This being the start of a new decade already introduces a new atmosphere that’s almost infectious. Companies like Quickbooks, Godaddy and more have re-branded for the new decade/year. There’s something this year that almost draws you to think of the possibilities. Can your company get better noticed with a new look? Can anyone claim the decade? Only hard work will get you there and time will ultimately tell the story.
What is branding though? Branding is many times thought of as your logo. In actuality that’s only a piece of the puzzle. When you brand your company right it can become your company’s identity. It becomes what your company embodies when someone thinks of or meets your company. A brand identity should look at the following:
Audience:
Connect with your audience. Is should make them feel like you understand their needs. One example are Birds Eye Foods’ Steamfresh bags that started in the early 2000’s. That company understood parents needed to prepare food quickly when they get home from work. They redesigned their packaging to fit a need and its worked out so much that other companies have copied them.
Go Daddy wanted to connect with their entrepreneurs better so they focused heavily on the “Go” part. They said “The GO is a clear statement of advocacy for entrepreneurs everywhere — a symbol of empowerment that encourages them to stand on their own two feet.”
Value Proposition:
It should stand out from the competition to make you identity your own. You need to keep an eye on your competitors to make sure your copy and graphics send a clear message that what you offer is important.
Mission:
A brand identity should have a mission to direct consumers as to where you’re going. Our logo was redesigned years ago to include “Inspired Design” and “Brilliant Results”. For the circles and “Inspired Designs” our ideas come from not just being on the computer all day but being a student of our clients, nature, art, our spirituality and so forth. We combine that with tracking, statistics and reports to lead us to better results for our clients. We’re not just about the design and we’re not just about stats. We’re about combining both better design lead by better stats which will give you brilliant results. This is what our clients strive for and we aim to deliver on.
Personality:
The colors, type, design and all should have a tone that’s all about you and your company, you and how you excite your consumer. As an example you see a new element surely meant to show love to their entrepreneurial consumers.
Multiple videos and images using the new element were released. A new light blue color was released surely there to connect with new businesses.
The actual parts of your brand may be different from other companies based on your needs and the client’s expectations. For some it’s a logo, brochure, website and business cards along with new copy. For others is a packaging design, logo, website, copy and branding guidelines document.
Branding for the New Decade
Either way in this decade you have to look out for the following:
- How will I be seen in social media? How can your brand possibly be blasted to thousands/millions just by a marketing program that connects with your audience. For example Pop Tarts works with Twitter to connect to their youth. Their tone on Twitter is sarcastic and caters to that young Twitter-savy group.
Can you recreate your branding to fit in each space which has its own tone? Sometimes a badly built logo (especially in font choice) will hurt you when used in different sizings. - What do you stand for? Nowadays politics in the Trump Era are non-stop. Values are important and people want to see that it’s not all about the money. How is your care for your consumer/clients being displayed? Nanawall designs and creates folding glass walls that rework spaces, such as opening up a bedroom to the outdoors. Their newest brand messaging campaign uses the tagline“Boundaries Unbound”, and other Un-words, like Unconstrained and Unprecedented to convey the unlimiting effects their products have on built spaces.
- How are you looking forward in this decade? What ways can your brand be used to get out new projects, other new items and ideas? How can your brand expand at least into the next 3-5 years? One example is the new Today Show logo that was adjusted just to become more modern.
Look at the size of the circles to see the difference. The logo “pops” better in today’s more simple world.
If you follow these 3 tips along with the basics above you’ll be on the way to recreating yourself in a way that everyone in your target market could probably connect with.
For further help with your branding click here. or give us a ring to help you through the process. Here are some adwords packages available as well.
Todd Sayles, Principal of Creative Mind Consulting Group, has built a successful organization that services real estate, retail, hospital and wellness clients among others. His team’s expertise includes problem solving/market strategy, design and marketing consulting, creative design, online website development, content and design creation for digital media and print collateral, public relations, search engine optimization and collaboration with outside designers and writers.
Creative Mind Design Group teams up with clients to strategize on marketing challenges and design goals. We come alongside companies to ultimately create inspired design alongside brilliant results.
