The word ‘branding’ is a very familiar word and yet when thinking of how to define it, we sometimes find it difficult to explain this word in real terms. Each day there are more new businesses and products, and with a competitive field that – thanks to the Internet- now reaches the whole world, brands are more essential than ever.

This concept of branding has a history which actually dates back some 5,000 years. In the medieval ages, producers would mark anything from a loaf of bread to gold and silver products. When thinking about it, some also link it to the Old West, where brand symbols were burned onto the hides of cattle in order to identify their livestock.

The purpose of branding nowadays is used to develop, maintain and look after a positive image; to create high awareness and product preference in customers’ minds. In branding, perception is essential. There has to be a clear definition of what a brand represents and also of what you want your brand to push to your clients’ mind as soon as they see, hear or think of your brand.

A Brand is a promise about who you are and what benefits you deliver that gets reinforced every time people come in contact with any aspect of your business. First you find out, what promises your customers want companies like yours to make and keep, using the products, processes and people in your company. Then you look at your competition and decide which promise would give you the best competitive advantage. This is the promise you make and keep in every marketing activity, every action, every corporate decision, and every customer interaction. A brand encompasses everything about your company – it is the whole experience; the way you deal with clients; what makes you different to everyone else; what makes you unique both tangibly and intangibly.

Brand Identity is actually the physical elements that visually represent your brand and that customers come in contact with such as your logo, business cards, email signatures, website, advertising, your employee uniforms, store layout design, package design etc.

Obviously the brand and brand identity walk hand in hand together. If one understands what is most important for their customers, then they are in a better position to create a symbol and elements that trigger the right feelings in those customers and also be better informed which communication pieces are the most useful for a particular audience.

There are five important design elements when it comes to choosing a successful logo. Iconic logos:

1. Can be easily described

2. Can be remembered easily

3. Are effective without colour

4. Work in different sizes

5. Are related to the industry in question

Points one and two are very closely linked because if a logo cannot be described then probably, it cannot be remembered either.

It is important for a logo to be effective without colour because colour comes after the shape and form. I always leave colour to the end of the design process, because if the logo does not work in black only, no colours will rescue it.

A logo has to work in different sizes and be scalable mostly because of collateral, such as, letterheads, pens, print material where it has to remain recognisable even in the smallest of sizes.

Lastly, the design must be relevant for the business it identifies. This is accomplished through in depth research into the industry involved, and helps to differentiate from closely associated competitors.

I have chosen a logo to illustrate the five points:

The Fedex logo is a bold and simple logo which can be easily described and remembered. It is still effective even in black and white and is scalable and used in a variety of sizes, depending on the required use.

The FedEx logo, designed in 1994 by Linden Leader & Landor Associates, at first appears simple and straightforward. However, if you look at the white space between the “E” and “x” you can see a right-facing arrow. This “hidden” arrow was intended to be a subliminal symbol for speed and precision – which adapts the simple logo to the relative industry Fedex work in.

You can view more of my work in my Portfolio.

You can view more of my work in my Portfolio.

You can view more of my work in my Portfolio.

You can view more of my work in my Portfolio.

Some people do not consider the importance of colour in branding. Colour is crucial and a very important aspect to take into consideration. It transmits a psychological message to your viewers and choosing the right colours for your brand, logo or product can be vital as it helps your brand or product get easily recognised and identified with your industry. Continue the full featured article on UsabilityGeek.

Would you wear bell-bottom trousers or have an 80’s haircut nowadays? What if you had to keep a particular image thought the years? Trends change rapidly even in logo design and following a short craze can leave your company’s identity outdated in no time. Here is the article about the 2011 logo trends from LogoLounge.

Whether we follow trends or not we are constantly affected directly or indirectly by what others are doing and it is difficult to say that we don’t follow tendencies. It is good to be updated with the current styles and consider using these and other movements for inspiration, as the more knowledge you have, the wider your range of options will be when providing solutions for different cases. However one should find a balance between their style and trend, which is constantly changing. Timelessness should be a quality of a logo and one should not become a fashion victim but use trends wisely and to his advantage.

What are your views about this? Do you follow logo design trends? Let me know your thoughts!

An English friend of mine is a young creative successful employer, who always comes up with new interesting business ideas. However he does not believe in portraying a polished and refined image, that is, no professional brand design; no business cards; no decent stationery to represent his company. He believes it is a waste of money at least in the early years of a business and that it does not help a company establish itself.

Is the right time to start thinking about branding after you failed to impress and wasted your shot at it? Definitely it is not sheer luck that this guy’s small business survives; it is fuelled by a creative mind, passion and hard work…and he’s a good salesman. But what if he invested in his image? An element for a strong brand is to portray a trustworthy and professional image differentiating and making yourself memorable so that people will either look for your business, product or idea or else choose you above your competitors. With strong branding leading the company forward, he would probably be making triple the amount of money he is doing now. What about the good ideas he threw away with poor looks and crappy presentations after seeing uninterested clients turning their backs on him?

So a bad cover can prove to be fatal after all; whether it is a company’s dreadful brand or advert in a chaotic directory; or a good bottle of wine with an awful label gathering dust on the supermarket shelf.

It’s a fast moving unforgiving world out there. One thing is for sure. You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

Here’s the new business card I just printed for myself. This time I went old-school. Letterpress. “Yes Letterpress”. That was my answer to all the printers I emailed who sent me a “What!?” as a reply. New technology printing is evolving rapidly and unfortunately these old methods are becoming practically obsolete. Luckily however I did find a printer who took up my unusual request and who accepted going back in time and did a wonderful job of it. I just love the looks, how it feels and how it bites into the paper and also the 3 dimensional quality that no other printing method can equal. There is craft, history and art in this printing method that turns an ordinary piece of paper into work of art.

Check these guys at ‘Mama’s Sauce’ out. Based in Florida, these talented printers still use these fantastic machines.

KLUGE from Northern Lights on Vimeo.