Building a strong brand identity is essential for any business to succeed in today’s highly competitive market. However, many businesses find it challenging to approach branding, especially when they compare themselves to long-established corporate brands. It is important to understand that creating a strong brand identity is not an overnight process, and it requires an intimate understanding of your business, a solid understanding of your market through research, and working with a team with strong communication and design skills.
In this blog post, we will explore how some of the most iconic brands got their start and provide tips on how businesses starting out should approach branding. We will also discuss the importance of revisiting your brand standards as your business grows and changes.
Starting From Scratch
It’s important to remember that even the most iconic brands started from humble beginnings. A lot of design work and branding sessions went into creating the iconic looks they have today. Take Nike, for example, which started as Blue Ribbon Sports. The company underwent numerous logo tweaks and full redesigns before settling on the iconic “swoosh” logo with the name “NIKE” laid on top. Similarly, Starbucks and Apple also went through several iterations before arriving at their current iconic logos.
One of the key takeaways from this is that businesses should not be discouraged if their initial branding efforts do not immediately yield the desired results. Branding is an iterative process that requires patience and a willingness to experiment.
Building on Previous Branding Work
It’s also important to note that previous branding work is not a waste. In fact, it can serve as a reference point for creating a new and improved brand identity. Both the Apple and Starbucks logos have evolved from their original designs. The original Apple Computer Company logo featured an ornate design with an apple on the tree, while the Starbucks logo depicted a mermaid. However, the companies refined and simplified their logos to create the iconic designs we know today. You’ll notice how Isaac Newton was in the original Apple logo but this Newton influence on the company continued into the iconic Apple “six color” logo (with an ode to Newton’s discovery of primary colors”). By building on their previous branding work, they were able to create a strong brand identity that stood the test of time.
Growing Your Brand with Your Business
Your brand identity should grow with your business. As your business evolves and expands its products or services, it’s important to revisit your brand standards to ensure that your brand identity still accurately reflects your business. Both Apple and Starbucks changed their logos to evoke a sense of simplicity and cleanliness, taking into account the complexity of printing or creating signage for their earlier, more complex logos. By doing so, they were able to create a cohesive brand identity that aligned with their business goals and helped to drive sales.
Tips for Building a Strong Brand Identity
To build a strong brand identity, businesses should focus on the following:
- Understand Your Business and Your Market: To create a brand identity that accurately reflects your business, you need to have an intimate understanding of your business and your market. This requires extensive research and analysis of your target audience, your competition, and your industry.
- Work with a Professional Branding Design Company: Creating a comprehensive visual design language that can be applied to everything from your website to signage to letterhead requires the expertise of a professional branding design company. At McNair Media, we focus on your business goals first and create designs geared towards achieving those results.
- Iterate and Experiment: Branding is an iterative process that requires patience and a willingness to experiment. Don’t be discouraged if your initial branding efforts do not immediately yield the desired results. Use your previous branding work as a reference point and continue to refine and evolve your brand identity over time.
- Revisit Your Brand Standards: As your business grows and changes, it’s important to revisit your brand standards to ensure that your brand identity still accurately reflects your business. This can help you to create a cohesive brand identity that aligns with your business goals and helps to drive sales.
Time to Level Up Your Branding!
While the branding & messaging you used to get your brand off the ground has gotten you this far, really strategizing a more effective way to connect with your target audience through visuals and content, is going to move the needle in your business. Let’s get you on the right track!