A strong identity is very important in business these days. It makes it easier for customers to identify with you, creates trust and helps to build a strong reputation. That’s where branding comes in.
More than just a smart logo design, branding is the very essence of how you want your business to be perceived by others.
At Hopwood Creative, when we take on a new branding project, we really take the time to get to know our client, their business and their market.
Branding isn’t just about differentiating yourself from the competition. The aim is to ensure customers see you as a dependable thought leader who addresses their needs or problems better than anybody else.
There are an increasing amount of websites offering cheap logo design, and while they can produce a logo that serves its purpose, there’s a lot to be said for taking the unique full branding experience that you can get with a specialist.
A branding expert will delve into the science of the matter, designing to trigger emotions in your customer. For example, did you know that the colours used in your branding can convey certain meanings? For instance, blue is traditionally seen as a colour that invokes trust, white carries the message of purity and cleanliness, whilst black portrays a classic, traditional feeling.
If you’re aiming for a more high class image to appeal to a higher income demographic, you need to convey a more luxurious feel to your brand. Think about the branding you see on the high street, how does a discount chains branding compare to that of a high end department store chain?
With a branding project, it’s also important to consider how that branding is carried through all touchpoints it will have with a customer. A logo design will need to look good at a suitable resolution for a website, but also look great in print. Will your branding be embroidered onto workwear? Will it be added to your company van?
Everything from colour to font style and size needs to be considered, as well as your overall marketing message.
A good branding agency should have considered this and be able to provide your final logo design in a variety of formats to suit where it is likely to be displayed.
While the biggest part of the branding process may well be the logo design, it doesn’t end there. From business cards, to flyers, letterheads, compliment slips, invoices, van graphics, shop and office signage, there are many ways in which a customer see’s your identity. Whilst financially, having all those things designed at once can be a big outlay, the benefits of communicating a strong clear brand identity from the outset should never be underestimated. It’s also important to consider how it can look to a customer if you continue to use your old branding alongside any re-branding – this can give off a conflicting range of signals.
In the age of the internet, a company’s image has more touch-points than ever before. Reaching out to people through websites and social media as well as more traditional formats, it’s more important than ever to ensure your branding remains strong and consistent across all these touch-points. With the marketplace more crowded than ever before, great branding can make all the difference.
Need a helping hand with your branding? Give us a shout.