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• Logo Design FAQ
• Brand Development
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• How to Build a Brochure They Will Really Read

Brand Development

What's the difference between a 'logo' and a 'brand'?

If a logo is the visual anchor for your business, the brand is the summation of everything else around the logo. This includes the overall look of your materials, how your materials are written, the style of the photos used. All these elements together combine to have a personality that speaks to your customer.

If you are running a business where you connect with your customer first through your marketing materials (rather than a personal contact), you should consider developing a brand, rather than just a logo.

Developing a brand starts with looking at what your customers see as important in your business, in other words: finding out what they value most. Even though you may sell great widgets, your customers say they keep coming back to you because of the advice they get on how to use the widgets. 'Expert advice' becomes a trait you consider including in your brand personality.

Brand Development Tips

If you are looking a developing a more comprehensive brand for your company, you are likely in the process of redesigning many of your materials all at once: the brochure series, a tradeshow display, and the website. Here are some tips to consider:

1. Hire a professional writer early in the process. (We can help with that.) Honestly, many clients avoid doing this, but it really has an excellent payoff. A writer can help shape that distinctive 'voice' you want to have in your marketing, turning those bland bullet points into snappy copy your customers will actually read. Once the overall writing is done for the main brochure, for example, you can reuse that great content for the webiste, and use an edit of it for magazine ads.
2. Look at that logo and tagline. Does it really reflect what your business does today? Maybe it needs a new tagline to help explain what you offer. Or if its looking a little dated consider a refresh, or a complete redesign. There is little point in spending a lot of money to have your customer remember how old and out of touch your company looks.
3. Find those key ideas and stick with them. In this crowded marketplace, your customer wants to know what value you offer. Express it simply, repeat it in all your materials, and your customers will see it, understand it and get it. Have a lot of services? Narrow them down to a key two or three main ones you can rattle off in a sentence.