The first thing anyone sees when searching for your company is your logo.
Getting your logo right at the very start is extremely important.
Your overall brand is more than just a simple logo, it portrays your company by using colours that are sympathetic with your industry and styling that appeals to your particular audience. These all differ tremendously depending on who your customers are.
You can also have a USP which is very apparent from the initial contact a new customer has with your website or promotional material. If the USP is not ‘told’ through your logo itself then often an underline or accompanying slogan is used to get this point across.
Having consistency through all your media whether online or offline is extremely important which is why, if I am not asked at the start up stage of a new business, I am often called in when they have been established for a few years, and asked to put together a Branding Guide.
It often doesn’t occur to companies at the outset that they will need a branding document but as they develop and expand and more employees get involved with buying marketing products or using the company logo on documents, machinery, vehicles or internal signage then consistency of the brand is extremely important. Instant recognition through brand awareness by your customers is key as this validates who you are, instills confidence in your products and services and portrays your company the a professional manor. If they look at your website and the logo colours look different to the brochure they have in front of them or the logo looks different proportions, or the typeface is different the customers will question your ability of professionalism in the product or service they are buying from you.
Branding Guides don’t have to be really complex, sometimes it is just a matter of 5-6 pages of clearly defined descriptions for logo usage, colours and typefaces and a selection of formats of logos for CMYK & RGB usage. These simple documents can be drawn up for as little at £100-£150 and are worth every penny as they are an essential part of your marketing toolbox!
A basic document will suffice for small businesses but obviously mid sized and corporates will want much more control over their identity and much more detail will need to be specified.
These will/can cover additional items such as:
- primary and secondary logo variations
- primary and secondary colour palettes,
- additional typefaces to be used on accompanying marketing materials, weights and pt sizes to be used for specific marketing products
- specific use of logos, website references and contact details on specific areas of identity such as vehicles, signage, promotional products, as well as product labeling (should they manufacture their own items for sale)
- how photographs, and which photographs can accompany marketing materials and their relationships with the logo
- corporate clothing, safety clothing, hard hats etc
- corporate gifts
- plus any other relevant areas specific to your industry
For these very detailed Brand Guidelines there can be much deliberation and development involved and I can give a guideline price after an initial discussion.
If you would like me to look at providing Brand Guidelines for your company then please get in touch for a FREE initial CONSULTATION.