Every great brand starts with simple brand elements that can be built upon as your business grows. Good branding assigns a unique identity to your company, without limiting opportunities for growth.
Your logo will be at the heart of all your future marketing, so it’s essential to have a professionally designed logo that you’re proud of. If you haven’t had a logo designed for your business yet, read our blog on developing a logo.Once you have a logo, you can start creating brand basics that will lay the foundation for all your future marketing.
Marketing Basics Most Companies Need:
- A Website
- Business Cards
- Stationery
- Brochures
- Presentations
- Reports
- Marketing Pieces
Creating branded templates for each of these items makes it easy for you to maintain brand consistency across your business and employees.
Creating a Brand Image That Is Consistent and Relevant
How do you develop a design style that that can be applied to all of your brand’s marketing? Here are some tips for developing a strong, recognizable brand image:
Do Research.
Before you begin the design process, do some research on your target and what appeals to them. Though your brand is a reflection of your business, it should also take into consideration the thoughts and feelings of your customers. Think about the message you want to convey, and whether your designs work toward that goal.
Be Consistent.
Choose standard typography and style elements that can be woven throughout your marketing. When done effectively, these distinct elements will instantly alert your customers that they’re looking at a piece of your brand. (Think the distinctive Apple iPod silhouettes.) In order to maintain consistency, we recommend that you create a brand style guide to determine how these elements of your brand should be used.
Use Your Logo.
As previously mentioned, having a great logo is an essential starting point. Simplicity and versatility are key. Your logo should look good in any situation, whether it’s plastered on a 10-foot colour billboard or featured in a tiny black and white newspaper ad. Your logo is the heart of your brand, so don’t be afraid to use it as a point of connection across all your marketing.
Create a Design Identity.
Give your brand an identity and own it. All brands will evolve as they grow. However, very few stray from their core design principles, and maintain a similar colour scheme and consistent style elements. (Take for example the recent Starbucks logo redesign; though it was reinvented, it maintains Starbucks’ signature green colour scheme and sea siren imagery.) Design flourishes that are unique to your brand give your marketing an edge that makes it stand out from your competitors.
Create Templates.
Many brands overlook the value in having branded templates that can be quickly edited to fit the situation at hand. Have branded templated for business card designs, stationery, presentations and reports. Not only will it make your life (and your employees’ lives) easier, it’ll also ensure your brand presents a united front across all your marketing, conveying a professional, composed image.
Hire a Professional Designer.
Though it might seem like an added expense, trust us when we say it will be money well spent. Your brand image will follow your company for years to come. You want designs that will stand the test of time. A trained graphic designer has an eye for detail and knows how to create and extend designs across various media, ensuring your designs are versatile and applicable to any situation.
If you’d like assistance designing brand basics for your company such as your website, business cards, brochures or other marketing pieces, find the nearest Print Three location.
All our Print Three smart business centres have graphic design experts to help you create and print the marketing essentials that you need to promote and expand your business. We specialize in web and print marketing and can design and produce business cards, stationery, brochures, and a wide variety of other web and print marketing pieces.