Creating a powerful brand identity is essential in today’s crowded marketplace. Not only does brand design influence how your potential clients perceive you, but it can affect you getting seen in the first place! This is why working with a professional agency like Creades is important.
While it is possible to design your brand identity yourself, many businesses lack the time and the resources to do so. Hiring an experienced team to help you can ensure that you maximise your business’ potential.
Before we get into where to look for brand design services, let’s start by exploring what brand design involves.
How brand design works
Designing a brand involves creating a cohesive identity across a range of mediums, from digital to print, uniforms to merchandise. You want your target audience to be able to differentiate your business from your competitors and feel a connection to your brand.
It requires identification of the following elements:
Values
Knowing your business values is key when designing a brand identity as it helps shape your overall look and the message you will be sending. If you value sustainability above all else, for instance, you may want to opt for an eco-friendly design scheme.
Mission statement
The same goes for your mission statement, as this is informed by your values and vice-versa. What is the purpose of your business and what are your goals?
Target audience
You should also have a target audience in mind, as this will determine the design of your brand (perhaps colourful and bold for youth, or minimalist and classic for business people). Think age, location, gender, occupation and income level.
Culture
Your company culture will also have an impact on your brand identity – are you methodical and goal-oriented, or playful and upbeat?
Market positioning
And finally, market position. This refers to how your company is perceived by consumers. Do you want to be known as a symbol of status and luxury, or for being reliable and down-to-earth? This will affect your brand identity.
Once these have been established, your brand design team can start to work on creating your brand identity.
The work they do includes:
Style guides
A style guide is essentially a manual or template that sums up the house design and style of a business. It outlines elements like typefaces, colours, layouts, logos, grammar and tone. This ensures that your content is consistent, cohesive and recognisable.
Website design & development
Having an attractive and fully-functioning website is essential for attracting and maintaining the interest and support of your customers. A design agency can ensure that you have a beautiful, working website that your audience will love.
Content production
This could include creating advertisements, brochures or blog posts. All content produced should be informed by the style guide to maintain cohesion.
Where to find the team for you
Ready to find the perfect brand design agency? Start by identifying whether the work you want done can be accomplished at a distance or whether you need an agency that you can visit in-person. Next, use word-of-mouth or online reviews and recommendations for guidance. Browse through different agency websites to get a sense of their culture and style, and get in touch with any that appeal to you. You may want to have a phone call or meet them in person to assess whether you are suited to them.
Brand design agencies can help boost the value and reputation of your business. Ensure that you choose a reputable provider that you get along with and who understands your values, expectations and goals.