Align your brand with your audience

When aligning your brand with your audience, it’s important to know who you are as business, and what your usp, your core offering and your ideal customer is. What is your ambition and the ultimate goal of the business? What do you stand for, what is your purpose and where do you fit into peoples’ lives? Why should they choose you over your competitors?

Anatomy of type

Typefaces say a lot about your brand, and it’s important to consider how you want them to be used for future marketing materials as well as in your identity. It’s generally accepted that you’ll need between two and three typefaces in your brand guidelines, and believe it or not there’s a science behind choosing them.

Better Branding

Do you want to be recognised by your customers? Do you want them to know who you are and what you are talking about? Do you want a better return on investment? Do you want to gain new customers? Do you want that competitive advantage? Do you want an Americano, two shots, flat white, to go? Of course you do (unless you’d prefer Tea?) Then all you need, is better branding.

Brands that need no introduction

These are recognisable brands and we will all have our own individual perception and response to them. It’s safe to say the reactions won’t all be positive. Each of these companies though has one thing in common and that’s a strong brand.

Creating a logo

When creating a brand identity, the first thing you need is a logo - this is the face of your brand and a vital part of your identity. People often mistake this as the easy part, but imagine the millions of logos out there and ask yourself how many you would recognise? A small percentage no doubt. Don’t worry, this is more a sign of how difficult it is to get right than of memory loss!

Develop a brand with purpose

Brands with purpose offer customers a way to support and express something they believe in. Collectively with employees, customers and investors a business can turn the ambition of their purpose into action. Consequently creating business success, and by fulfilling their purpose benefit individuals and society.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

When it comes to logo design sometimes it can be as simple as developing what you already have. A subtle change can make huge difference. As the saying goes ‘Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater’.

What will a good brand do for you

Now we’ve established what a brand is, what is having a good one actually going to do for your business?

What makes a brand

All businesses, regardless of their size will have a name and a logo. So, why doesn’t this make a brand, and what does?

Marketing yourself: What next?

Once you’ve got a brand identity, you need to share it with the world and to use it to market yourself. This isn’t just about advertising, it’s about how you portray yourself to others whenever your brand is on show. If you want people to trust your brand, or use your service, you need to create a presence that stays relevant, active and represents your values in a positive way.

The 5th Element

It’s easy to mistake a logo for a brand, when in reality a brand is so much more. Here we look at that elusive element that can help define a brand. A graphic, symbol or shape that ties all the elements together.

It’s good to talk

It seems an obvious point to make but good communication can make the difference between a project’s success or failure.

Rebranding - Friend or Foe?

The saying goes 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' and it is an attitude many of us use in our everyday lives. When it comes to your businesses communications, however, it is another story.

The mark of a successful brand.

Is your brand making an impression? An effective brand identity is made up of a number of parts, which when combined can communicate more than simply a company name, or what products and services are on offer. The most effective examples are built on an idea that defines the brand rather than a literal depiction of what they do. Would Apple be the company it is today if it had chosen an image of a desktop PC rather than the ‘bitten apple’ and settled on ‘Jobs & Wozniak Computers’?

5 Common Branding Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Branding is one of the first things that visitors notice when they come into contact with your business. Your brand basically sums up your business in an overall style and immediately has the power to attract or repel visitors. While good branding helps build trust, bad branding looks unprofessional and can have a negative impact on your audience.

Branding 101: Learning the Basics

What is a brand? Before we dig into uncovering the key pieces that shape your brand, I want to make sure you have a really firm grasp on exactly what your brand is. Seth Godin says it best, “A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer's decision to choose one product or service over another.” In short, your brand is the heart and soul of your business.

How do your brand and brand identity work together?

Your brand and brand identity work together to create a full image of your business. Ultimately, you want the message you’re sending to be clear and concise. If your brand and visual identity don't work well together to create a thorough image of your business, it could be hurting your ability to attract your ideal audience and how effectively you can communicate you services.

A goal without a plan is just a wish.

Picture the perfect outcome of any project, campaign or event and then ask yourself how do I achieve that? Front to back planning is essential to really make the most of any opportunity.

Branding ID consistency V’s Flexibility.

A brand aims to distinguish your product or company from those of your competitors. Increasing brand awareness using a consistent logo, tagline, graphics and colour scheme, helps consumers to remember you. A consistent brand is important as consumers are far more likely to invest in something they feel familiar with, in turn creating loyal customers.

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