10 basics of branding for start-ups

How many friends do you have that are running your business? Shark Tank is one of the most popular cable shows at the moment (American TV show, which involves businessmen (start-upers) who need investments in their business), it attracts a large number of people interested in business, design and brand identity. While some zealous “want-repreneurs” immerse themselves in the idea around the main idea, the rest instantly switch the conversation to how their idea will look.

• What will the logo look like? Is it possible to create your own logo yourself or is it worth hiring a designer?

As a designer, I love helping my friends and relatives think through how their business, design and psychology intersect. This week my sister and I discussed several issues of concern to her about brand development. Since most people are not designers and they need to be taught the basic principles of this work, we thought that other aspiring businessmen could also benefit from the fruits of our dialogue.
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To begin with, I note that my sister Bethany is a photographer. She worked with different events, couples and other areas of photography, developing a decent portfolio to post it online. She is ready to bring her portfolio to a serious level and wants to know how to promote your business and brand.

01 - What is corporate identity?

If a business is a strategy aimed at making something valuable that people want to buy, then branding is a means to show people what your idea looks like, taste, how it feels and sounds. Your brand reflects your business.

We can put a lot of effort into influencing how we want people to see us, but in the long run, your brand becomes what other people say about it. This may be a strange concept for the majority, but in the end our business cannot exist if people do not enjoy what we brought to this world. We are here to solve other people's problems, not just ours.

Think about Nike for a second. I am a big fan of them and really take most of their marketing on faith, but in the 90s people thought of them as a company that doesn’t care about people as they grow and exploits sweatshops. For this reason, Nike quickly changed priorities and did more effective work on finding out how to convey the fact that they care about the working conditions of their employees and, as a result of great effort and change, became, as is known, one of the most advanced companies with harsh conditions on safety and production standards. It doesn't matter what Nike told the audience then, the people themselves came to conclusions ... That is why a trademark should be a living (and consistent!) Organism and how it can significantly affect the success or failure in business.

• Your brand is your vision, individual perspective and position in business.
• Your brand is in part a set of design elements that show people that you are who you say you are.
• Your brand is the message that you put forward to the whole world.

Everyone has their own brand ... whether you like it or not. Think of your brand as your own reputation.

02 - I have a normal small business, why do I need to worry about branding?

As mentioned above, thanks to a clear, honest and direct transfer of branding, potential clients understand who you are and what you can do. You can generate the best ideas in the world about making money in business, but if people cannot describe you in one sentence, perhaps your message is blurry and not understandable to people. This can have serious consequences in the long run.

Small business is like a small fish in a large pond. No one knows who you are. Honestly, no one is interested. The use of branding makes it possible to get close to specific niches in order to launch “word of mouth” in the future. You need something that can set you apart from the crowd, instead of mixing with everyone else. There is a rivalry for attention, and building a brand strategy around what gets into the minds of your customers is a key, very difficult task. Please do not make the mistake of referring to branding with indifference. Too many small businesses are not aware of the possibility of branding becoming a key player in their own field.

03 - What is the difference between branding and logo?

Many people make the mistake of believing that a company's branding is their logo. But it is not.
If a brand is a holistic view of who you are as a company (or as an individual), then the branding system is a collection of visual and design elements that help tell the customer your story.

Your logo is one of the most important parts of your business; it is the only digital element of your entire brand. If your brand is a mother, then the logo is her son.

04 - How do you feel about ready-made logo templates? Why don't you recommend using them?

Let's start with why the logo is so important.

Your logo is a visual tool that immediately tells people about who you are. People are complex creatures and they will form thousands of different opinions about you and your company in those first 5 seconds when they look at your logo.

Let's start with the fact that people are simple, exhausted, cynical and selfish. So, if Cinderella comes to the ball in a dress, torn to shreds, people will question her quality. They will think that she belongs to the lower class. In a single case - this may be true. At least that's how people think. If you save on the quality of the logo, you can count on the fact that people will also assume that your business also has low qualities. If your logo looks outdated or a poorly readable font is used, then people do not get a good idea about you.

Of course, you can use a typical logo that can speak to your audience the way you want, but in most cases this will not happen. Most likely, it will look like a million other companies that do the same thing as you. Remember that if you want to stand out, first of all prove to yourself that you have the highest level of skills and quality. And how are you going to achieve this if you use some kind of stamped logo with Fiverr? In most cases (not all) you will not be able to.

05 - Is my logo complicated? What are the advantages of using a simple logo?

When creating a logo, you need to remember a few things. First, this mark will be used with different carriers. Most likely, it will be your website, business card, printed invoices / forms, branded uniforms and so on.

In most cases, a simple logo simplifies its scaling in these formats. You need to understand how the logo will look in the case of extra-large size, and when it is reduced by 100-1000%. Simplicity in most cases will serve you well. However, creating a minimalist logo to represent your style is a very difficult task. Again, do not rely on someone who "designs" your logo for $ 5. Such designers will simply do something they like. How does this help you?

06 - What file format should I request from the designer (or do it myself) to print business cards?

Regardless of whether you design the logo yourself or pay a designer who can help you, make sure you have the source file (for future changes), as well as CMYK-based PDF files (color format for printing other than RGB for digital screens) that are needed for typography.

07 - What programs do you recommend for developing a branding system?

A brand is not only a visual system that you create (messaging, presentation style, etc.). However, keep in mind that whatever you create, you must create it in vector format. Vector is a format that allows scaling without loss of quality.

The vector is based on computational mathematics, where in the format of a raster image (photos, for example) the number of pixels in which it works is given. Scaling a photo up and down can result in a very blurry result and a loss of quality. With a vector it is not a problem, your images will always remain absolutely clear.

The best software that uses the vector format for printing is Adobe Illustrator. Sketch is also very close to it, and I heard that Affinity Designer is also a good tool.

08 - As a designer, what are the key questions you ask the client before starting the logo design phase? What do you use for inspiration?

This list is not exhaustive, but may help start a conversation:

· How do you see your new logo?

· What is the age range of the target audience?

· What sensation or message do you want to convey using the logo?

· What logos attract you and why?

Designers work with colors that speak different psychological models, so it is better to focus on the shape of the logo (first in a gray color space) before filling the logo with colors. You can be inspired by Dribbble and Behance.

09 - Distributing the budget at the initial stage, what elements of branding are most important? (business cards, website, etc.)

First of all, you need your business idea and strategy to be thought out before you start thinking about designing the visual elements of your brand.

If you are at the stage where you need to dive into the development of digital elements, it is best to start with a logo.

You do not want to create a logo and then think about how your business adapts to it? Your logo should initially speak for your business.

If you have a logo, you can put it on various websites, such as Facebook, Twitter and other social platforms, to start your company’s presence on the market.

After that, go to business cards, and only then - to the full website. There are also excellent low-cost starting platforms. Great themes for a website can be purchased on WordPress, Shopify and SquareSpace.

10 - What is the best way to show my brand to people?

Just remember that a brand is never finished, as it is a living system, but keep in mind that after creating a brand, you have to work hard on marketing and promote your brand using a social strategy.

Launch various social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter and Medium) and get the opportunity to speak often in blogs about your industry and your perspective in it (this is what I am doing now).

Just like you, people compete with thousands of companies every week to stand out! You need to come close to this issue and do everything possible to be someone who creates valuable content. Do this and people will naturally go deep into the knowledge about you, your brand and, possibly, supporting you as a new company with your hard-earned money.