Your Logo Is Not Your Brand…

…and why you need a brand strategy

Your brand encompasses the positioning; the messaging and communications; the visual design; the target market; the voice; the marketing and promotions; the presence; and the experience any individual has with your business, product, or service—online, offline, or in person. Your brand is the experience people have when they come in contact with you or your business.

A restaurant with crappy food probably isn’t going to last regardless of how great anyone thinks the logo or visual identity is. And that plumber that uses a different font for his name on every truck might just make it anyway because he’s honest and does a good job.

A logo is less important than the product it signifies; what it represents is more important than what it looks like.

A logo, primarily, says who, not what, and that is its function.

–Paul Rand

Developing your brand starts with identifying your values:

• What does your company stand for?
• What do you want to be known for?
• And how do you communicate that your customers?

Everyone wants to be thought of as ethical, and professional, with a quality product—and professional design can help your customers’ perception of your business in that way. But how do you communicate other intangible benefits to your customer?

• Fun and friendly atmosphere?
• Sophistication?
• Energy and vitality?
• Accuracy and precision?

People can form a sense of what your business is about from your branding before they ever do business with you: including your quality, your professionalism, and maybe even your ethics.Good design isn’t just about making things look pretty. Thoughtful design can evoke the right image in your customer’s minds—enticing and persuading them that you can provide them with what they are looking for.

It may take many times of hearing a slogan or seeing an ad before it registers completely. Consistent branding can help improve recognition and support your advertising. A logo used everywhere along with consistent typefaces and colors has the potential to create new customers by helping them subconsciously recognize you.

Professional graphic design has the potential to deliver measurable results for a small business.

Let’s talk about what you want your branding to communicate to your customers.