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Dos and Don’ts of Branding

Brand identity is what defines who you are and how people perceive your brand. It’s what gets people humming your theme song, repeating your tagline, identifying your brand based on color or font, Your brand’s reputation is the image it conveys to others that affect whether or not people do business with you. There are a number of variables that factor in, including trustworthiness, friendliness, visibility, and quality of product or service.

In this post, we will be taking a look at the biggest dos and don’ts of branding, defining your brand identity, and getting people to understand and embrace your brand.

  1. Don’t make the logo bigger. Take a look at some of the most famous brands in the world: Apple, Nike, Amazon. Their logos are NOT big on their websites. They’re small – in most cases, less than 50 pixels high. The reason? Big logos are tacky, obnoxious, and bad style.
  2. Do create a branding guide. Focus on consistency across your branding pieces including fonts, colors, kerning, content, style, tone, and more. The more cohesive and consistent your brand is, the more recognizable you are.
  3. Don’t align yourself with the wrong influencers. Don’t choose people who don’t match up with your users, who don’t share the same values, or who don’t make sense in that context.
  4. Do make sure everyone is on the same page. From sales to the C-suite, administration to HR, you have to make sure that everyone understands your branding guidelines. You don’t want people using different logos, colors, or tones simply because they weren’t informed. Promote your brand internally, as well as externally.
  5. Don’t follow the crowd. Just because a hashtag is trending or certain companies are commenting on events doesn’t mean you have to. Own your identity and embrace your own brand. If something doesn’t make sense for you – don’t do it just because it’s popular or trending.
  6. Do combine online and offline channels into your branding materials. Don’t create a cool and funky site if your office is sophisticated and traditional. Online and offline experiences need to be consistent.
  7. Don’t wait too long to rebrand. Don’t alienate customers by waiting too long or failing to stay relevant. It’s important to stay focused on your customers and what they expect, but also stay current and modernize.
  8. Do use a combination of data and emotion to define your brand. Qualitative and quantitative analysis are both crucial for brands to utilize to help define their brand. Numbers tell a story, but emotions can be elusive in the numbers so it’s important to get feedback on your brand by looking at how people respond in the data and by asking questions.

Simple, right? Well, maybe not. Branding and the entire creative process is often anything but simple. But with these guidelines in mind, you can help define and reinvigorate your brand.

Looking to reinvigorate your brand? Contact our team for more information about all logo, branding, and identity packages available! Bring your branding and identity into 2020.