The average American takes in an estimated five thousand plus ads a day through various mediums including print, social media, television, and more. With all that marketing noise front and center every single day, it can be a challenge to make sure your company’s name stands out. When it comes building a visual recognition for customers, the most important tools a company can utilize are solid brand guidelines and a thoughtfully designed logo.
Brand Guidelines are a Must for Marketing Success
A company’s brand can be the hallmark of an effective marketing strategy. In general, brand development primarily focuses on highlighting the elements of your company that make you both successful and one of the best in the business at what you do. When it comes to crafting a brand that acts as a visual representation of a company, elements such as a mission statement, messaging, tone of voice, and font can all play a key role.
- Company Mission Statement: The mission statement should be broad in scope yet clearly identify the basic goals, values, and vision of a company. Many companies already have this piece in place.
- Messaging: A company’s brand should incorporate how they better facilitate a service or manufacture a product than their industry counterparts, all while providing a convenient solution for customers.
- Tone of Voice: The tone of voice of your brand often pertains to the sound of the voice a customer internalizes when reading marketing materials. Word choice, punctuation, and attitude can all contribute to the overall tone of voice of a piece.
- Font: Whether it appears in a print ad or a web page, it is necessary to choose one or two fonts and font sizes for communication to ensure simplicity and continuity.
A company’s brand is something that should remain consistent throughout the years, which helps build a record of credibility and trust with customers. For this reason, companies should consider meeting with a reputable printer before building a brand on their own. These professionals typically understand how to achieve brand success and can help your company build a solid brand from the ground up.
Logo Design and Guidelines
One of the most crucial elements of a strong brand is the design of a well-crafted logo. A logo can be the first step in building a company’s corporate identity. If designed correctly, potential customers won’t just see a picture when they look at a logo—they will see a visual reminder of a company’s identity and mission.
To create a logo that will be functional for everything from name tags to difficult to brand items like silos, there are several critical guidelines companies should take into account:
- Simplicity: Logos must strike the perfect balance of visual interest and simplicity. Logos that are too complex in nature do not necessarily translate to various surfaces while maintaining the image’s integrity. For example, a complex logo might look good on printed materials but appear skewed when it comes to embroidering it on hats or applying it to something with a rounded surface.
- Color: Logos should use color sparingly to make it easily seen, recognizable, and versatile. The use of too many colors can make a logo less color specific and therefore less identifiable by potential customers.
- Commitment: Once a logo has been crafted, it should be permanent. This visual aid is how a company will likely be recognized for years to come and will be a symbol of their reliability and credibility.
By working with an experienced printer who specializes in the creation of company logos, companies can have confidence in the combination of simplicity, color, and commitment that are crucial for marketing success.
Pantone Matching System (PMS)
As a company begins to shape and form their brand and logo, it is essential they work with a printer that utilizes the Pantone Matching System (PMS).
This system is one of the most widely used color standardization systems that facilitates color identification. It is aptly called Pantone as it is also the name of the numbering system used to identify the colors. PMS boasts over one thousand different colors, including those that are metallic and fluorescent. This numbering system of colors facilitates work for printers and any other equipment that produces color, ensuring that the colors printed are the exact colors the customer chose.
By choosing a printing company that helps with brand and logo work and that also uses the Pantone Matching System, clients can have confidence that the colors they so painstakingly chose in the brand building process will remain unchanged in hue or brightness, whether it is a printed medium or even embroidery or silk screen work.
Top 3 Things to Look for When Choosing the Right Printing Company
When it comes to a company’s brand and logo needs, choosing the right printing company can make all the difference. Look for a printing provider that is willing to serve as an asset to the company in building a partnership that yields team collaboration for brand and logo design.
The top three things to look for when choosing the right printing company should include:
- Scope of Work. Find a printing company that can help guide brand and logo creation as well as facilitate brand promotion via custom web sites, signage, photography, banners, letterhead, and publications.
- Choose a printing provider that is well versed in diverse applications of logos from everything to apparel to decals to even more difficult items to brand.
- Select a company that has a proven track record of experience and a wide range of satisfied clients.
Enlist the help of a one stop shop printing provider to assist you in creating and implementing brand guidelines to elevate your company’s overall marketing strategy.
