Branding 101

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.