What is branding anyway?

Branding is just your logo, right? Wrong! All too often, we encounter businesses who come to us with a logo that they have gallantly created online with an AI logo generator (don’t even get me started, seriously) in the hope and expectation that this is enough to create a long-lasting brand. As a Design Muggle with some Very Basic Canva prowess, I still have zero idea how to create a logo or anything visually creative for that matter. I opted out of Art as a career pursuit back in High School and I imagine my teachers thank me for it. How can you create an emblem that will offer any insight about your business, your values, your core identity? It’s sorcery in its purest form.

More than just a logo

So much goes into creating a logo. The colour palette, the shapes used, the typeface, the “stacking” (up, down or across for other Muggles) – all these elements are neatly tied together behind the scenes to create something that we take for granted as both basic and easy. A customer recently asked us to quickly produce some graphics for a vehicle and described it as “really easy, it’s basically ClipArt.” Our full-time Graphic Designer had a different point of view.

But once you have your logo, then what? Well, you need to take all those seamlessly woven elements that are working away in the background to grab the attention of your sales avatar and spread them out across every aspect of your branding with the utmost consistency. If your branding is established, then the next step you need to take is getting out into the world. Your social posts, your website, your sponsored ads, your email shots, your lead magnets; your branding will be there across all these digital assets for your audience to see and recognise.

But what about in the non-digital world? Away from TikTok and Meta (and dare we say it, X?), getting your branding on as many physical items IRL is the best way to show potential clients that you are serious and that your business is A Solid Thing that takes its identity seriously. You’re saying, “we are professional, you can invest in us.” Moreover, it says: put your trust in us – we deserve your loyalty.

Together, these various physical manifestations of your branding, through signage, vehicle livery, clothing, merchandise and stationery, pull your brand identity together in ways that are subtle, professional and impactful. The essential is to ensure that you are consistent across all your branding assets (the logo, the font choices, the colours, the shapes, etc.). The reproduction of your logo across all your channels and physical branding is absolutely key to keeping your brand image recognisable and gaining trust from customers, wherever they are on their purchasing journey.

1. Signage

Do you have an office or location you work from regularly? An investment in signage – whether it’s a fascia attached to the front of the building or a backlit sign above the office reception where you greet your customers, it’s a physical form of brand marketing that instills trust.

2. Vehicle graphics

Is your business mobile or do you travel frequently? Consider getting your professional, or even personal, vehicle signwritten with attractive graphics that showcase your brand and get you seen. We spend a considerable amount of time on the road, especially stuck in traffic. Think of it as a single investment that will last up to 5 years – the gift that keeps on giving.

3. Branded workwear

Branded clothing is a fundamental aspect of your business identity that will see the branding barometer soar from Zero to Get Me On a Ted Talk in seconds. A simple polo shirt or blouse, cardigan, sweatshirt or jacket emblazoned with your company logo speaks volumes about how you conduct your business. It can give you a professional image that your competitors might lack, it looks smart and frankly it takes the stress out of the morning wardrobe crisis. It also doesn’t have to be a burden on your cash flow. Talk to your accountant about expensing your uniforms.

4. Merchandise

Then there’s branded promotional merchandise – our favourite. It’s not all stress balls and keyrings, either (although we love a weird and wonderful shaped stress toy and will always supply these for as long as we’re in business). The merchandise sector has moved away from the tacky and tatty and is now more geared towards businesses with a social and eco-conscious focus. Promo goods that are functional, attractive and won’t immediately end up in landfill are now in high demand and manufacturers are meeting the assignment. A recycled, premium soft-touch notebook with your logo embossed or foiled, accompanied with your personalised business cards, will get you noticed.