Brand It Essex
Branding 101
Updated: Jun 1, 2022

You can’t avoid the fact that people make judgments; they see something and it creates a
message in their minds about what they see. If that’s the first time they see something
relating to your business that’s already embedding an opinion in their minds.
If you’re just getting started, or about to give your brand an overhaul, here are our top tips
to ensure you’ve got a head start.
1: Your logo
This isn’t just a random design. It should reflect your business values and ethos. It should
also be easy to replicate on paper, as an image file, on your website, stationery, social
media and - if you have it - on branded clothing. A very detailed logo is harder to produce
clear images of and the smaller it gets (social media avatars) the more likely it is to look like
a blurry smudge! Get a good designer to help (we can help with this too).
2: Your company colours
Different colours mean different things. Blue is solid, mainstream, conservative; Red is bold,
in-your-face, loud and proud, dangerous, but if you tone it down to a deeper maroon, it looks
more established, rich and classy. Orange is friendly, open, healthy. You can find out more
in this article.
3: Fonts
Don’t just use whatever your computer defaults to. Talk to your designer about fonts that
reflect your image. These will usually be used in your logo. Once you’ve got them, ensure
all company material uses them - Word documents, spreadsheets, slide decks, email, etc. It
all creates a consistent image.
When you have these three items nailed down you can produce brand guidelines that
specify how your brand appears.
4: Your website
This is your online shopfront and needs to reflect your business. Your branding should run
through it, using your company colours and the copy should reflect the tone and approach
people experience when they meet you and your team face-to-face.
5: Branded goods
If your staff have branded items - i.e. pens, notebooks, phone covers, etc. These all need to
be consistently branded and professional. The same applies to any items you produce for
promotional use. Anything that carries your brand needs to reflect your values. So if you
are a high ticket, up-market business, you don’t want anyone getting out a cheap throwaway
pen.
6: Branded clothing
If any of your team are customer facing you might want to consider branded clothing. You
can brand anything from a beanie hat to a suit! Many companies with engineers or trades
opt for a nice quality branded polo shirt and/or a hoodie or a body warmer or waterproof
jacket, depending on the type of trade.
*****
Every time one of your team meets a member of the public they make an impression and, as
the cliché goes:
You never get a second chance to make a first impression
Make sure all your first impressions are positive.