Branding is quite possibly the most important aspect of any business, aside only from the actual product or service being provided. A company’s branding is often their first interaction with potential customers, and is key in getting people to recognize a company immediately upon either seeing a logo or hearing a slogan. With so much commerce taking place over the internet in the modern era, utilizing branding that is effective in the digital world is just as important, if not more, than a company’s physical branding.
Focusing On Efficiency Can Lead To Iconic Branding
The biggest businesses in the world often have some of the most simple and efficient branding efforts. Companies like Apple, McDonald’s, Nike, Starbucks, and Pepsi all have simple yet iconic logos or streamlined slogans that encapsulate the core essence of their business. The importance of a company’s logo to the overall brand identity of a company cannot be understated, and companies that have reached the pinnacle of branding can comfortably rely on their logo to convey their ideas and products without having to actually say anything at all.
This idea of simplistic yet impactful branding translates both to the real world and the digital world. A strong logo is all about recognition, and the ability for customers to immediately recognize a company based on their branding is incredibly important in the digital landscape as it is filled with the brim with competitor’s branding. While the physical world is visually broken up with natural objects and scenery, the digital world is literally nothing but carefully thought out design. No matter the platform, good branding must stand out against all of the other design elements surrounding it.
No matter what type of logo a company chooses to implement in its branding strategy, efficiency and simplicity should drive the design. The less work that a current or potential customer has to do in order to recognize a company, the better, and the best branding instills recognition almost instantaneously. Logos and branding should draw customers in as well, piquing their interest and hopefully encouraging them to engage with the logo by clicking on it in digital spaces.
Physical branding is, in many ways, much easier than digital branding. Companies can put their logos on everything from coasters and mousepads to t-shirts and water bottles. This type of physical branding is fantastic because it provides current and potential customers with a useable item that constantly reinforces brand voice. In a digital landscape, extra care needs to be put into every aspect of the branding process in order to ensure its efficacy.
Avoiding Bad Design Through Assessment
Clean, concise, professional branding can make all the difference in the world to a company, especially one that is just starting out. Creative logos can be quite impactful in branding efforts, however, it should be noted that creativity does not always lead to success. Logos and branding can become messy and distracting when there isn’t anyone to push back in the design process and it is important that there be a system in place to avoid spending valuable time and money developing branding that ends up filled with bad design choices.
The physical and digital world are both filled with examples of bad design that could have been prevented with someone simply taking the time to assess how a design might be perceived. Design elements that are confusing to the public should be avoided at all costs as they will not only cost a company a significant amount of money to correct on top of what was spent designing it in the first place but can also do lasting damage to a business’s brand identity.
A well-led and managed business will implement a system to prevent these unfortunate design errors from working their way into branding efforts. Good branding should convey a company’s image and message clearly and visual design should take extra care to evaluate how space, color, lines, and shape are used. If a business puts in the effort to reign in the design process early and often, they will more than likely end up with wonderful branding that works well in both physical and digital landscapes.
Good branding design should remember the foundational aspects of branding in order to create elegant and effective branding. If a design team isn’t clear on their audience or what their competitors are doing, they won’t be able to create an impactful, consistent visual identity that functions in either the real world or over digital mediums.
Branding is difficult but with the right mindset a company can create branding that is highly effective no matter where it is implemented. Clear, concise branding design that takes care to make assessments throughout the creative process is highly likely to be effective regardless of where it appears