Aug/101
What is Branding and Brand Consistency?
What is Branding?
Branding is a often discussed by individuals in the marketing, advertising and design industries, but it is something that is rarely thought about by many small business owners. This is quite unfortunate since branding, if done properly, is one of the most important things a company can do to reach their target market, build recognition and develop customer relationships. Mistakenly, many businesses look no further than a logo when thinking about branding. The issue with this is that a logo cannot and does not exist on its own. Rather, it is a core piece of the puzzle that also includes a wide range of other factors, including colors, patterns, typefaces, imagery, packaging, taglines, wording and more, all of which combine to create your company’s image. The same attention devoted to your logo must be given to these other elements as well if a truly effective brand is to be achieved.
To demonstrate the power of branding, let’s change some popular and effective brands a bit and see if you can still recognize them.
Jul/100
How Do I Look?
Note: this post was inspired by a post by Gareth from Down With Design, the original can be read here
Custom VS. Pre-Packaged Designs
Your logo is the first impression customers have of you. Maybe they see it on your website, or on a business card or mailer they received. Wouldn’t you want to be represented by something that says “you”?
Jun/100
Color 101
Branding is one of the single most important factors in determining how your company is perceived by potential customers. Not a big surprise to most. It will define your business’s appearance, its personality, its demographic and even its values. Perhaps more than any other factor, the colors you adopt are central to creating this first impression. And still it seems that color is not always given the attention it warrants by some business owners.
It’s easy to overlook. After all, what’s so complicated about color? Does it really matter if your marketing materials are green instead of blue? Yes. In fact, even the specific shade of blue you choose can make a big difference. We attach all kinds of emotional and symbolic meanings to colors, sometimes consciously but most often without even thinking about it. Needless to say, it’s important to be aware of these overtones and use them to enhance your message.