The mid-nineties was the height of Britpop. Way back then, I had somewhat more hair. I took full advantage of this with my Gallagher-esque hairdo – combed down at the front (in no way did this look like a comb-over). Paired with a nice dress shirt, chinos and white running shoes I really looked the part. Hello ladies.
Like Oasis’ time at the top, my hairdo didn’t last. As the ravishes of age and children took over, the comb-over comb-down, became off limits. Not only is it off limits, its physically impossible. I guess this is Mother Nature’s equivalent of taking toys away from kids who weren’t treating them right.
As I have grown older, life has changed. Directions and trends have changed. One must go with the times, albeit slightly slower than some.
The same can be said with your business identity. Your logo and branding play a very important role in your company. It reflects who you are, what you stand for and it helps attract the right customers to your business. All of this enables you to do your best work.
As times change, sometimes your company must change too. Perhaps this is a shift in your customer’s needs, a shift in technology, an increased (or decreased) product offering. It’s important that your logo and brand accurately reflect this.
Time for a new look
Let’s look at the steps required so you can re-brand your business more effectively and with maximum impact.
Naturally, you might think “I need a new logo for our company, it looks stale. Lets find a logo designer designer. Whilst this is somewhat true, it’s really best you understand a few things about your business and your clients before you jump straight in. Once you understand a few simple fundamentals about your business and who it attracts, you will give the logo designer a better chance of developing something unique and special for your business.
Step 1: Identify what you sell, then go deeper
What items do you sell to your customers? Is it timber? Is it plumbing services? Is it legal advice? Some might think that it’s a very simple process. You have items to sell, people buy those items.
However, if we go deeper, you are selling more than this. Are you an electrician selling air conditioning units? Or are you selling a cooler room and a better lifestyle? Do you sell newly renovated homes? Or the pride of having the best house on the street?
There is a clear distinction between what we think sell and what we are REALLY selling. One is simply a tool or method used to deliver on the TRUE nature of the sale.
Step 2: Accurately identify your target market, then go deeper
Let’s get this straight, your target market isn’t “everyone”. I do countless logo design briefs every year and this is by far the top answer to this question. Regardless of your business, if your answer is “everyone”, you haven’t thought about the question.
First, consider demographics:
- male or female
- young or old
- stay at home mums or working professionals
- singles or couples
- locally based or country-wide
- the list goes on
Once you have this, work out the immediate needs of these people and what’s important to them. Is it price? Convenience? Relationship building? Quality? Speed of service? Remember, you can’t be all things to all people.
You are now starting to build yourself a customer avatar – a short description of your ideal customer. This is the person for which you just love coming to work for and will do your best work each and every time.
Here’s an example: “My ideal customer’s name is Joe. Joe is a 35 year old who lives in Wilston and travels to this office in Brendale each day for work. He runs an electrical business with a team of around 20 staff. Joe is proactive in his marketing. He loves collaborating with others and coming up with with new ideas help grow his business. Joe spends the weekends at home with his kids and enjoys family time before getting back into it on Monday morning.”
If you do our best work for Joe and love working with him, you want to attract more “Joes” to our business. This avatar gives you an accurate description of who you aiming the logo design, brand identity and marketing at. It describes their age, social status, business size & values as well as personal values. You can now use this data to craft the logo design and style for this person.
Step 3: Identify your Brand’s personality
Identifying your brand’s personality really looks at the human side of your brand. How you want other people to see you when they look at your logo and other branded items. Do you want to be seen as youthful or mature? Spontaneous or planned? Organic or sophisticated? Think back to the Apple TV ads from a few years ago… are you a conservative, shirt & tie type person (PC) or a cool t-shirt & jeans type person (Apple)?
This isn’t about you, the business owner and how you feel. It’s about how you want your current and future customers to view and interact your business.