By George Peppe
As a small business, you want your customers to recognize you and remember your brand over the dozens of brands on their feed. Botanical Bakery was a small start-up out of Napa Valley, California; after re-designing their brand with a new logo/color palette and new packaging design, they saw sales triple each year. A 900% increase in sales in 24 months. Crazy right?
Good brand design can show customers that you are reputable and a trusted business because you look good visually online. Whether it’s website design, social media branding, or logo design, the best-looking ones will stand out against the hundreds of brands customers see each day.
Some brands might not realize how important good design is, and small businesses can overlook it due to several reasons. For some, it’s a lack of finances/resources, a common misconception is that brand design is a luxury rather than an investment that can drive growth. For others, it’s just a lack of awareness, some small business owners might not fully understand the impact a strong brand design can have on their business. This includes not just a logo, but the overall visual and identity of the brand. First impressions are important and the same goes for brand design. Here are some more in-depth reasons why you shouldn’t overlook branding design as a business.
Helps Audiences Recognize Your Brand
Branding design helps your audience recognize your company, products, and content. Probably the most well-known advantage of branding is how it helps you identify with your audience. When you see an ad, website, or social media post, it should be clear what company created it. Along with creating a recognizable presence, branding design can also convey specific messages about your business and its values, personality, and more.
Take a look at how consistent Coca-Cola’s branding is. The logo’s simplicity and typography make it instantly recognizable, and the specific color scheme of red evokes feelings of excitement, passion, and energy, which align with the brand’s identity.
It’s also important to talk about how you can use logos to have a hidden meaning and show your audience what your brand is about. One of the best examples of this is Fedex’s logo; there is a hidden arrow in between the “E” and the “X,” embodying the concept of advancing swiftly and accurately. These hidden messages in logos can make a bigger impact than you realize. Brand awareness will increase significantly just from audiences dissecting your message. It goes from someone quickly glancing at a logo, to dissecting its hidden meaning, which will be on your mind much longer than just looking at a normal logo.
Maximizes Impact
Research has found that people remember 80% of what they see, but only 20% of what they read. If you only remember 20% of this article, then let it be this: Good design will resonate with your audience. When branding is done with a specific audience in mind, there is a greater chance that these people will remember and be drawn to your business. For example, if your business produces children’s toys, you will want to create branding that will attract the attention of young kids. Think bright colors, fun graphics, and more. In this case, a luxurious design look will not work well for that audience.
Businesses with clear, consistent branded designs have more impact on audiences because people know exactly what to expect from them. They become used to a specific personality and then begin to feel a certain kind of connection to it. Nike, for example, is known for its motivational, powerful visuals. Because Nike has worked hard to maintain this personality in its designs, people associate it with strength.
While art and design are subjective and hard to differentiate what’s considered “good” vs “bad” design, here is an example of what a more modern brand design looks like for a logo vs a more outdated brand design. (Source)
Communicate Effectively with Your Audience
Branding acts as a means of communication with your target audience, while your design elements work together to convey specific messages about your business. For example, your logo might express what kind of services you offer. Or, if your company produces sleek, modern furniture, your social media graphics might be minimalist and clean. Remember the example we showed earlier with FedEx’s logo design and how the hidden arrow conveys the concept of advancing swiftly and accurately to its destination as a mailing company?
These are Airbnb’s Brand Guidelines so you can get an idea on crafting your own brand guidelines for your small business:
Airbnb’s branding is a great example of how a brand effectively communicates with its audience. It emphasizes the feeling of belonging, using a warm and welcoming color palette, photographs of real people and places, and a simplistic logo. This design approach helps communicate the brand’s message of creating a world where anyone can belong anywhere.
When it comes down to it, putting effort into your branding can mean the difference between getting that deal or being completely bypassed. To make it plain and simple: Invest in your image! Your branding is a foundational part of your business and one of the key factors in competing for customers’ attention. If you need help with your business’s brand design, fill out the contact form on the “Get In touch” page on the Martin Hall Agency’s website to get connected with our talented student art directors.
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