Branding: it’s more than your logo. It is your image and the story your business tells.
When I first created my Instagram account years ago Chip and Joanna Gaines of Fixer Upper were growing in popularity. I followed an Instagram account that I thought was an official page for them. For several weeks this account shared quality content and funny pictures from their life and show. Then one day…they didn’t. A shabbily created meme of Chip and Jo riding in the car and something just seemed off about it. I went to the comments and learned I was not the only one questioning the integrity of this site. Turns out- it was a fake site. I immediately unfollowed. (Tell me I am not the only one who has ever been fooled right?)
What exactly is “Branding?”
Branding is more than your logo. It is everything your audience sees and identifies with your business, organization, or product. At it’s most basic level branding includes what emotions and memories are tied to your business and guides the first impressions of new audience experiences. There’s a lot to that so let’s unpack it a little.
Think about your favorite fast-food restaurant. I will use Chik-fil-A as an example. (That is my favorite and maybe yours!) Take a look at their logo below. What emotions do you feel? Can you taste their chicken sandwich? Does your stomach start to rumble? Your mouth water? That is your brain responding to the image. Can you easily recall the cows painting “Eat More Chikin” on billboards? That my friend is branding in action. Branding done well, creates emotional connections, identification as well as education for followers.
The Technical Side
Branding starts with your concept. Defining rules on how your brand is seen and displayed. Branding includes a full suite of graphic design elements and general rules for the usage of your branding. The development of your logo is the first and biggest step in the branding process. The best logos distill the concept down to the most basic and recognizable form that still communicates your message. After that a brand system is built around the logo, and expanding it’s effectiveness.
Some questions that will need to be answered around your brand are how will your logo convert for print use? Is it a one size fits all design or does it need to be manipulated to fit for letterhead, envelopes, or other print applications? How will it look if it’s translated to black and white only? What color pallet are you using and how can it extended to the rest of the brand outside the logo? Does that color pallet translate well for colorblind people? Those and many other questions need to be considered and then respected as guidelines when the brand is put into use otherwise the brand will be can be degraded over time. Consistency is key and that is what a good branding strategy does for you.
The Bottom Line
Branding is how your business is displayed to your audience. It is important that this image is consistent so your customers will quickly and easily recognize you. At Dogwood, we love the creative portion of this service for our clients. We get to know you, your product or service, and then with our ten plus years of graphic design experience, create a brand strategy that we are all proud of!
Thinking of creating a brand suite or re-branding your business? Let’s start a conversation.
