Know Who You Are
Deciding if you are fun or serious is just one of the many categories in defining who you are.
Before we jump in and find a logo, colors, fonts, and or mascots, we need to know our identity as a business, and who our clients are. Brainstorm what you mean to your community, how you can provide something unique, and what your personality is within the community. Having a good understanding of who you are can determine whether the mood of your logo is light and fun, or more business oriented.
Establish Well Defined Brand Guidelines
Use well defined guidelines to keep your brand "within the lines"
So, you may want to develop a brand, but what does that mean? When defining your brand you'll want to establish defined guidelines that cover the following elements.
- A logo
- Brand Colors
- Tag Lines
- Fonts and Typography
- The "voice" used in your branded materials
- Imagery
- Mascots and spokespeople
Clearly this list is not comprehensive. If there is some other branding characteristic that you might want to add to your guidelines make sure to incorporate it into your brand guidelines documentation.
Keep It Simple
Simplicity is most often the key
If you were to look at many of the top recognizable brands, you would notice that simplicity is foremost. Brands like Coca-Cola, Android, Apple, McDonalds and many more are instantly recognizable due in part to their simplicity. You don't have to incorporate 6 multiple colors or 6 different shapes to represent the different branches of your company for example. Keeping it simple yet bold can make an immediate impact if you've thought it through.
Stand Out, But Don't Be Vague
Avoid the generic, stand out.
As detrimental as it is to have your brand to complicated, it is equally important not to use generic or standardized terms that reveal nothing about your company or it's values. You've probably seen or heard this before in generic marketing speak with terms like "Best-Selling Book", "Award-Winning Advertising Agencies", or "Championship Golf Courses". These terms because of overuse and vague meanings have almost no impact in your marketing. So what's the solution? Clear language, logo's and imagery. Always make sure your brand defines who you are and what you do in a clear and concise way.
Cheating on Your Guidelines
It may be tempting, but cheating might hurt you in the long run.
So you've created a wonderful branding guideline and two months down the road you find a new promotion that makes you want to perhaps change some of your color schemes, or other parts in your branding guideline. Can you do it? Of course you can. But keep in mind, every time your deviate from your stated brand guidelines, you dilute their power by some small amount. The danger in doing so is that you are introducing to the customer a new brand image, diminishing the strength of the association that they'd have to a more unified branding campaign.
Get Outside Help
We would love to help you create your brand. Socially Correct has creative logo designers, photographers, and content creators at their disposal to help you through the creative process. Call or email us for a consultation.