A brand is not a stagnate thing. It’s a living breathing part of your business. It moves and grows with your audience, defining who you are in their eyes. Customers will expect a lot from your business, wanting it to fulfill their every need. The best you can do is to be flexible and adjust where you see fit. If a brand doesn’t adjust to the constantly changing customer it becomes irrelevant. Simply being in line with what customers already expect can do wonders and keep your brand in their sights for years to come.

Be proactive but not pushy

People generally don’t like to be told what to do. Brand recognition is done successfully by being subtle and letting the customer take the lead. Giving them the reins creates value for your brand in their eyes. Include incentive to your customers for the interaction they provide, and you’re more likely to get the type of visibility you’re after.

Provide an experience

Great brands offer great experiences. With a lot of people offering the same thing(s) as you, the best way to stand out is to offer your target a positive interaction with your company. These interactions become important experiences that your customers have with your brand. Experiences – good or bad – are typically filed in a person’s long-term memory. Think about your last experience dealing with an airline. If you made it home without a hitch, you’re probably going to choose that airline again. Had a bad experience, and you better believe you will be flying with someone else next time, as well as recommending the same to friends. If customers can associate a painless (even positive) interaction with your business, that made their lives easier, your brand is already a part of their day to day.

X-ray branding

Having an x-ray brand is having a transparent brand. When there is nothing to hide from your customers, your business can progress faster. An x-ray brand is a team player, always looking for suggestions of where it’s lacking. A great business also doesn’t point fingers. They are responsible for their actions, apologize for their mistakes and they make the experience better the next time around. Letting your customers feel like they own a piece of your brand, by unveiling the inner workings, does great things for the community you’re building.

Flexible brands strive to be proactive, provide a great experience, and utilize transparency as a trustworthy business practice. Though, keeping your brand flexible isn’t as easy as following those three guidelines. Remember to pass the speaking stick to your customers and listen to their needs. Letting their needs define your areas of flexibility will keep your brand moving forward.

Terminology.

As with most specialties, the lingo of a trade varies between the professional and the client. The world of design is not immune to this hindrance. Even though there is a plethora of information on companies offering a variety of design services, it can be frustrating and taxing for you (the potential client) when so many different terms are used to describe the services offered.

So let’s go ahead and clarify a few of the terms that are not only the most used, but often the most confused: logo, identity and brand.

Logo.

A logo is used to identify a business.

It is the simple graphic symbol, icon or font based design that is used to represent a company. A business’s logo is memorable and distinguishable. This symbol does not need to completely explain a business. More importantly, it needs to make a business recognizable. Think of your logo as a face for your business. You will never be able to go out and personally meet every potential client, but your logo stands in and makes a first impression for you.

Identity.

An identity is broader than a logo. Basically, a logo is just one piece of a company’s identity. Sometimes referred to as a business identity, brand identity or identity design, an identity is the compilation of the visual cues that a business uses to influence a potential client.

A business’s identity is a consistent look and feel made up of various visual elements.

These are visual elements like a logo, business cards (and all things stationery), apparel, packaging, products, posters (and all other marketing material), web and mobile pieces, and all the other visuals that represent your business. The list can go on and on, but all the bits and pieces of an identity are unique to your company.

Strong identities are usually made following a set of guidelines that are defined to optimize how your business is perceived. An example of these guidelines are the font styles, color schemes, layouts, etc. (All the things you let your trusty designer worry about!)

Brand.

The most complicated of the three, a brand is something that you cannot hire someone to create or make for you. That being said, a designer can make an identity (including a logo) that influences and becomes the cornerstone for your brand. A brand is the complex emotional relationship between your client and your business.

Your brand is how people feel about and perceive your company.

Just like Rome, it cannot be built in a day. Every action and gesture your company makes contributes to your brand and builds over time. It is comprised of aspects such as how you deliver your identity and your promises, how you handle customer service and support, and how you inject your business into your community. All of the experiences that a client has with your business shape your brand.

Even though it isn’t something you can simply create or completely control, your brand is what ultimately makes your clients loyal and encourages them to choose you over your competition.

That is why it is important to know your business inside and out, have a complete identity that stays true to what your business is all about, and develop a good relationship with your designer. This will give your customers the best experience possible, which leads to a strong brand.

If you have any questions or thoughts on the subject, feel free to let us know. We’d love to hear what you think.

What to do next.

After the recent recession, many business owners are scratching their heads wondering what to do next. They have good reason. Will people value what you have to offer enough to spend what income they have?

The probability of turning those potential clients into actual clients will be far greater if you choose to set yourself apart. When it comes down to it, you’re in the same boat as some of the big boys, but believe it or not, you have the upper hand.

The “small” in small business isn’t always a bad thing. The greatest asset you have as a small business person is the agile swiftness in which you can make decisions and get things done. Compared to larger businesses, who can sometimes take months to make certain decisions, you will have the ability to step in front of the pack.

Taking chances.

Keeping your business light and efficient isn’t your only weapon though. Smaller businesses have more flexibility to take a chance and try new things. Resonating a clear and relevant message to your target market doesn’t have to be boring! Larger businesses usually feel that they have too much to lose. Take advantage of your small size and do something unheard of and innovative.

There is no time like now to start a small business in the U.S. Sure, there will be bumps in the road, but if you use swift decision making and a unique approach, you will stand out and be more apt to reach your goals.

Guess what? 
You’ve made it.
Here you are at our blog.
So nice to greet you, and thanks for stopping by.

We hope you take the time to check out all of the details and tidbits that our entire site has to offer. Being nosy about what people do and how they do it is a part of the global society we live in. With that in mind, we have packed our site with information about not just what we do in the design world, but with how and why we create for you and your business.

Since the rest of the site holds all the whats, hows, and whys, our goal is use this blog to communicate and share our ongoing ideas and advice. We want to focus on what we know best – small business identity design and illustrations; however, we are sure to mix it up now and then, giving all kinds of thoughts and suggestions for the small business owner to utilize.

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