Branding comes down to crafting specific perceptions: what do you want your prospective and current customers to think, feel and do when they hear your brand’s name?
It starts with the basics
What does your company look like? Branding starts with establishing your corporate identity. Then it is cardinal to implement all the design elements consistently. When you collaborate with a designer on your corporate identity, you will decide on:
- exactly where and how your logo will be used on official documents (in the bottom left corner, for example),
- what the exact colour codes are in RGB, CMYK, Panton and Hex (McDonalds’ red and Wimpy’s red are not the same), and
- which fonts you will use for headings and paragraphs (we always suggest using Google Fonts).
In addition to your corporate identity, you should also consider the other basics:
- Which type of imagery/photography will you use? Will it be very natural like Plantify, clean like Babylonstoren, light and fun like The Creamery, etc.
- What will your brand sound like? Brand voice and tone add to your brand’s personality. Steri Stumpie is punny and quirky, Nando’s is funny and daring, Harvard Business Review is informative yet conversational (even though the articles are written by numerous writers, they stick to a certain framework on how to write).
- And don’t forget to know why you started this journey in the first place. As Simon Sinek explains, the why of your brand should be the core of your brand’s existence.
Consistency is key
When you start implementing your corporate identity, we cannot stress the importance of consistency enough! Consistency across all your channels, including business cards, labels and packaging, pamphlets, email signatures, blogs, e-newsletters, and social media have to stay true to your established corporate identity. Everything will add to the customer’s experience of your brand. You have to work really hard to make sure it’s a favourable and memorable one.
Besides looking good and professional, consistency will:
- make your brand come across as dependable (because you don’t change and you’re not double-minded. You know who you are as a brand),
- make it easier for customers to trust you and become loyal to your brand. This is why people are willing to pay more for expensive cars. It’s not always about the luxury, but also safety, for instance. Think Volvo, VW and Mercedes Benz.
- make it easier for customers to connect with you. Jason Bakery is an excellent example. Customers know exactly what they can expect from Jason Bakery and it makes it effortless and fun to connect with the brand and share stories with the brand. The brand, in turn, appreciates the feedback and has created an exceptional community of followers and customers.
Inconsistency, on the other hand, will confuse your audience and it will be harder for them to recognise your brand and establish a connection with you. Marketing and branding are not about getting your product in front of as many people as possible. It’s about human connection.
You will know your branding has grown to be successful when someone sees an ad and already knows it from you without having to look for the logo, and when they share their personal stories of your brand with you without expecting an incentive. HubSpot Academy and Catalyst Creative concluded that your customers go through 6 levels of engagement before they get to this point.
When we create your corporate identity, we take a spectrum of factors in consideration to help you build a solid, stable and reliable brand. Contact G2Design to take the first step in dominating your space, online and offline.
