Questions answered in this post
What is branding?
How do I construct a brand that functions throughout different aspects of my company?
Starting a new company? Adding a new product or service? Your brand is your customers’ first impression of you, your company, and your vision. An effective brand conveys not only what your company does, but who you are and what you value. The most pivotal component of branding is consistency; make sure that every product, service, or item your company has contains the elements that comprise your brand. Yet before you are able to implement your branding strategy, you need to actually create it. There are five principal steps to constructing an effective branding suite that will help grow and sustain your company:
Select your color scheme
Color influences 85% of consumers’ purchase decisions so selecting enticing colors is highly important. Start by researching colors effective within your industry. From there, identify two primary colors that you will use in most of your branding materials. Using a color palette generator such as Adobe Color, input your selected colors and generate 2-5 secondary colors to use throughout your marketing materials with at least one being selected as an accent color. Once you have your colors, make sure to mark down their Hex Codes, RGB codes, and CYMK codes for use across various platforms.
Pick aesthetic yet effective fonts
Fonts are another key element in brand architecture. You have to find the right balance between a legible font and an appealing one. While you may be tempted to stick with traditional Calibri or Arial fonts, try and explore different ones before making a decision. For a more traditional look, consider Serif fonts such as Times New Roman. For a more modern look, consider Sans Serif fonts.
Design a logo implementing your color scheme and font selections
Now that you have your color palette and fonts selected, it’s time to design your logo. To gain more insight into the logo design process, check out our Logo Design Blog where we explain how to construct an effective logo.
Create alternative logos
Now that you have your primary logo, design alternative ones for use across different platforms. If you are placing your logo on a website, consider designing a wider version of your logo. If you want to create a mobile app, consider making a square logo for your app profile. Also, you will always find use for black and white logos, so make sure to create those as well.
Implement your new branding suite into all company materials
Now that you have a full suite of logos, colors, and fonts, you are prepared to finalize your branding. Consider your day-to-day business needs. Are you creating presentations? Sending out memos or emails? Creating quotes for customers? Make sure that your logo, colors, and fonts are prevalent in all templates and outgoing materials to ensure your customers relate them back to your brand.
Conclusion
Your brand is both what your customers will think of you and what you want your company to demonstrate. By following the aforementioned steps, you can create an effective brand that will help your company grow and prosper.
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