branding – Virtual Marketing support

You have chosen the name and now you need a logo. Ok, so this is where you need a little more creative and my advice is to use one if you have the budget. Choose a freelancer or an agency depending on what you are looking to achieve.

But how do you get started?

A logo is more than just your corporate identity and should mean something, so consider it as an investment in the business. It will be everywhere and it should be something you stand by. You can cut corners at this stage and just chose a colour and font, but trust me take some time and think about what it will mean to your customers in the long run. Think about the brands that you love and consider how they make you feel, why do you always reach for Colgate over the own label for example? A logo captures the values of a buisness and can influence your purchase without your customer even realising it. If you invest in good creativity it will make all the difference.

Use a graphic designer to help create your logo. Image courtesy of Pexels.com

I have worked with many wonderful creative people in my career and there is one rule you need to remember: Give a clear brief. In fact the best thing you can do is to write it down, you can never give them too much information at the start, however try to answer these 4 simple questions;

What does the company do?
What is the background to the business?
What is unique about your business / product, makes you stand out from the competition?
Who are you selling to?

You can add extra details about things you like, don’t like but give a rational for what should influence the creativity, research results etc always go down well.

Why not bring the product to life

Consider the product as a person, think about personality, values, USP (unique selling point) and the benefits or joy it will bring to your customers. This will help creative to visualise what you have in mind.

When designing a logo a good designer will consider many factors that reflect the brand personality and this is why certain colours, fonts and typography are chosen. If it was easy then we could all do it, but it is an art form and psychology play a big part. Remember they will design for your customer and the product not just you, so value their opinion. You don’t have to accept the designs but a good designer will always give you a reason why they have designed something in a specific way.

With my logo, the lovely designers at One Studio used fonts that are contemporary and included a device that reflects my business. The pin point represents the local business offering, something you would expect to see on a map and the star is a symbol of inspiration and creativity which is what I aim to deliver to my clients. And last but not least the colours chosen capture what values I offer, In the black is it about the traditional buisness approach to strategy, and the yellow reflects the positivity and creative side that NG10marketing offers.

Colours

Colour evoke emotions, capture a personality and can have a huge impact on the success of a product and the credibility of a business. Certain colours are interpreted to influence our mindset. For example, did you know that yellow is associated with taste. Think of McDonald’s and The happy egg co. Both brands promote taste of their products. Yellow is optimistic and bright like the sun, hues and gradients can either make the brand stand out like the golden arches of McDonalds or in the case of UPS offer an earthy golden tone suggesting a grounded and reliability to its brand. Let your designer guide you with colour choices as in some cases certain colours can be identified with an industry. Blue for example is often seen in technology, construction and medical, whereas green is associatedwith being fresh and can be found within the environmental sectors.

Fonts & Typography

When it comes to fonts, make sure your designer understands Typography, this is an art form and a good designer will have a portfolio of work that demonstrates this. It is the technique of arranging type to ensure your logo is legible and appealing when displayed. Just like colours there are psychological factors realted to a font type and can has been categorsied into 5 types here. It includes Serif, San serif, Script, Modern and Display. See image below whcih captures the concept well. Symbols & Icons

Finally symbols and devices can be a great asset to a business. Used in a variety of ways symbols represent the values of the business or the brand and lets face it we all know the success stories of Nike and Apple. Who hasn’t already played the logo game either online or by the traditional board game.

Your designer will be able to guide you on this according to the industry or product you have. When you are recognised for the symbol alone people will see a confidence within the brand and therefore trust this symbol as its trademark, which is another topic entirely.

Symbols can in time replace a business name and promote a confident brand. Photo by rawpixel.com

#NG10*Tip: “Before you select your logo, place it on a sheet with all your competitor logos and see how it stands out. Does it offer something different and memorable? It is a great way to check if the identity is credible.”

So now it’s time to think about the elements you will need to bring your business to life and start working towards that business plan. Most people will look for a website and while I am not a developer my next blog will help you to consider what elements you need to get started with your online profile.

A few years ago during an interview, I was asked one very important question before I left, and no it was not where does my accent come from, but to explain what I thought a brand was and why it differs from just a logo. My answer back then was concise, text book, in fact as I was starting my career and talking to a very accomplished fellow marketer, I need only explain the difference technically.

Now with over 20 years experience, today when asked by entrepreneurs or business owners, I may start with the same Wikipedia style answer, but will ask more questions of them in return, to uncover whether they are looking to develop a brand or just need a logo / corporate identity.

Here is a short Q&A that will help you to come up with your own brand name.

Question – Is a logo and a brand the same thing?

Answer – A brand is more than the logo, it is what your business, service or product stands for. A logo is the visual representation of what you are selling and is made up of fonts, colours and in some cases icons but how these are positioned together can heavily influence a customer to purchase.

Question – So how do I think of a name?

Answer – It’s not easy picking a name and it can be a gamble. If you get it wrong it could be more costly than you think. Apart from the due diligence legally when setting up a business name it is important to check out your competition and see how your product could be different to ensure you have a stand out on the shelf . A little research in store or through your desktop is a good place to start.

Next ask what is you are offering, what is the product.

Choose the right name and then the logo will follow

Let me put things into context, why did I choose the name NG10 marketing. The simple answer is, if you think of what I do; Specialising in helping businesses within the Midlands with Marketing, then the answer should be pretty clear. The combination of a postcode and what I do as a freelance consultant is simple but hopefully memorable.

When it comes to your own, consider names that will reflect what you do and aim to capture the personality of the business / product. Consider how relatable it will be to your target market. Sometimes we try to be clever or witty about the name of our business and if this reflects you or your products personality then go for it . I recall a creative session where it was suggested that if you pick any colour and any animal or object you can pretty much create any new agency name. While it was fun, we didn’t go with “Purple Octopus”, as it had no resemblance to what we offered as a business and funnily enough it already existed!

So don’t beat yourself up when it comes to naming the business or product, try working collaboratively with colleagues or get some independent advice to help. Creative agencies and brand specialists are best if you have the budget. But if not then gather friends /family together and ask these simple questions…

What do you do or what is the product?
What is the one thing that makes you / it different?
Who is your target market and who will buy it?

With just these three categories explored you will certainly have the architecture or blue prints to start exploring names.

Next step write all the ideas down on paper, print them out and stick them to a wall and begin eliminating them until you are left with the one to test.

Once you have chosen a name, all you have to do now is brief your designer.

If you are looking to start a business and need support in coming up with a name or need help working with a creative team on developing your brand, then give me a call and I can help co-ordinate this project for you while helping you to uncover the long term vision for the brand.

Email hazel@ng10marketing.co.uk today.

Next blog : What your logo should be and how to brief the design team

Tag: branding

Do you pick a logo by choice or should it be chosen for you?

So what’s it called again? How to think of a new product or business name.