What is branding?
It’s more than a logo and a tagline for letterhead and business cards. Your brand is the foundation of your company’s identity – the service you provide combined with the consistent look and feel that give customers – at a glance – a sense of ease and confidence.

Consider Amazon.com. Their reputation and following is very positive, and their unchanged logo and design structure are part of the reason they are the world’s largest online retailer (with record profits last year). Their brand screams “easy to use”, and it ultimately benefits from a high degree of trust.

How strong is your brand?
It’s easy to find out, just ask around – ask your employees, your friends, vendors… anyone who will give you an honest answer. Be sure to ask people who are not emotionally tied to your brand. And if they answer no to three or more of these questions, it’s time to consider change:
- Does your company participate in positive community relations?
- Do customers view your service in a positive light?
- Is your logo easy to recognize?
- Does your brand look consistent throughout all of your collateral and media?
- Is your physical presence modern and up-to-date?
- Is your brand stronger than your competitors?
- Is there a defined leader in your industry?
- Does your brand communicate your company’s message and abilities?

Plan your changes
Top-notch service and products should be at the forefront of all company activities, all the time. But if you’re set on that front and you want to update your physical presence, it’s easiest for your customers to recognize when the modifications occur simultaneously with other important marketing activities (like a website redesign, a new ad campaign or an annual report.)

Hire the pros
You file taxes through an accountant. You review contracts through your lawyer. The same is true for your brand. To design a positive presence will require pros who are well versed in color theory, typography, illustration and original brand creation.

Some companies use brand guidelines for various agencies, employees and developers to follow. This helps the initial design process, maintains consistency, and should always be part of your final deliverables.

For more information from Stalelife, or to have your brand reviewed for no-cost, please send us an email.