As a professional printing and branding company, we know that the right branding is vital for a successful business. Simply a logo design that doesn’t represent a brands message can be the sole destroyer of an otherwise good business. The worlds best brands showcase their business message in a variety of strategic ways, either subtly (think of Nike’s simple swoosh logo) or vividly (think of Google’s array of colours.)
The logo is an important aspect of branding however, it is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to successful branding. All elements of the business brand need to be filled with meaning and used consistently across all marketing materials, from print solutions to digital marketing solutions. The overall identity needs to effortlessly communicate what a particular brand represents. The logo, colours, font and tone of voice need to come together collectively to tell the brand story.
Branding Company Advice about the Creative Process
Companies need to working with a professional branding company, digital marketing agency and printing company to ensure that their business message is expressed correctly and cohesively. Brand management or a re-branding process is incredibly time consuming, anxiety inducing and all in all stressful. This is why managing the process with professionals in important.
Branding is an art and a branding company will get to the core of a business, discovering what makes it tick and what sets it apart from its competitors. They will then amplify these traits. Branding begins with clarity and becomes simplified and condensed, eventually evolving into a form of communication. An idea will come together after cutting through the clutter and identifying exactly what it is that sets the brand apart.
Identify your core values, business mission and what primary message needs to be communicated with your audience. So, how do you express these values visually? Values can be expressed through graphic design, typography, colour, shorthand and visual mnemonics.
However, creating a static identity is not enough. All elements of design need to suit a variety of platforms, from digital to print. Flexibility is essential! On a practical level, graphic designers need to acknowledge the longevity of the design and understand basic rules around what works or doesn’t work. For example: thin diagonal lines don’t work well online or on television and the gradient can be badly reproduced on printed materials.
Never Follow Branding Trends
When it comes to logos and typography, don’t blindly follow fashion. Trendy designs will burn out in the long run. For example: the hipster, geometric styled logo is running thin and in a few years it won’t be taken too seriously. This is a trap many businesses find themselves falling into.
And what is more stressful than branding a new company? A complete re-brand!
By creating a design that can fit in with evolving fashions and concepts promises brand longevity. Good visual identity, combined with key graphic design foundations are able to flow into new and creative campaigns. This will create your very own visual language that continues to tell your brand story years down the line.
Creating Campaign Ideas
Now comes idea generation. This is when you explore your brand from every angle. This is when “think tank” sessions take place! The best place to start? Sum up your brand identity in one sentence and branch off from there.
Create mood boards, collages and pick images that you associate with your brand. And then develop a solid concept. Your creative idea should have longevity and tell your brands story effectively across all marketing platforms.
Today, we have more touch points than ever before, from business cards and brochures to social media, websites and brand activation stands. You need to ensure that all the designs used on these platforms match your brand and showcase a streamlined business consciousness. This is where a “style guide” comes in.
Your style guide is the document that outlines all the critical information required to design and execute any marketing material. This makes the process of communication with a graphic designer, printing company, branding company and we developer simpler and faster.
Brand Management Solutions
Jetline recognised a fundamental gap in the market for an effective brand management solution – thus the brand management portal was born. BMP is an all-encompassing system that functions as a digital style guide. It maintains your relevant brand information and guidelines, ensuring brand uniformity across all your marketing and corporate materials.
People do business with companies that they are familiar with. If your branding is uniform it becomes easily recognisable. This makes people feel at ease when purchasing your product or service.
Your brand is your promise. Keep your promise consistent.
Contact your closest Jetline for more information about our Brand Management Portal.
