One perennial mistake that people commit is to think that a brand is also a logo. Or that a logo is also a brand. This is wrong. A brand is not just a logo design. A logo is part of a brand. To make things clearer, let’s define these two terms.
in order for it to be linked to your business or brand. The logo often also has a colour palette linked to it and that this must be scalable. Ideally, a logo must also be easily reproduced since you will use this for various purposes — for branding, printing on corporate gifts, printing on stationery etc. A brand, on the other hand, is a collection of perceptions that your client has about your business. The brand will be that one thing that must first come up to your customer’s mind whenever he or she thinks about your business. A brand must also come with the ideas that your customer may have about your business. Again, a brand is not just a logo and a logo is merely a part of a brand.
So exactly why is a brand important? Apart from what was previously mentioned (that part about the brand being the very first thing that should pop up in your customer’s mind), a brand is important because it’s what basically defines your business. If you have a good brand and you take good care of your brand, your existing and potential customers will have a good perception about your brand and eventually, will feel comfortable when they deal with your brand. Now when this happens, consider that as good news since this will most likely result in good profit margins and good business ties. If your brand is also a good one, then your existing customers will not hesitate to share your brand with others and recommend it. Moreover, if your brand has a good reputation, other businesses (and yes, even competitors) will not hesitate to approach you and perhaps pitch possible ties. Not only will this be good for your sales goals but this will also give you more brownie points in terms of portfolio.
But how do you create a “good” brand? Do entrepreneurs have a say on this? Do they have control? The simple answer is: yes.
Entrepreneurs can mold the brands of their businesses through the following measures:
1. The story. As the owner of the business, you must know how the brand came about – from its conception to development to planning to execution and even to what you want it to be in the future. You must know what your business is, what it can do, what it can offer, what makes you a cut above the rest, how you can exert good quality service or products and what or who your best customers are. Simply put – you must know the inside and out of your business. You must know it like the back of your hand.
2. The logo. You must have an attractive, appealing, unique logo that can help send your message across to your customers. Is it easily identifiable? Is it pleasing to the eyes? Does it look formal? Does it appeal to your target clients?
3. The marketing methods. Where and how do you intend to use your brand? Do you plan to print this on your marketing collaterals? Will your brand be used extensively in your website, Twitter page, Facebook page and other online sites / social networking profiles? Remember, a brand is not just a logo so you must use your brand and match it with your story and make everything blend smoothly. You cannot just use your logo and think of it as your brand. Instead, make use of your business’ story as well as the message that you want to send to the public.
One thing that you must remember is that because a brand encompasses a lot of things about your business, it must be consistent and must have specific messages to present to your existing and future clients. For instance, you cannot just present a logo of a car and say that this is your brand that exemplifies a car dealership. You must also have a story or message that would go along with it. A sample message would be that when a father sees your brand and sees your logo, he understands the message that you want to convey – that he must buy a car from your shop because you only sell quality cars that are safe for him to drive to work and to drive the family to an out of town weekend destination and that you give good after sales support.
(c) Alchemist
Professional Logo Designer