Branding is a funny word and encompasses a lot more than you might think. Most people hear branding and think of a logo; but in reality, company branding covers a whole range of intertwining factors.

Naming Your company

So, where do you begin with setting up a new company with new branding design? The company name of course! Believe it or not, your company name is one of the most important decisions you’ll make and it 100% comes under the term of branding.

We’ve heard every name under the sun, and had to strongly suggest name changes for some companies. We really do know a thing or two about what makes a perfect brand name and here’s a few tips to help you pick something great:

• If you’ve thought of a word to us in your name that you like th sound of, please make sure to research it fully:
  • Do you know what it means?
  • Does it have any negative connotations you aren’t aware of?
  • Is it already in use?
• Don’t use numbers! Please… just don’t. Numbers in a company name reak of scams, poor quality, and untrustworthiness.
• Try words associated with what service you provide, but translate them into Latin, Nordic, or other old languages.

Congratulations, you’ve got a strong brand name, now let’s do your logo! Wait, wait, wait – we’re not ready for that yet.

Company Ethos

Next, I want you to ask yourself what your company ethos is. Every company has a personality, whether it has been planned or not. Is your company hard selling? Or are you sharing, rather than selling? Are your clients meant to feel like distinguished VIPs? Or are they more like friends? Distinctions like these are extremely important to make and I’d recommend writing out at least 5 key values about your company ethos.

Branding doesn’t just start and stop with names and logos, it’s how every member of your staff dresses, talks, and acts. Make sure everyone that works for you knows the ethos of the company and conducts themselves in line with that personality to ensure your brand remans strong.

Colour Time

Now that you’ve figured out that sort of company you want to be, it’s time to pick some colours. There’s a whole host of fantastic guides online for what colours to pick to evoke different emotions and represent different statuses. Here’s where choosing your company ethos comes into play – don’t just pick a colour you think looks nice, make sure it represents the ethos of the company like you’ve planned!

When picking colours for the company, you should always work on a 3-tier colour palette. The 3 tiers are:

• Primary – The main colour that will depict your company. Think Cadbury’s purple, or CocaCola Red. This will be a colour that ties mostly into your company ethos and should be distinctive.
• Secondary – This colour will be used for secondary elements like graphics and text – this could be close to the primary colour, or completely different. However, it should always look appropriate and easy to distinguish. For example, I wouldn’t use Green for your primary colour, then green for your secondary – as they don’t sit well together.
• Accent – Finally, this colour will be used most sparingly and needs to be very different to your primary and secondary colours. This could be white, if you aim to have your primary colour as a background, a grey if you are using white as your secondary colour.

Now you’ve got a colour palette, we can finally move on to… your logo!

Logo, Icon, Branding Design

Logos. Whilst they aren’t everything branding stands for, they are certainly a big part and one of the main things potential clients will see, so they need to be spot on.

When designing a logo, you’ll want to make sure it is unique, obvious, and, over everything else, instantly recognizable. Using symbols that represent your industry can help with this but making those symbols unique and interesting is key to making sure you don’t look like every other company in your industry. For example, if you’re using a house, why not try making the roof an asymmetric triangle to give your brand a small but distinctive edge.

So, once you’ve designed an icon, picking a font for the name of your company is the next step that can make all the difference. Font-faces have a number of different attributes that can change the way your company logo looks and feels. For example, Mercedes uses Times New Roman as their main corporate font which is generally regarded as corporate and professional – could you imagine if they used comic sans? You would have little to no trust in what they provide! However, if a modern tech agency used Times New Roman, then they’d be laughed at for looking old fashioned. It’s all about the ethos and the way you want the company to present itself.

Consistency

Now you have an incredible brand from name, through to ethos, colours and a logo! Now you need to make sure it is CONSISTENT. Make sure you follow your branding every step of the way from social media and your website design to meetings and conferences – your clients should know exactly who you are, and your potential clients should be able to learn who you are instantly.

Making sure you have the best branding you can have is crucial to your business’ success. I’ve seen businesses failing simply down to their confusing brand – people don’t want to use unprofessional companies and if you have a confusing brand, you’ll be seen as unprofessional. Get your branding right, and you are hitting the first steps in the right direction to a booming business.

Don’t forget, if you ever need help – the design team at Digitiv have an abundance of experience in all sectors and can help you create something truly incredible.