The business’s name, domain name, logo, and the color scheme contribute greatly to your brand identification. Obviously, the name and domain name need to be established first to potentially incorporate them into the logo, but many business owners start designing their logo first and end up spending extra time and money editing it to incorporate the aspects left out at the start. When thinking of the elements to add in the logo, business owners should take into consideration their brand identity. Brand identity is the persona the business is going to portray and two good foundation blocks for brand identity are the business’s mission and vision statements.
“Once a brand finds that differentiator, it becomes their calling card. It’s how everyone recognizes them and the first thing everyone judges them by. So it needs to be consistent. No matter which channels your customers choose to interact with your brand – your website, blog, email, Facebook, Twitter, or whatever tomorrow’s technology may bring – they should all demonstrate the unique experience that your brand represents” (https://offers.hubspot.com).
When developing brand identity, establish the business’s tone of voice. The tone and voice sets the attitude on how you want to be seen by the public. According to the University of Maryland University College the “tone means the attitude conveyed in the writing and may encompass formality, objectivity, intimacy, and similar aspects”, and the “voice is who the readers hear talking in your paper” (https://www.umuc.edu).
The audience influences the tone and voice because it needs to be consistent throughout the customer’s experience with the business.
Identifying the target audience for any business will greatly influence the traditional marketing and digital marketing strategies and campaigns, but most do not think it would influence the logo design. The logo needs to be appealing to the target audience throughout your traditional marketing and digital marketing campaigns. The logo also needs to be visually capturing so it is remembered by your target audience and reflects the experience the customer will have. Sometimes businesses that have been operating for generations have an old logo and don’t want to change it, which is understandable, but it is necessary to update the logo.
Remember the more exposure the better, so when creating and maintaining your marketing campaigns be sure to incorporate the logo and color scheme on every single item used for the business like; letterheads, business cards, website, social media, advertisements, etc. The logo and color scheme complete the persona the business wants to portray. For example, sharp aggressive colors and patterns should not represent a company that makes and sells relaxing pillows and mattresses. The logo and color scheme allow consumers to recognize the brand identity, product, service, etc. through visual stimuli. For instance, Netflix’s company name, domain name, and logo are all the same. Different companies have used logos and colors different ways to brand themselves, but the goal of standing out amongst the competition is ultimately accomplished.
“When creating your own branding, you should strive for that same consistency. Visually, a brand should include the same elements across all channels, such as logo, color, fonts, etc. But design consistency is just the first step. The most important thing is to set expectations for the experience that customers will have every single time they interact with your brand online. It should transcend each channel (and even the internet itself) to be instantly recognizable as yours” (https://offers.hubspot.com).
Consistency is the most important thing when trying to brand a logo. Finding a talented graphics designer to develop your custom logo is the last task to accomplish for several reasons:
https://offers.hubspot.com/thank-you/how-to-build-a-brand
https://co50.com/first-impression-impact-of-a-great-logo/