When you put together a Lego set, you need all the right parts. Otherwise, your project won’t look anything like it does on the front of the box.
Well, it’s the same with brand design. Without all the right components, you’ll end up with a subpar brand.
Below, we outline some crucial steps you need to take when building a concise, compelling, put-together company brand.
1. Settle On Your Palette
Tiffany blue. McDonald’s yellow. Cadbury purple.
These big companies understand the importance of color so well that most have even gone to trademark their signature hues. And if you’ve looked into the psychology of color only briefly, you’ll understand why.
For example:
- Red gets people excited
- Yellow feels warm and friendly
- Purple is creative
- Green indicates growth
- Blue is trustworthy
For almost every color, there’s an associated psychological reaction you can expect from most people. Settle on a core color for your brand, then work from that to develop other colors for fonts and contrast.
2. Get the Logo Right
You’re not a brand until you have a logo. Think of it as your calling card or identity–your brand’s personality condensed into a single, simple logo design.
Remember, this logo will feature on every part of your business: website, business cards, social media profiles, merchandise, marketing collateral, and advertising. It’s the first thing customers see and associate with your company. So it’s essential to get the design right.
What if you don’t have a big budget? No sweat! It’s easy to create a logo on the cheap these days using an online logo creator.
3. Defining Your Brand Story
Your brand story tells the tale of your founding, why you make, sell, or provide the products or services that you do. Giving a solid background to your company adds legitimacy and builds trust in your company.
This also relates to the positioning of your brand, the market niche you fill. What makes you more attractive, more affordable, or more reliable than your competitors? These factors will influence how you write and talk about your brand, the colors you choose to use (back to point one), and the imagery you employ.
4. Savvy Taglines
From brand slogans to choosing the right font, your brand’s tagline says everything about who you are as a company. Iconic slogans like Nike’s “Just do it” or Apple’s “Think different” doesn’t happen overnight. Instead, they’re crafted by industry veterans over months, sometimes years.
Your slogan is a distillation of your brand story, positioning, and purpose. Your other brand choices, such as color palette and logo, should factor into the tagline design.
Invest in Brand Design
Whether you’re a fresh startup or a seasoned company starting a rebrand, focus on brand design from the beginning. If you spend the time getting the colors, font, brand story, and logo right, we guarantee your company will reach nothing but success.
For more backgrounders on branding and marketing, browse the rest of our blog.