BRANDING 101
Strategizing for your branding should be just as important as your business plan. Design is often overlooked because business owners focus on what they are best at, which is running their business. What design professionals are best at is playing the middleman between the business owner and their potential consumer, client or patron. Our job is to present the most optimal and enjoyable visuals for people experiencing that particular brand. Welcome to Branding 101.
SO WHAT IS BRANDING?
A logo? That’s the easy answer. First, designers start with researching. We compare competitors brands and analyze target markets. To make a successful brand, designers will learn as much as possible about the client’s business. They are chameleons that way. Our designers may also be a computer technician, a firefighter or in the business of green chile. Businesses won’t find this level of commitment on Fivver or 99Designs.
Designers are trained to understand things such as color theory, typography, and advertising. They use this knowledge to create harmonious schemes that can be implemented in a successful marketing strategy.
PSYCHOLOGY OF SHAPES
Our subconscious minds respond in different ways to shapes. Straight lines, circles, curves and jagged edges all imply different meanings for a logo. Designers use shape to infer particular qualities and values in a brand.
COLOR THEORY
Color can be used to attract attention, organize content, emphasize elements, evoke emotion and help a design look aesthetically pleasing. But what colors should be used? Graphic designers have an understanding of color theory. Color theory is the study of color in art and design, their relationships with each other and principles used to create balanced color schemes. The wrong color choices can confuse consumers about a companies mission.
THE IMPORTANCE OF …
Whether it’s in emails, resumes, menus, websites or print design, the fonts that we choose have an impact on our readers. Often, without even realizing it, readers react psychologically to the appearance of text. Having the wrong typeface could potentially make people experiencing your brand not take you seriously.
COMMUNICATION
The role of a designer is to clearly implement the ideas and standards of the company or business, while also considering consumer behavior. As much as we implement the client’s ideas, ultimately, these visuals need to attract everyone! The truth is that business owners tend to have a bias based on their own personal preference. When applied, do those preferences make a consumer want to choose that business over a competitor?
So what’s next?
Creating a visual story or Identity.
You see, a logo is a singular block to the figurative branding skyscraper. What does the rest of that building look like? A good strategy anticipates how visuals are going to be translated over social media, website or video? We translate a brand identity through:
- business cards
- signage
- print materials
- copywriting
- photography
- social media graphics
- websites
- video
- other visual platforms
Just like the business, a unique branding identity should be inspiring and memorable to the people experiencing it.
