Have you ever really stopped to think about the emotional image of your business?
Do you really understand what branding is?
Most people think of branding as a graphic elements and logos, but it goes way beyond that. It can actually go a long way to increase the value of your business.
It gives your business a personality, promoting recognition. It will create trust and recognition and provides direction and motivation to your employees.
So what is a brand? In short it should be everything!
To fully understand what BRANDING is, you first need to understand the fundamental difference between your business logo and your brand.
Your logo is the MOST IMPORTANT part of your business BRAND.
So what is the difference between a LOGO DESIGN and a BRAND?
LOGO DESIGN vs BRAND
Your LOGO = Identifies a business in its simplest form via the use of a symbol or mark
Your BRAND = Is the perceived emotional image of the whole company
So lets take a closer look at how a logo could work for your business to help create your brand.
A great logo…
- Makes you stand out to your customers
- It should present professionalism
- And should be a summary of your entire brand
There are many types of logo styles, and these styles need to be considered during the development stage. Which style would be appropriate for your business?
Symbol or Icon
Simple and bold and easy to remember, usually instantly recognisable. Often used by the larger brands.
Word Mark
Simple Use of Typography, which usually spells out the business name, used well with the company’s colours can be extremely effective. It is what it says on the tin so to speak.
Letter Mark
Usually the initials of a business or brand with an unusually long or complicated name, an abbreviation, which again used effectively could over time become instantly recognizable.
Emblem
An encased design with more detail, often complicated and quite decorative. I don’t always find these logos work when they are small because you can’t see the detail. Not my preferred design choice in the current marketplace but appropriate for use in some businesses.
Combination Mark
This style of logo gives flexibility to use both the icon and text or each as individual. This type of logo should look great as a whole logo or as a part logo. I find this type of logo works well across many media platforms and gives you greater flexibility when thinking about your businesses brand. It kind of covers all bases.
The use of colour
Of course there are other things to consider when designing a logo. I touched on the use of colour earlier, below are what are commonly considered to be the feelings evoked around colour.
Colour appeals to our subconscious senses and influences decisions and is one of the THE MOST IMPORTANT elements of a logo design.
Red – Evokes feeling of Excitement, Youthfulness and of being Bold
Blue – Can signify Trust, Loyalty and Confidence
Green – Life Renewal & Growth
Yellow – Warmth, Clarity and Hope
Orange – Energy, Playful & Cheerful
Purple – Creative, Wisdom & Royalty
Grey – Balance, Respectful & Lawful
Take a look at these well known and recognizable logos and think about the mood and feeling they evoke, it really is something to consider when designing your own business logo. This explains why many global companies stick with what they know works, such as Coca Cola’s use of red.
The choice of fonts
So we’ve looked at the style of a logo and the colour, but what about the choice of font…
As a designer of many years, and having spent perhaps too much time enjoying fonts, I know I’m a bit of a geek, there are several fonts that I try to steer clear of. Whilst I also keep an eye on current trends, it’s interesting to see how things change year on year, and this needs to be considered it creating a timeless logo.
It’s important that the font FITS THE FEEL OF THE BUSINESS.
Some fonts can make your design feel dated, some can give it a modern twist.
Do you want to portray a corporate brand, a fun & friendly business or clinical clean and crisp image.
You will also need to consider how your chosen font will appear when scaled up or down.
Fonts, I personally avoid are the obvious and often regularly offered fonts, such as Arial, Comic San, Helvetica and Times New Roman, but that’s just my preference. If all else fails, follow the K.I.S.S Theory
KEEP – IT – STUPID – SIMPLE
Consistency
CONSISTENCY is also hugely important when thinking about your brand.
Keep colours, font and proportions the same across all marketing products, as consistency breeds recognition. Your Logo is THE FIRST IMPRESSION of your business.
Summary
So to sum up, a good LOGO should be
- Simple
- Memorable
- Timeless
- Versatile
- And Appropriate for your business
…and your BRANDING should
- Promote Recognition
- Create Trust & Credibility
- Give a Unique Quality
- Provide Direction & Motivation to your employees
- Generate Referrals & Sales
Here at InSynch, we incorporate and consider all of the above across all aspects of our design work, be it in printed or digital formats, with the creation or re-brand of a new website, in the creation of an automated email as part of your digital advertising campaign or across your printed stationery. Although we are a digital marketing company we also offer a comprehensive Graphic Design Service, available in our Total Digital Marketing Packages or as a stand alone service.
If you are looking for a re-brand or wanted to bring your existing logo into good use across all of your business, get in touch. We’d love to hear from you!
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Sam Jones
Graphic Designer
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