What are the Seven Deadly Sins of Branding? There is something insidious eroding your brand authority and image - the Seven Deadly Sins of Branding. As your brand is a collection of thoughts and feelings associated with your business, any damage to this creates negative impressions. Brand identity and authority are crucial to your success [...]
‘Oh god,’ you think ‘not design jargon’ as you open a reply from your graphic designer. ‘Please, god, no more graphic design terms.’ Every industry has its terms that seem like they’re in a different language (and sometimes are). They can leave you feeling confused and bewildered. You can just imagine the designer’s smugness: [...]
First impressions matter. We make hundreds of tiny decisions every day based on initial thoughts and instincts. So how your brand looks is vital. The problem is, that navigating graphic design for small business is tough. It's like being lost in a colossal maze. The tight confines of a maze can be disorienting if [...]
There’s no feeling quite like being lost. The moment you look around and realise you don’t know where the hell you are is confusing and anxiety-inducing. When it happens in your brand, it’s the same - this is where your brand strategy saves you. Any good adventurer will tell you there are three things [...]
When it comes to your brand identity, font choice is sometimes left at the back of the queue. It’s easy to understand why shape and colour are important, but why do fonts matter? The simple explanation is that they provide another way for your brand to stand out. Often, font choices can make [...]
To the casual observer, branding and marketing may appear to be the same. They're both inherently mysterious disciplines - branding is often described as a 'dark art'. They also have similar aims and goals, namely to aid the selling of a product or service. They both naturally lead to assisting sales (though I'll leave sales [...]
When it comes to a brand, most people think of the visual identity first - and in most cases, the logo. Although it's true that there is much, much more to a brand, there is no denying that good visuals are one of the most appealing aspects of a brand. So why, oh why, do [...]
I've not been subtle in my assertions that branding is a journey, not a destination. And while it's important to keep exploring, you shouldn't forget to look back on your progress from time to time. Taking in what successes - and failures - you've had is crucial to your continued brand development and alignment. This [...]
It's not what you say - it's how you say it. I know, it's pretty cliché, but it's true. Especially when it comes to your brand voice. The voice is your herald, it announces your arrival. It has the power to inspire or extinguish, to praise or belittle. To create or destroy. It can [...]
Marketers and designers can sometimes seem at odds to one another. Marketing is perceived as very data driven, all about metrics and performance, whereas design is seen as purely creative and visual. These two camps should be at odds with one another, right? Well, I believe that marketing and design work better together than apart. [...]