Branding is more than just a logo; it’s the story, personality, and heartbeat of your business. When done right, it makes people feel like they belong with you. For small business owners, the challenge lies in carving out a space that feels authentic while also standing out in a crowded marketplace.
By Ed Carter at ablefutures.org
Branding is often the divider between a successful business and a middling one, and yet it’s still a commonly overlooked aspect of the work process by many entrepreneurs. Much of the reason for this comes down to a misunderstanding of what branding is and how to manage it consistently. In this first-look guide, Sign Biz explores its definitions, the way it can affect consumer interactions, and how to begin implementation.
In a sentence, branding is the identity of your business in the minds of the consumer. It is both critical for your business’s long-term success and challenging to get right. Developing a solid brand requires commitment, planning, and diligent work.
The question, then, is how can we shape and mold this identity in a way that is favorable for the company and, ultimately, its bottom line? For generations, brands have achieved this with the best creative talent. A few hundred highly-skilled copywriters, graphic designers, and marketing managers working in sync can sculpt a brand identity that is unmistakable in the mind of the consumer.
Your brand’s values are the guiding principles. It helps if you and your team also believe and abide by these values – often, companies will suggest they stand for one thing and then, internally, do something else. Your brand values will endear you to different sets of consumers, as well as affect business decisions and PR activity.
Your brand’s voice alludes to the way your brand speaks to its customers/clients through marketing and in all external-facing, company-related media. It should be built to reflect your key demographics and to help drive internal company OKRs (objectives and key results). This means that you have a set tone of writing and a specific lexicon that your writers will draw upon. If you are a B2B financial consultancy, this is more likely to be formal, jargonistic, and direct. If you are a consumer-facing teenage makeup brand, you may opt for something more casual and laissez-faire.
As the consumer’s first touchpoint, the design of your brand is arguably its most important component. Modern consumers will form a perception of your company immediately based on the colors you use, the shape of your typography, and the style of your logo. This is why it’s crucial to know exactly who you’re targeting, their preferences, their spending habits and to craft aesthetics around this data.
It’s important to note that all three branding components feed off one another. Ideally, your brand values should affect the way your company looks, and occasionally the way your company looks can feed back on the way it sounds or the things it purports to believe.
If you’re on a shoestring or you’re confident enough in your own artistic sensibilities, it’s also possible to do much of the legwork on your own. For example, you can sketch out and provide examples of logos you like, then ask your local sign shop designer to build a logo for you. The shop professionals know good design, effective logotypes. You could also try following one of the many online guides to craft your own brand voice — employing it across social media and on your company site.
Once you have the foundations of branding in place, you’ll often find that the next steps (to do with marketing, sales, customer service, etc.) reveal themselves. For now, your main priority should be to craft a truly unique, personal identity that resonates with clients/customers and to stick with it consistently.
Credits: Photo Top- Pexels, Eva Bronzini
If the Fortune 500 can do it, so can you! You may not have thought about an era or design style before embarking on your shop’s vision and culture representations inside and outside of your space, but this approach is certain to add clarity and speed the “de-clutter” or remodel process. By defining your “brand appeal” in terms of well-recognized design influences, you can make your shop tell your story with greater clarity and impact. If the Fortune 500 can do it, why not you? Here are tips and four inspired designs to get you started. Have fun!
(Torrance, CA)– The L.A. Wolves FC announced today that it has signed a sponsorship deal with 3V Signs & Graphics (www.3VSigns.com) a Sign Biz Network Member located in Hermosa Beach, CA. The L.A. Wolves and 3V Signs & Graphics will work closely together to foster awareness of and interest in local soccer teams. L.A. Wolves FC ™ is a Pro Development Soccer Club based in Torrance, CA. The Wolves are a current member of the UPSL (www.upslsoccer.com) and compete in the UPSL Western Conference.
(Tucson, AZ)– Sign Magic partnered with the Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation this past summer to bring another one of Tucson’s historic signs back to life. This sign is located at the original Sparkle Cleaners at 16 W. Drachman. Drachman became a hot spot for restored historic signs in March of 2012, when the Historic Preservation Foundation joined forces with Pima Community College.
Featured in Signs of the Times magazine, Sign Biz Members in Monterey, CA have fashioned a moving statement about their brand – literally. Using a Roland VS-640 printer and 3M’s Controltac IJ180-10Cv film, the 160-square-foot wrap was installed in a single piece over the truck bed. On the doors, the installers positioned seams at the base of the window post. “This was our ugliest truck, so we had to give it a thorough washing,” explains Tom Carr, the owner of SignWorks, which created and installed the graphics.
(Lubbock, TX) Although Lubbock is only the 11th-largest city in the Lone Star State, with roughly 300,000 metro-area residents, it’s known as The Hub City because it’s the largest urban area in the Texas region known as the South Plains. Thus, its economic significance is greater than its sheer size would indicate. It’s the home of the Buddy Holly Center – which honors the Lubbock native and “Father of Rock Roll” – and Texas Tech Univ.; both make tourism an important cog in the local economy.
(Pine Hill, NJ)– Since its opening in 1989 as one of the earliest Sign Biz Member locations, Artcraft Sign Studio has enjoyed tremendous growth – so much so that it purchased its city’s former firehouse because it required a large production and service area for vehicle wraps and other digital graphics. Shop owner Arthur Elkins says window graphics represent roughly 5% of its business.
(San Jose, CA)– Kelly Yamanishi comes to the sign industry with over 20 years of high-tech marketing experience with a high-profile Silicon Valley corporation. With this experience, she brings an in depth understanding of complex project management, marketing communications, and many types of “corporate speak.” In short, she knows how to help her clients communicate effectively with both business and non-business audiences.
