BIG 3

Corporate ID - Logo Design – Branding – different but related.

Corporate identity logos provide an idea about the company. It typically comprises the colors of the company logo, the company name, sometimes the logo itself is incorporated and maybe a tagline. Corporations often have more than one logo designs. They will be similar in color and style but can be utilized for a range of functions and be used autonomously of one another.

The corporate identity logo should be designed analogous to the company logo that is used in advertisement. It should be a crisp form of the logo with supplementary components that make it of function in business matters exclusive of advertisement. If the business advertisement logo is just an image, the corporate identity logo can include the name of the company and/or a tagline as an identifier.

The Logo design is one of the most fundamental features of the visual identity of a business. Business logos must be properly designed and attractive to improve the flow of business by catching the attention of your clients. Most of the business owners undervalue the importance of a business logo design and fail to have one designed for their business. It is however crucial to note that all of the distinguished international businesses have a logo that consumers recognize upon first glimpse. This fact emphasizes on the significance of business logo design.

Logo in relation with Marketing and Advertising

Business logos are used as groundwork for the marketing and advertising struct
ure of a business in the industry. Without an identifiable face for the company it is not easy to advertise a business to prospective clients. Business logos serve as this face. Consumer recognition is one of the most important segments in advertising a product and a unique logo design serves this purpose.

Stationery and Business Cards

The business logo design is present on every piece of internal and outgoing marketing material for a business. The business cards, stationery, letterhead, brochures and mailing supplies are all colored with the emblem of the business. It performs as an advertising tool on stationery and a non-marketing based source for marketing.

Corporate Identity and Brand Recognition

Business logos are also a fundamental element of the corporate identity and brand recognition of a business. Once the logo has been demonstrated it can be utilized to put together the general identity of the business.

The addition of a character presenting the company and a tagline create a well-built corporate identity that will represent the business in the more across-the-board marketplace.

As with an advertisement logo, the corporate logo design should be serviceable on a variety of forms of print, media and internet canvases. It should be as clear and understandable in black and white as it is in color, and should not lose resolution when regarded in different computer programs. The extra components should be evaluated and trialed prior to the design is finalized to guarantee the quality of the design. The corporate logo design should develop upon the basic logo of that company.

The Importance of a Logo and Marketing Materials

The initial lack of customers and cash flow often causes new small business owners to put off designing a logo and marketing materials professionally "until they get a few clients" or "until they get started." Unfortunately, designing their own marketing materials when they launch their businesses instead of having them professionally created will make getting those initial clients more difficult and may result in a business that will not succeed.

Many entrepreneurs choose to design their own marketing materials when they launch their businesses, especially by creating their first business card. Or sometimes they will have an amateur designer, friend, or relative create the design.

Your business will not look established. It will appear to be more likely to fold or to fail. Clients will not have confidence in doing business with you. Would you do business with someone who seems to be on unstable footing and who might not be in business by the end of your project or after you have purchased an item?

You will look like a very small business. Large, successful businesses would never consider doing business without professional, originally designed marketing materials. Using materials that are not professionally designed makes, your business appear even smaller and can possibly indicate that you cannot perform to or meet the standards required

You will look unpolished and rough. Not having a professional "look and feel" can make it appear as though your business does not matter to you. Customers may get the impression that you do not care about the way your business presents itself, which might indicate that you would not care about the quality of your work or the way that your work reflects upon their business.

Template Logos and Business Cards You will look unfocused. Templates or uncoordinated logo will make your business look generic or nonspecific that doesn’t last long. This creates a confused and forgettable look and feel for your business. This can also cause an identity crisis for a small business.

About half of all businesses fail within their first few years. One source of failure that is commonly cited by experts is sloppy or ineffective visual identity. If your logo do not stand out from those of your competitors, your sales will suffer.

When you start a business, you need to create the quickest possible route to business success. A logo helps to create this by contributing to your business's visibility, credibility, and memorability -- three factors that will help your business to grow and achieve success. So, while putting off your logo development may seem like a prudent idea from a cash-flow point of view, it could result in your business never getting off the ground. It can also lead to your business folding when it would otherwise succeed.

If you think that you can't afford to design a logo when starting your business, consider the outcomes -- how can you afford not to?

Branding

Branding is bigger than just a logo. The brand is the company's promise. The process of branding is built over time by the company supporting its Brand Strategy in everything it does.

Think about it like you think about yourself as a person. Your personal "brand" is all that makes up the uniqueness of YOU. It is not just your clothes (your logo, colors, imagery, fonts), which can change with the styles of the decade. It is your character or personality (your brand traits) and the core of who you are (your promise). Your logo, your "look-and-feel," and other such branding elements are important to reflecting your "brand" to the world, but they are not the brand itself.

To successfully build a brand, all employees must work together as ambassadors of the brand-this means being consistent in how they present the brand to each other, as well as to customers and partners. By representing your organization in a consistent and meaningful way, you establish a promise and an expectation of your products and services in the marketplace that helps build awareness, loyalty, and equity.

Understanding this concept BEFORE you spend money on marketing activities is imperative to your success. The key to building a strong brand is:

Starting with a strong strategy

A solid Brand Strategy defines your company identity and provides mechanisms for enhancing and measuring the impact of that identity on your market, customers, partners, and employees. Your Brand Strategy should include:

Defining and documenting the brand position and promise

Arriving at brand traits and values

Creating your brand story

Designing your brand elements such as a logo, letterhead, business cards, and other corporate identity materials

Outlining your brand plan, summarizing how all the defined elements will be used and strengthened through your interactions with customers and employees