Think about your favorite business. I bet you just visualized its logo. Or its website theme, product packaging, and other elements of your company’s brand.
Branding is often a small and overlooked element of business. But the power of perception is significant as you offer your products and services to the world.
Brand designers are storytellers and have the ability to empower your business to compete with the best tool available: who your business is.
Below, we’ve created the ultimate guide to branding your business that any company of any size can use to their advantage.
The blueprint
Build your brand like you’d build anything… start with a blueprint.
The blueprint serves as the guard rails brand designers will use to create the desired result. The blueprint is a vital starting point because it will guide your strategy every step of the way. Before you create an eye-catching logo and stunning visual identity, you’ll need a blueprint to help your actions be targeted and efficient.
To create the blueprint, you’ll need to take a moment to reflect.
Your brand should reflect your company’s traits, qualities and unique attributes. Before you create the blueprint to branding your business, you’ll need to sit down and answer these questions.
Branding should give customers an insight into your company values and goals. If your organization hasn’t identified these yet, you’ll need to do this first.
If you’re unsure what exactly your branding project will look like, then creating a blueprint for your brand will be helpful. By drafting a branding blueprint, important goals will become clear. When it comes time to create important brand assets, designers and marketing teams will have a clear desired result.
Remember, branding is all about creating a unique face for your business. So, don’t identify highlights of competitor’s branding for your blueprint. Identify the unique and special elements of your company to complete your branding mission.
In the journey of branding your business, the blueprint is the vital first step.
Brand assets
The next step in branding your business is the vital brand assets.
Once company values, goals, and unique attributes are identified, creating high-quality brand assets becomes your next challenge.
Specifically, brand assets will include: the logo, typefaces, slogans, the color profile, website themes, the brand voice, and more.
Brand assets build your brand perception and how your brand is perceived among competitors. Remember, company branding is one-of-a-kind, so brand perception is a powerful tool to give yourself an edge in your industry.
Use brand assets to your advantage. Want to be perceived as an innovator? A sleek and stylish logo and color scheme will match your intended brand perception. Trying to target a specific audience? Brand assets are your chance to invoke feelings of nostalgia with elements you know will connect with buyer personas.
The desired brand perception should be the end goal of your branding journey. Studies show 60 percent of customers will avoid a company if they find the logo odd, ugly, or unappealing. Even if the company receives positive reviews, the power of brand perception is significant.
The brand assets are must-haves as you build your brand. Without them, you’ll be losing out on opportunities to gain professionalism in the eyes of your potential customers.
Brand assets are just that… assets. Brand materials are investments in the perception of your business and should be taken seriously.
Attention to detail
The importance of a good logo makes brand elements a priority for your business. But when creating the important brand elements the priority should be the details.
The work designers accomplish appears in front of customers thousands of times. Small details will not go unnoticed by your target audience. Professional logo & brand design will keep the finer details in mind as you build your brand.
Unintentional mistakes in the brand elements can give the wrong brand perception and will not make the desired connection with customers.
Creative ways to extend your brand
So, we’ve established the value quality branding can provide for your organization. But branding strategies aren’t limited to the traditional brand assets that immediately spring to mind. Branding allows for creativity in the ways your brand chooses to express itself.
Below, we’ve added some creative ways to extend your brand past the expected brand assets.
Starting a company blog is the perfect way to add value to your brand perception. A company blog is the perfect place to share important industry information or just give your organization a stream of consciousness.
Spending time writing quality content is another way to communicate your values. When readers view blog content in social media feeds, your brand will be perceived as an informational resource. Providing insightful reading material will pay off when it comes time for your blog readers to make purchasing decisions.
Remember, blog writing needs to align with your brand voice and should match your company values and goals. Also, potential customers are overwhelmed with web content. You’ll need to ensure your creative content is unique and makes your organization stand out in news feeds.
Creativity on social media is another easy way to brand your business. Social media platforms allow for endless creativity making social the perfect place to express brand ideas and values in unique ways. A well crafted social media page will serve as a one-of-a-kind tool to introduce customers to your company.
Finally, remember to enjoy yourself when creating your brand. Brand elements need to invoke positive emotions when viewed by customers. So, your team needs to remember to let loose a little and get creative!
If you are looking for inspiration for your next brand design project, view our branding and web design portfolio.
