Branding is everything.

If you just started your business and haven’t even begun to think about your brand – cool! There’s no better time to start developing it. If your business is already pretty well established and your brand needs some work – cool! There is no better time to start reigning it in.

Maybe you already have a logo, business cards, print ads, etc. Do they all look like they came from the same company? If not, it can affect the way that people view your business. Looking professional can be just as important as being professional (first impressions). Think about it. If a potential customer is in need of the services you offer but your business card, website, ads, and social media – all the things that someone sees before you even know they’re thinking about (considering) you – are not cohesive, they might be reluctant to give you a call because, honestly, your business just doesn’t look professional. Forget about the fact that you’ve been working in your industry for over 20 years and you know your stuff inside and out. If your brand is not cohesive, you might look like an amateur.

That’s what we call an “unfocused brand”. Maybe your logo was designed by your friend’s 15-year-old niece. Maybe she drew it with colored pencils. Maybe that logo has been photocopied half-a-dozen times and eventually plopped into a Word doc and printed on a business card template you bought at an office supply store (and has visible perforations). Maybe you needed a print ad, so you gave your business card to a part-time design student working for minimum wage at the local newspaper who took a photo of it with his phone so he could use the logo in a newspaper ad that he slapped together in 15 minutes because his boss was looking over his shoulder telling him to hurry up because he has 20 more ads to get done before his shift is over (I’ve been that kid). Maybe you hand a prospective client a sales sheet that doesn’t even have your low-resolution logo from your business card on it because you’ve been way too busy to figure out how to add it to your file. Maybe that document has several misspellings and grammatical errors because writing just isn’t your strong suit. These are all pretty common scenarios for small businesses because all of this takes up time and expertise that you probably don’t have. Unfortunately, all the effort spent on these tasks probably hasn’t helped you get any customers. In fact, it might have cost you some.

You need a strong brand. So let’s make one.

The post What is branding? appeared first on Chile 9 Design - Thoughts on Visual Design and Branding.

The post Hello world! appeared first on Chile 9 Design - Thoughts on Visual Design and Branding.