Branding is a big deal for most successful companies because they understand its importance in projecting the company’s image and its resultant effect on business; a fact often overlooked by average companies.

Spending more time on social media or investing more on marketing is often the default path for most businesses when they are experiencing a dip in sales. However, most businesses fail to understand that the source of poor sales could be as simple as a poor brand image. It could even be something as simple as getting a new logo.

A logo is your business’s public face and if it doesn’t represent your business’s core values then it is time for a change. So how do you know you are in need of a new logo? Below are some pointers to watch out for.

You or your customers don’t like it

It might seem surprising but it’s not uncommon to find business owners who don’t like their company logos or are indifferent to it. If you as a business owner don’t like your logo then you should expect no one else would.

You can always ask customers or clients what they think about your company’s logo and make a decision from the results.

It’s outdated

Timeless as the logos of some of the big companies like Nike, Coca Cola Ford or Apple may be, they have updated it over the years. Times and fashion evolve and even logos start to look old. And if your logo looks old your business look outdated. So it’s important you update your logo every once in a while and if you are looking to get a new logo for your business it is wise to strive to get a one which will stand the test of time.

It’s too complex

The growing trend in logo design is pushing towards simplification in design. Using gradients and drop shadows used to be popular but these techniques are starting to look outdated and are difficult to translate across mediums. Logos that utilizes up to three colors with a flat matee look which is simple and effective and can be used in a transparent form as a background and still be recognizable is a good logo indicator.

Your logo doesn’t represent your current business

It’s not uncommon for business to start with one product or service and overtime grows and diversify into something entirely different. If your logo hasn’t evolved with your business and doesn’t represent what you currently do then it’s time for a change.

It resembles some other business’s logo

In an increasingly saturated market, its important your business brand stands out from the others so it’s important you carry out enough research when trying to create a new logo so your ideas aren’t identical to some other brands.

It wasn’t professionally created

Most business start off from the efforts of friends and family and it’s possible that when you were creating a logo was being created for your business it was done by a friend of a friend who knows a thing or two about illustrator. Well as a business owner looking to give his business that extra push, it is important you logo is created by an educated and experienced designer.

Want information about a new logo design?

Send us a messageCall: (530) 413-8420

A company’s brand is the symbol which represents its business and embodies all of its characteristics, associations and experiences. This brand can be in the form of consistent imagery, phrases, sounds and logos with which people come into contact.

Building a website is seen as a rite of passage for most business and start-ups; even when the business is still to make a cent. Why? A website serves as a virtual business door where old and new can come through, explore and enjoy the services your business has to offer. However, to make your website stand out in this sea of websites, uniqueness is key, so is building a website which promotes the unique brand values of your company.

Building a website has been made a lot less technical with the availability of templates to help website builders build websites. Good as this may be, it makes the job a bit too easy for some website builders hence they just create websites which though functional aren’t built to your specific brand or niche. So as a business owner looking to build or revamp your website, it is imperative you know what to look out for in a website so you know when a great or sub-stand job has been done for you. Some of these things include:

COLOR

Colors aren’t just for aesthetic purposes; they stimulate different emotions and carries subconscious associations to various characteristics and things. For example, the color red, it signifies danger, excitement, love and power and this makes it a great choice for the arts and entertainment industry. So do other colors represent different things and elicit unique emotions. So when building a website, its important you research on the meaning of the colors unique to your type of business.

CHARACTER

Infusing some personality into your brand can help define what it stands for. You can do this by infusing some human characteristics into abstract shapes and figures or you can use particular objects or animals to represent what your brand stands for. For instance, the blue bird mascot on Twitter has proven very effective or the Wild West design in Outlaw Design blog serves as a personality which represents what the company does.

CONSISTENCY

Consistency in the image your brand portrays .on your website makes it not just neat but memorable to clients as the have a definite image associated with your brand. This consistency can be in the choice of colors, themes and typography. This consistency can be seen in the website of two of the top brands out there; Twitter and Skype with their famous blue colors, and on other household brands like Facebook, Instagram and Google.

SIZE AND POSITIONING OF LOGO

The size of your company logo on your website should be large in relation to most of the items on your website so it is easily noticed by customers. In addition to the size of the logo, the position of the logo should stick to the tradition, usually on the top left of the web page and should link directly to the home page of your website.

TONE OF VOICE

Just as we won’t expect the choice of language on a website for a pop group to be same as that of an audit firm, so it goes with whatever it is your brand portrays. The choice of words and the tone in which those words are said should be tailored to your brand and audience.

Branding is important not just for big corporations, but also for small business, websites and blogs even as it helps customers identify your business among competition and form an opinion on the company.

The web is a vital platform for building your brand and it’s important you don’t ignore branding when building your website.

Have questions about branding?

Send us a messageCall: (530) 413-8420