Good Branding Is Good Business
I sometimes refer to branding as cohesiveness, because I believe customers pick up on this as they engage with a business. And when branding is on point, things are cohesive. Whether we all assess this consciously or not, I think it impacts how “legitimate” we perceive a company to be.
So what’s the best way for a business to ensure that the layers it creates, whether at the onset or down the road, remain cohesive?
You got it - planning.
But what happens more often is riffing, the way a musician riffs during a jam session. To illustrate the impact though, it could be helpful to compare two scenarios, done with the two different approaches.
Riffing
Riffing, in this sense, refers to a business with a general idea of the value the provide and how present it to others. When building a website,, they might pick colors because it’s what they always wear, and since they’re the face of the business, it makes sense.
When something in the news warrants a social media post, they might write something up and pair it with a nice headshot of themselves to boost engagement.
Just a couple of harmless, good-natured business decisions, right?
NO! Lol.
It might seem like both choices are harmless, and fine, maybe they are, but a few simple questions will help us be certain.
First - color choices. Who is the audience? What about you appeals to them? Does that color feel that way?
Example: you love the color orange. Your friends love how it pops, and it would be great for you to “pop” for marketing purposes, right? Sure. But is it the right color for the tone of your work as a Judge?Honestly, I couldn’t think of a more satirical color than the color that represents the inmates. Beyond connotation, be aware that this “Gloria Allred” idea has been played out in movies and might feel gimmicky to some. It is all for you to decide, my role is simply to draw attention to connotations.
In the social media example, it’s easy to forget that you’re essentially making a digital billboard. The components of this ad need to be thought out to work together. There are constantly posts where the photo not only doesn’t connect, but it actually detracts from the message. The three examples below are inspired by an actual post regarding a sexual assault case settlement, where I felt uncomfortable looking.
Side by side, there’s no question that while all lovely images, but you can see how quickly things can go wrong if you just blinding riff out ideas with whatever you have. Clearly, asking these questions first puts you in a place to take advantage of branding rather than play in the dark and risk getting hurt.
And that is where branding comes in.
The common misconception is that your brand is basically just a logo. But really, the logo comes to be as a result of knowing these kinds of questions.
Let’s look at the same questions, this time thinking about logo, this time demonstrating how you can hone in on your business decisions with clear planning up front.
Brand First
Who is the audience
What about you is appealing to them
What colors make them feel that way
Say you are a vet, and you run a “fear free” specialty clinic. The audience is dog parents, for sure. Hopefully using location and other demographic info you can get more specific. What about you appeals to them? Well, if you’re specializing in “fear free”, it stands to reason one of your key differentiators is that you offer better care. More compassion. Better trained staff. Etc. What colors feel that way? What visual would support that?
And taking it a step further, after you think of possibly using a cute fluffy dog with a nice cat next to it, ask what style? Should it look realistic? The answer these days is usually no, for a logo, because it no longer just needs to live on the front of the building. It goes on websites, big screens small screens, etc. So you need that simple, recognizable image.
In a future post, there will be a breakdown of some truly remarkable logo concepts.
For now, keep asking the right questions, and when you’re ready to see what your business could look like, lets get that AM Coffee.
