What do you want people to say about your business?
Building a brand that represents who you are isn’t a walk in the park. It takes strategy, feedback, and a good deal of insight. And, even when you make a brand you feel truly represents the best of your business, how can you be sure that people see it the way you want?
To make sure your message gets out there, you need to build a brand that’s simple, legible, impactful, and unique. Do it right, and your story will be heard.
So, let’s get into it.
Simplicity in design.
We live in a busy world full of sounds, smells, and sights. When you’re driving past a billboard, you aren’t going to read a whole paragraph, well not unless traffic’s moving especially slow! Really, you’re barely going to read a word or two.
This same behaviour can be carried across to other forms of media, and it will apply to your branding.
You don’t want your brand to just skate past the eye. No matter how colourful and eye-catching it is, it needs to be simple to be noticed. So, don’t clutter your logo, and don’t carry on with your messaging. Keep it simple!
And if it’s one thing that I’ve learnt over the years, it’s that a big logo does not mean a better logo. Remember that people need white space, they need breathing room and space to think, and your logo is only one small piece of a much larger branding pie that needs to encapsulate messaging, imagery and storytelling at the same time.
Legibility.
People love metaphors and puns; it tickles our brains. But, when you’re trying to get the point across to someone who has never even heard of you, you don’t want to confuse them.
The best brands are accessible to everyone, not just those with enough inside knowledge to decipher a hidden message!
Use language that everyone can understand and avoid colours that clash and distract from the main point.
And when it comes to visuals, remember that people are going to be seeing your logo in all different sizes. Making sure that it’s easy for people to recognise and understand what you do visually is equally important.
One great thing to think about, is how small can your logo get before it becomes unreadable or unrecognisable? Can you have some logo variations that enable you to make it really small without skipping out on that branded element?
Most importantly, don’t beat around the bush! With every element of your brand, from messaging to visuals, get to the point, have your core concept front and centre!
Make an impact.
So, you want your brand to really wow people, right? How can you leave a genuine impression?
You need to build your brand around your purpose.
It’s the why that people instinctively care the most about. Why do you provide this service? Why do you make this product? Centre your brand around the reason that you’re doing what you do. Is it to fix a problem in the world? Make life enjoyable? Whatever the reason, it should be first and foremost in your branding.
If your story can emotionally connect with people, the rest will follow.
Be unique.
You need to stand out from the crowd to have a successful brand. Now, that doesn’t mean that you need to be head and shoulders above everyone else. You just need to understand what makes your business different and lean into it.
Do market research and check out other businesses in your field. What are they doing in their branding? What do people want to see? Use your own unique selling proposition and send your own unique message.
To be unique isn’t always to be memorable, though. Make sure you don’t lose your simplicity or legibility just to be different. If you’re confusing people, or taking too much time to register, then you won’t even get a chance to tell your story.
Most importantly, to stand out from other businesses, don’t sacrifice your identity. You can have a unique brand without having to change who you are. It’s the little things that make your business feel welcoming and relatable.
If you have a strong vision for your business, share it by building a brand that tells your story.
If you’re like us, you take a lot of pride in bringing real value into your community with purpose-driven work. Don’t let the world miss out on you by having branding that doesn’t capture the great story you can tell!
Let your branding reflect your principles and vision. Ensure that it tells your story. You’ll find that the right people will engage with it and want to work with you no matter what you do.
If you’re ready to build your brand to be simple, legible, impactful, and unique, or if you’d like to chat about your own journey, then we’d love to hear from you.
At Studio Sondar, we love working with people who really care about their purpose, just like us!
