Creating an Effective Brand

By JD Smith, Ninety Degrees North Design

What does your company stand for? Maybe it stands for quality service, expert advice, family friendliness, or even tradition. Do you think your brand supports what you stand for? Do your clients and prospects recognize “your stuff” when they see it?

Your product or service must have a profitable relationship with your customers. Your brand must stand for something distinct, relevant and desirable to them. A strong and consistent brand is necessary to foster this relationship. Most people are visual, so if your clients and prospects can’t remember your company by your image, they may not remember your company at all.

There are many elements that come together to create the anatomy an effective brand. These elements include color, logo marks, messaging and most importantly consistency.

Standard Color Palette

When you have a standardized color palette you will almost instantly create a feeling. Studies have shown that different colors have a tendency to evoke different emotions, so it is important to choose your colors wisely. You should consider having two types of colors, primary corporate colors, which include the main colors that are present in all of your materials, and secondary supporting colors, which should be used as accents.

Consistent Logo Use

Your logo is your most important branding asset. Is should be a unique mark that represents your company and what it stands for. It should be your main identifier, one that your clients and prospects associate as being your company. Your logo should be on everything that your clients and prospects receive from you.

Coordinated Messaging

Not only is it important to look coordinated, but you must sound coordinated. Everyone in your company must use the same language when talking about the business. If you choose to have a tagline, everyone in the company must use the same tagline. This unified message should help tie together all of your external collateral.

The Bottom Line: Consistency. Consistency. Consistency. It is imperative that there is a unity among all of your client and prospect touch points. Whether the client or prospect is looking at a letter, postcard, brochure, webpage or anything else from you, your marketing materials and communications must have your brand in order to ensure it is remembered.