There are a number of things that help create a great brand. Unfortunately just doing one or two of them now and again is rarely enough. You may have a great product or service, but unless you market it well and consistently no-one will know about it. Everything you use for Marketing or communicating your brand needs to tell your story, internally and externally, everything needs to line-up. The only way to ensure everything is consistent is to have Brand Guidelines. This can be a single sheet, or 40 pages. At a minimum it needs to show how to use your logo, fonts and colours consistently. They really are the first step to creating a memorable brand.
For your logo, simple is often the best policy. If you look at nearly every big business, they all have a simple logo. Generally they only use one or two colours.
Through your brand you need to know who you are and who you’re trying to appeal to. This can all be done using certain colours and fonts within your marketing. Steer away from a logo that says what you do - especially with cheap clip-art. If you’re a house builder, you don’t need a picture of a house. If you’re a hairdresser you don’t need a pair of scissors. If you’re a PT instructor you don’t need a picture of a dumbbell …you get the idea.
Is your logo currently simple enough?
Think of your branding for the long term, try to stay away from fads or fashionable styles. As the name suggests these will go out of fashion meaning you’ll have to rebrand a bit quicker than you had hoped. Saying that, no logo is designed for life. Tweaking or updating your logo, however minor can keep your logo up-to-date. As you can see the major brands regularly update.
My number one rule to branding is stay consistent, using your Brand Guidelines will help you do this. Ensure all communication and marketing uses your branding correctly. Does your contract, internal documents or HR Manual follow your guidelines? The more consistent, the stronger your brand image. The stronger the image, the more professional and trustworthy you’ll look.
