will be used, whether online or in real life on billboards, magazine ads, stationery, vehicles. You’ll want to create something that is both original and adaptable and can, therefore, be used in a multitude of ways.

Communicate beyond your logo

Having a strong logo is vital, although many businesses may confuse their brand with their logo. It is crucial to differentiate between the two. Specifically, a brand is the public personification of your business.

Remember earlier when we mentioned thinking about your brand itself as though it is a person? This is important, as your brand should convey why you are doing what you do, and reasons why you are unique.

There will always be businesses like yours, but what will stand out is the reasoning behind your work. Consider creating a tagline to link your name and logo directly with your branding, and this should communicate the benefits of your services or products.

Brand integration: how it works

Now that your brand has been clearly thought out and developed, you are ready to integrate it into your community. The content you create is your salesperson, your store as well as your marketing department, and everything you publish further defines your brand. Obviously, you will want to clearly convey how great your business is to those in your community. Language use should match the personality of your brand, and your business should have a carefully crafted tone.

You should also create a narrative for your community to really understand who you are. People love a relatable story, especially one they can form an emotional connection with.

Therefore, the tone of your brand should be crafted to match your brand personality, building a solid foundation to start relationships with new clients. Use social media to your utmost ability, as most of these platforms offer a form of free advertising.

This is a wonderful way to establish a connection with your consumers, and you can try out each one to find which platform works best for your brand. Lastly, social media is a way to speak directly and engage with clients new and old, and often, this will impact your brand's reputation.

Monitor your brand

Your design and branding is an essential part of the success of your business. Of course, it is difficult to know what you’re doing right and what you’re doing wrong, what is working and what is not.

Therefore, it is suggested that you track key performance aspects and metrics, and this will give you a sense of how people interact with and feel about your brand. Using tools such as Google Analytics offers you key insight into brand visibility and performance, and further, makes it easier to implement changes to correct or improve your brand identity.

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