Good Branding Is Your Super Power!
Any business can elevate their success when they have a strong and memorable brand as a calling card! All of this can be accomplished with a few simple and well placed strokes of art within your logo.
It's a simple fact that brands are completely infused into our lives at every angle and every moment. Images, colours and sounds all echoing around us as constant reminders of where to go, what to buy, and how we stack up in society by the quality we stand for. Major corporations rely on their branding to make sure they are always in the minds of their consumers with simple, appealing, and memorable designs with flashy colours or bold contrasts. The concept of branding doesn't just hold a great deal of value for major corporations, but also for small business and individuals and there's many reason why every business should have a strong brand as their calling card.
As humans, we have a psychological connection with shapes, colours and sounds which help us identify with ourselves and with others. We focus on simple forms of symbolism that we can all remember easily and learn to recognize without having to think about it. The importance of creating a brand image that meets all the consumers psychological needs is vital because it is the consumers themselves that will build your brand, but it's your choice of image that identifies your business, values, and quality. There are many fantastic articles and studies available which can dig far deeper into the psychology of branding but today I just want touch on the skin deep and obvious points of branding.
As you can see with the image posted with this article, that the logos used are one's which many can identify without much effort, if any at all. The image which defines these brands is either symbolic in relation to their name or part of the business name itself. The focus is put on a very simple shape; something that can be easily marketed and promoted through a variety of formats. The focal image should be one that would look good on all forms of clothing, small advertising spaces like labels and tags, and also be used with the full business name in larger space advertising formats. I will use Apple Inc. as an example with their iconic and simple black apple with a bite image. Their image has become so renowned that they don't even need to print their name along side it anymore. But it's just an apple, right? No, it's an image that consumers inherently trust because the apple is a healthy fruit that is full of flavour and can be used in almost any recipe we choose to eat. Apple Inc. was smart in focusing on the apple for their brand because like the versatility of a real apple, Apple Inc. has also provided a variety of technology that create a great deal of convenience in our lives and make us feel better, or at least satisfied. Also, like the real apple fruit, we associate well-being, security and great taste which Apple Inc. has become known for throughout their years of marketing of life conscious, virus resistant, and very shiny and innovative product designs. There are so many affiliations we make with the real apple fruit in our daily lives that it only makes sense that this branding for Apple Inc. has infiltrated our lives just the same. It's even been stated that an apple day keeps the doctor away! As these brands begin to be built be their consumers, the need for sub-branding will expand their image even further into the stratosphere. Again, we take Apple Inc. who were responsible for "i" branding on specific products. The creation of the iPod, iPad, iPhone and all the "i" accessories and software has sucked in the masses as an identifier of premium and exclusive products. Let's just look at this innocent letter "i" for a quick second. What could "i" stand for and symbolize? Think of words that begin with "i", such as Intelligence, Individual, Intellect, Intel, Inspire, Innovation, Instant, Impressive, Instinct, Interact, and many more. This simple little letter before all of their products creates an identifier that each consumer is made to feel special about and that this product was made just for them or a small few. It ensures that any third part companies that make accessories for Apple Inc. products will have to pay a licensing fee in order to do anything even remotely similar in naming and branding their products. It's a very smart move for Apple Inc. to have done this and that is what they are ultimately known for, which is being a major marketing firm, more so than a tech company.
All these little concepts can be looked at more deeply to define a company culture and motivation as well. For example, the apple with a bite may represent the beginning of life and the seduction of consumers to bite into the forbidden fruit. It could be a statement that biting the forbidden fruit opened our minds to a world of knowledge and free will? And for the innocent "i", it could be looked at as there is no "i" in team which could signify Steve Job's unwillingness to create cross platform compatibility, develop Apple proprietary accessories, and to further feed into the exclusive individuality tactic that many Apple fans fall prey to.
Ultimately, your brand stands for everything that makes your business what it is, and how you value your product, your customers, your approach and even yourself. It becomes the symbol of your life in business and can become something that will sustain itself with little to no marketing or promotion efforts in the future as people simple just recognize your brand without even thinking. Remember, a strong brand may seem like too much for your small business with unlikely returns but Apple Inc. also started in garage and it's their brand that made them who they are today.