Happy May, friends! Today, we’re talking about brands. Not big brands like Coke and Nike, but little brands, like yourself :)
We often get the opportunity to work with small, start-up businesses here, and it’s such a joy to take what we know about brands and apply them to someone, who might not have anything established. It’s really such an important part of growing your business, that is, once you decide you’re actually going to be BE in business!
There is probably a formal definition out there somewhere, but at Weswen Design, our definition of brand is the elements that tie your business together. It’s the colors, fonts, images…. all the visual choices….. that work together to create one unified front that reminds your audience who you are on a consistent basis. Got that? Let’s break it down some.
All aboard the Branding 101 train!
Let’s say you’ve started a cupcake business. You have the name of your business, Frosting, and now you’re ready to move onto defining the elements in your brand. Disclaimer —–> of course there is tons of creativity out there and you can certainly venture down this path yourself, but it’s always wise to have a professional on your side to help guide you through the process to ensure your brand will be in tip-top shape when you’re done!
First stop, after naming your business: you need a logo. YES, you need a logo.
A logo gives your brand something to recognize it visually. It’s the icon that will (or should) appear over and over within all the other elements of your brand. Remember, a brand is tying together all these visual pieces into one, cohesive unit which allows your business maximum recognition. And, keep in mind, your logo should be CURRENT LOOKING. If you started your business five years ago and are thinking about re-branding…… we always advise to start at the beginning of the process. You may think your logo still stands the test of time, but look at it objectively and be honest with yourself. Should you have two logos? NO. Can you have one logo and then once it’s well-established start playing around with other ways to show it? Yes. But that’s not for beginners. One logo, kept the same, on all your marketing…. you’re one-third of the way there.
Next stop on the branding train: business cards.
You MUST HAVE a business card so people know where to contact you. Yes you can point them to your website, yes you can tell them your email, but you still need this little piece o’ paper to help you look legit. Again, it’s wise to bring a professional on board to help you create an impactful business card. And do your research! Know a budget you would be comfortable staying in. There are TONS of options today with business cards, and they can be as cheap or expensive as you’d like. Keep in mind, the more impressive your card, the more likely people are to remember you, but also, the more it shows your seriousness with your business. We aren’t advocates of spending tons of money, but we do think paper choices, size and printing methods play a key part in making this little 3.5 x 2 gem sparkle.
Finally, evaluate your colors and fonts and create a guide to help you with the rest of your branding and marketing.
A standards guide, even if it’s as simple as the example above, can really help you and the future of your business. This handy-dandy cheat sheet can be passed on to your designer and provides the information they need to continue to keep your brand unified and cohesive. Or, this guide can COME from your designer once they have completed your branding process so that you as the business owner know exactly what your options are moving forward. Sticking to a cheat sheet like this will only ensure that your brand will continue to be consistent in the future no matter what other marketing materials you create.
Thanks for riding our Branding 101 Train. And don’t mind our crude graphics as we whipped them up just for this post!
Tomorrow we’ll chat about other key items for a successful brand.
