Quick, take a look around you and see how many brands you can spot. Chances are good that you're surrounded by them. On your computer, on your shoes; even your coffee cup isn't safe! When you see a logo for Microsoft, Nike or Starbucks, you're not just looking at a cool design, you're looking at a brand.
A strong brand not only identifies a company in the mind of the consumer, but it creates a memorable link between what it is and what it does. It's true whether your business is a large corporation or a small, one-person show you need a good brand identity.
Consumers have a staggering number of choices today. When presented with so many options, people gravitate toward the familiar. Trusted names can boost sales, and their brand value is immense. That's why it's important to create a strong brand identity for your business. It builds credibility and loyalty, and differentiates your business from the competition.
So How do you create a brand identity?
The first step in creating your business identity is to answer the following questions:
Who is your target audience?
Who are your main competitors?
What kinds of logos and brand identities do your competitors have?
Which of their brands appeal to you? Why?
Once you've determined the answers to these questions, take some time to look at the memorable identities and logos all around you. Look at Nike. The name is short and catchy, and was inspired by Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. The swoosh logo is simple, recognizable, and implies speed and forward motion. This is a good name, a nice logo, and a great brand ID.
Thinking Ahead
You should also make sure your logo can survive in any medium: in print like on promotional products,, in full color, in grayscale, in black and white, in a large format like on custom logo mats, or point of purchase displays, or in a tiny ad.
Think ahead. You may not need your logo embroidered on a cap, personalized golf balls,or screen printed t-shirts. Make sure the design is simple and clear enough to survive any kind of treatment.
The best way to get a logo is to have it designed by a graphic artist or website design company with experience in creating logos and brand identities.
Make Your Brand Identity Consistent Throughout
Once you've established the name and logo of your business, consider the rest of your brand identity strategy. This includes corporate colors, typefaces, taglines, slogans and all the other ways your brand i.d. is implemented. It's important that your web site matches your signs, and that your business cards, letterhead, labels, forms, engraved awards, and custom client gifts, are all consistent with each other.
You may also want to develop a style guide for the use of your brand. A guide will make sure that other people who handle your brand use it consistently. It should include the exact colors, typefaces, and design specifications for your logo and the way it should be presented in all marketing material, employee incentives,recognition gifts, and any other internal & external communications.
Think about how your brand identity will be disseminated - in direct mail pieces, ads, brochures, business cards, press releases, and so on. With proper forethought and the help from Gallant, your brand identity can help your business thrive.
About the author:
Gallant www.GallantGifts.com is a full service Promotional Agency that provides creative brand building solutions for our client. We are celebrating our 12th year in business. GallantGifts.com offers a number of branding solutions like Point-of-Purchase items, trade show gifts, employee recognition and incentives, branded corporate apparel, in-house screen printing and graphic, web design and SEO services. We offer our services through the following websites: www.WebsitesbyGallant.com.
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