Is your logo and brand identity helping or hurting business?
One look is all it takes. You can have the best product in the world but if your logo and brand identity don’t represent that, growing the bottom line will be waaaaaay more difficult. Why? Because design matters. People may claim that it doesn’t have an impact but design’s power is subtle and subconscious. The colors and fonts you choose say something. They are the difference between your brand being LOUD and confident or warm and welcoming. Design should never be an afterthought – or your product will become an afterthought.
What sets professional design apart from the mediocre? Experience and process. Established designers know the ins and outs of design, understand how to make brand identities, logos, and marketing materials that are cohesive yet communicate distinct messages. They know what works on various marketing platforms and how to create proper file formats. Your business will come off as established and trustworthy when the design is done right.
What is the design process for a professional design team like ours? It’s a lot more than just one sketch and voila. It takes deep conversation, research, and notebooks filled with sketches.
Step 1:
Understand Your Target Audience & Define Your Discovery Document
The first thing a professional designer does is get to know you and your target audience. This will usually look like a meeting with company stakeholders to answer the big questions like:
Who is your target audience?
How does your product or service make people’s lives easier?
What words represent your brand?
If some of these questions seem overwhelming don’t worry. A branding team can break each question down and help you find the answers hiding within your loads of ideas. After discussion, they get into research and refine mode.
What do your competitors look and act like?
What words kept popping up in your conversations?
What feeling are you trying to convey?
When these answers have been organized and laid out, we start to see a more clear cut version of your business. Mix in research we conduct and pieces fall into place. All of this lays the foundation for a Discovery Document, a concise outline of your brand and its mission and core values. It is basically the blueprint for designers. Now, it’s time for them to take these plans and bring them to life.
Step 2
Create a Logo & Design Your Brand Identity
A logo is the visual representation of your brand. Based on the insights and guidance from the Discovery Document, a professional designer will create a logo that is simple, memorable, and reflects your brand’s personality and values. A lot of consideration goes into creating this.
Sketch and Refine Your Design
After poring over the Discovery Document, it’s time to start creating your logo design. Designers start with simple sketches and go on to explore different design ideas that go 100 different directions. You may only see three logo design options during a presentation – but there’s at least 99 not shown on an iMac somewhere.
Picking the Right Colors and Typography
Colors and typography are essential elements of a logo. Colors can evoke emotions and convey a brand’s personality, while typography can help communicate the brand’s values. We will pick colors that reflect these and give people the right feeling. Blue is often used in healthcare because it gives off a calming and safe feeling. While red is used for flashy brands that want to feel energetic. Similarly, a designer will choose a typography that represents your brand’s personality and values, and make sure that it is legible and easy to read.
Test Your Design
Before the final logo is picked, it gets tested across different touch points, such as business cards, social media, and websites. Professional designers ensure that the chosen logo looks good in different sizes and on different backgrounds.
Create the Brand Identity
Once the logo is selected, your designer will create brand identity around it. This will expand upon the colors and typography, giving your company options to play with.
Step 3
Develop Brand Standards
Once you’ve chosen the winning logo and brand identity, your design team will make the Brand Standards. This is the bible for your brand. It shows how your brand should be presented across all channels and touch points. Brand guidelines ensure that your brand is consistent and recognizable anywhere it appears. No matter who is in charge of design. Now you’re ready to face the judging eyes and wow them!
Research & Conversation > Discovery Document > Create Logo & Brand Identity > Develop Brand Standards > Launch Design
Don’t Sleep on Good Design
Great design can change the trajectory of a company. When done right, your entire organization has a clear path on where you’re headed and how to convey the brand out in the world and internally. In conclusion, a strong logo and a brand is an essential part of establishing a strong business.
Want to learn more about our process? Connect with us.
