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What Does She Have That I Don't?

Copyright 2005 Karen Saunders

Have you ever asked yourself why a competitor's business gets more attention than yours? The answer just may have to do with the elements that go into how memorable the business is. And that has to do with branding.

But exactly what is branding, anyway? Think of branding as predefining what a company is all about in the minds of its clients. Good branding differentiates your products and services in a positive way that really sticks in the minds of potential customers.

Let's say you have been traveling around town without your morning coffee and are getting just a little cranky. Quick! What's the first coffee shop chain that comes to mind? Chances are, you thought of Starbucks. Why?

*Attractive and easily read logo; *Consistency of product, décor, signage, and interior; and *A great product

Assuming your product is fabulous, it all comes down to image. Graphic design can play a huge part in that image. But what are some key things to consider?

A great logo is key.

You have already given a great deal of attention to your company name and believe that it speaks to who you are and what you do. Great! Now you need to wrap a graphic image around that name to carve out a prime piece of real estate in the mind of your target customer. That is exactly what a great logo can do.

Whether or not you eat fast food and regardless of your opinion as to what might constitute the best in fast food, my guess is that the name McDonalds conjures up an immediate image of the golden arches. Those golden arches really work as a logo!

The McDonalds logo is a good example of merging a symbol with a letter in the company name. It is also a good example of simplicity, another key element to great logo design. A good logo also:

* has a strong, balanced image with no little extras that clutter its look; * is distinctive and bold in design, making it easy to see at a glance; * has graphic imagery that looks appropriate for your business; * works well with your company name; * is done in an easy to read font; * communicates your business clearly; and * looks good in black and white, as well as in


color.

Consistent visual identity is also key.

If you are going to capture that prime piece of real estate in the customer's mind, you must provide not only a compelling image, but a consistent one. The Statue of Liberty just may be one of the most compelling images in the world. But what if you owned the rights to that image, put it on your business card, then put the image of an American Bald Eagle on your stationery and the Liberty Bell on your web site. The American Bald Eagle and the Liberty Bell are also compelling images, but as a group, each dilutes the impact of the other.

Each of the three images has its own distinct personality. You may be tempted to give your stationery, website, business card, brochures, and other marketing materials different visual personalities, but to do risks the equivalent of having the Statue of Liberty competing with American Bald Eagle and Liberty Bell.

All of the materials that represent you, from business cards to brochures, need to have image consistency in order to be immediately recognizable by your customers...and potential customers...as being related to the unique brand that is your company. Logo, color scheme, fonts, and layout that are consistent from letterhead to business card and from envelope to ad suggest credibility and stability, in addition to taking up more of that prime mental real estate by virtue of repetition. Inconsistency of graphic elements among materials not only suggests uncertainty and sloppiness, it is just plain forgettable.

Creating a great logo and maintaining consistency among all your marketing materials will take you a long way towards creating a memorable brand that just might make your competitors mutter, "What does she have that I don't?"

About the author:

Karen Saunders is the author of the book, "Turn Eye Appeal into Buy Appeal: How to easily transform your marketing pieces into dazzling, persuasive sales tools!" Karen has helped thousands of small businesses to increase their sales over the past 15 years using her award-winning marketing design strategies. For more free tips by Karen, and to learn more about the book visit http://www.MacGraphics.net

 

Brand - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The brand, and "branding" and brand equity have become increasingly important ... From the perspective of brand owners, branded products or services also ...
en.wikipedia.org
 
Branding - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Livestock branding, the marking of animals to indicate ownership; Human branding, ... Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branding" ...
en.wikipedia.org
 
AllAboutBranding.com : Home
Provides resources and opinions on branding. Includes brand development, management and communications.
www.allaboutbranding.com
 
brandchannel.com | branding resource produced by Interbrand | brands
An international online exchange and resource about brand marketing and branding.
www.brandchannel.com
 
Branding Company Corporate Branding Internet Brand Identity ...
Brand Identity Guru Inc. creates, develops and promotes powerful brands. Our clients enjoy an array of innovative, creative and powerful branding solutions ...
www.brandidentityguru.com
 
Branding Blog
Branding and positioning news and opinion.
www.brandingblog.com
 
Branding Asia
Free articles, news and columns on branding in Asia. Market research and Asian marketing.
www.brandingasia.com
 
Pages tagged with "branding" on del.icio.us
All items tagged branding ??? view popular ... industrie./design and branding consultant specialists./ · save this. by kittim to design branding graphic ...
del.icio.us
 
The Brand Called You
Big companies understand the importance of brands. Today, in the Age of the Individual, you have to be your own brand. Here's what it takes to be the CEO of ...
www.fastcompany.com
 
Branding: See what people are saying right now on Technorati
See all blog posts tagged with branding on Technorati.
www.technorati.com
 
Mozilla Branding
The purpose of this document is to describe mozilla.org's branding strategy during and after the release of what has generally been called Mozilla 1.4. ...
www.mozilla.org
 
What Brand Are You? A branding viral by The Design Conspiracy
What Brand Are You? has since been picked out as Site Of The Day by the likes of the Financial Times, Yahoo, USA Today and BBC News, and has received more ...
www.whatbrandareyou.com
 
Julie & Company: Affordable branding, web design, graphic design ...
Julie & Company creates stellar branding, integrated marketing, advertising, web design, web development, Flash, trade show booths - all at affordable ...
www.julieandcompany.com
 
Forty Media - Web Design, Web Development, Branding, Great Websites
a professional web design agency based in Phoenix, Arizona.
www.fortymedia.com
 
Branding - Yahoo! Small Business
Find information to help grow your online business with business plans, Thomas Register, news articles and more.
smallbusiness.yahoo.com
 
Lexicon
Lexicon Branding appears on KTVU News; Lexicon Branding creates Ridgeline for Honda, Viiv for Intel, and GameTap for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. ...
www.lexicon-branding.com
 
Branding and Usability
We're finding that a site's usability can dramatically affect branding. ... There are two basic techniques for branding: direct experience and indirect ...
www.uie.com
 
iMedia Connection: Research & Metrics - Branding
Majority of marketers feel branding opportunities -- online and offline -- aren't ... IAB case studies prove real-world power of online in branding mix. ...
www.imediaconnection.com
 
Small Business Marketing And Branding
Small business marketing and branding advice and how-to guides for small business owners. Learn how to start and grow your own successful business.
smallbusinessbranding.com
 
Beyond Branding
Beyond Branding, published in hardcover in 2003 and paperback in 2005, presents innovative business models for the survival of 21st century organizations.
www.beyond-branding.com
 
 

 
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