This article was published in Colorado Business & Lifestyle magazine.
Branding and Graphic Identity:
Begin at the Beginning
By Phil Soreide, One Good Adguy
Before you ever start a business, in fact, when you and your spouse and your buddies are still in that stage of sitting around the living room saying, "Gee, wouldn't it be great to have a business of our own," consider your brand.
Like it or not, all businesses have a brand. A brand is the sum of the perceptions of all the people that make up your marketing universe, boiled-down to its essence. So if the essence of people's perception of you is that you are, say, high quality, affordable and reliable, you have a positive brand image.
How people develop their perceptions of you is the art and science of brand building, and it starts with things as basic as what you call your business.
The essence of marketing is differentiation — separating your product or business from other, similar competitors in the minds of potential customers. Not exactly rocket science, but it's astounding to me how many businesses fail to grasp this fundamental pretext.
If you're doing it right, your first marketing consideration is your competitive edge: the specific way your business will be demonstrably superior to your competition. The key words here are specific and demonstrably superior. If you aren't specific, your planning will lack focus. If your superiority is not demonstrable, it is not real. If you say that you offer lower prices, for example, then you must be able to prove that your prices are lower. If you say that you offer higher quality, then you must find ways to demonstrate that quality to your prospects.
Some other ways businesses differentiate themselves from their competitors include fastest, most skilled or experienced, widest selection, fills a unique niche or offers a new or unusual concept, but there are scores, hundreds, even thousands of others that are equally valid.
Once you've settled on a competitive edge, concentrate on crafting a clear statement that communicates the difference. Better still, especially if you have the luxury of being in the start-up phase, choose a name that communicates the difference. For example, if you saw a series of caterers with the names Chuckwagon Catering, Elite Catering, Quickee Catering and Exotic Catering, you know which one you'd call for a dinner party tomorrow night, and which one for an outdoor barbecue. And if you saw one named L&S Catering in that list, you might be hard pressed to think why you'd want to call them at all.
Once you have established your competitive edge and your name, you can begin to consider your graphic identity. Start with your logo.
Sadly, too many small business logos are simply pleasant designs attached to a business name in a standard type font and color. Try to push beyond that.
The first job of a logo is to communicate, so if your company name is Speedy Delivery, incorporating elements such as speed lines, rocket exhaust, a stopwatch or the wings of Mercury is entirely appropriate.
Many logos incorporate a symbol (known as a "bug") with the company name adjacent in a complementary logotype. Nike is a good example of this. So is Mercedes and Arm & Hammer Baking Soda. Other logos incorporate the name into the logo. PetSmart, MTV and FedEx are examples of this technique. Unless the bug you choose is very distinctive, give preference to the latter technique so you have the impact of the logo and business name every time it appears.
A distinctive shape that can be recognized at a distance will be an advantage to you. And speaking of shape, a shape near square or round will be the most flexible in its later use. If you have a logo that's too horizontal, it could become too small to read if used in a narrow space. That restricts — or increases the cost of — all your future media buys.
Make sure you look at your logo candidates in a variety of sizes from very large to very small — signage to business cards. Make sure it works in black and white (not every opportunity to use your logo will be in color), and make sure it can still be read if faxed or photocopied.
Finally, seek professional help. Print shops and publications may offer to typeset your business name or design your logo for free when you place an order, but that's usually penny wise and pound foolish. Your business deserves the commercial insight, artistic judgment, and independent counsel that you can get only from an experienced marketing professional.
Arguably, nothing about your business is more important than the perceptions
of it that people hold in their brains: the brand. That's why it's crucial
to build your brand right...from the beginning.