What is branding? Why does it matter?
By Ciara Leogue, Senior Graphic Designer, The Creative Works
Branding is the practice of creating an identity associated to your company, generally by means of a strong symbol or design tendencies that are identifiable to the individual company.
Branding is important because firstly it is what makes a memorable impression on consumers but a strong and recognised brand does more than just mere impressions as with its recognition it creates trust within the marketplace.
Have you ever met someone and come away with a pretty bad impression of them?
The same can be said for bad branding, it leaves a negative impression on their overall experience with your company. In a world of swiping and 10 second attention spans, a consumers initial contact with your company could be the decisive factor to whether they want to avail of your service or not, ultimately effecting your revenue.
The most important reason branding is essential to a business is because it is the means by which a company gains recognition and becomes known to consumers. The logo is the holy grail of a company’s branding, and should be treated no less than the most important element of a brands identity. A company logo is essentially the face of the company. This is why a professional logo design should be powerful as well as memorable, making an impression on a person at first glance, hypothetically acting as your first member of staff to engage with a consumer.
Companies like Nike’s swoosh and Apple’s well.. Apple have achieved this. They have gradually evolved an established logo into a simplistic symbol that represents all their brand values and is instantly associated to their businesses.
Branding is all about perception. The way you build your business is by constructing a positive perception of it. People want to buy from an business they have confidence in, that they feel they know, like, and trust, and this positive perception begins by creating a positive impression and developing a good brand identity.
The difference in good and bad branding is not always ‘bad design’, sometimes its just evolving with the times. Curly script and heavy drop shadows may have been all the rage 20 years ago, but logos with these features now may look dated. Take a look at the below companies that ditched their old branding for something new and more relevant.
Here at TheCreativeWorks we live and breath design, going the extra mile and really getting to know the brands we work with in order to deliver the best bespoke solutions to suit their needs.
Come and talk to us today about your branding needs!