Brand design is an essential marketing step for any new business.

Having a company brand might not be necessary for every business, but if you want customers to recognise your business instead of your competition, then you need to be thinking about that point where design meets marketing.

What Is Your Business Brand

Business branding is the process involved in creating a unique name and visual representation for a product or service in the consumers' mind.

This is mainly achieved through advertising using a consistent theme.

Branding aims to establish a significant and differentiated presence in the market that attracts and retains loyal customers.

The idea behind company branding is to increase customer awareness by developing a brand recognition.

Everyone recognises the famous MacDonald's 'golden arches', or Nike's 'swoosh' logo.

Such branding icons, so simple in construct, might lead you to think the creation of such a brand idea is easy, but the actual design is only part of brand recognition.

What is Involved in Designing a Business Brand

Creating a company brand takes time and planning.

The success of your company’s branding efforts may need to rely on the customers you are pursuing.

A younger audience will respond to trendy graphics and hip hop music used in visual or audio advertising mediums, but such a campaign might turn away more mature customers.

You will need to carefully research your target clientele and be sure to provide this information to your designer.

You and your designer will need to be sure that the design you want to create doesn't infringe on any other companies design.

It may be wise to protect your investment by registering your trademark.

A catchy tagline which can be used with your logo, in your advertising material and maybe in a jingle is also a really good idea.

It's always good to run this sort of thing past lots of other people, and the right tagline or jingle will jump out at you as soon as you hear it. Your designer may have some good ideas.

Brand Design Planning and Preparation

It will be a great help to your designer if you already know your market, your tagline, and your colour scheme because then they can just get on with the job of designing.

A good designer can also help you with some if not all of these things.

However, you will need to negotiate a financial arrangement that will cover their time and expertise.

A branding concept is not just about a logo, a tagline and a colour scheme.

You will need to put a lot of effort into building the perception of your brand with the public. This is called 'strengthening the brand'.

Your aim should be to have a serious effect on public purchasing behaviour, such as paying more for your product because they trust your brand.

Your graphic designer can produce packaging designs, magazine or website advertisements, banners, flyers and other promotional material which will all contribute to cementing your product/s or services in the public mind.