Wirral Life August 2017 | Page 80

Whitfield Business 0151 342 6365 [email protected] www.whitfieldbusiness.co.uk WHAT is Branding & WHY is it so Important? Branding is a window on a company, a way to illustrate its qualities, ethos & culture to its clients or indeed the entire world. It is a way to identify products & services, marking them to show that the company is proud to have created them. It is also a way to make the staff feel part of the same team, part of something bigger than the individual. So how does a company create a brand? Firstly, they need to consider what image they want to portray to the outside world. Is it a serious company, is it fun, ethical, dynamic, or what other qualities does it value? From this a color scheme, can be developed. Colors are important and all have different perceptions. For example, green is often associated with with health, tranquility & natural, quality products; an image associated with the likes of M&S or Starbucks. The tone of the color is also important; for example, a bright color depicts a vibrant and youthful quality. Then there is the number of colors. A minimalistic single color can be ideal for classy, cool products. Triple colors, especially those equally spaced around the color wheel, are great for beautiful looking websites. So, the choice of color scheme sounds like an easy one, but not one to be entered lightly. Strength Success Awakening Discovery Joy Growth Social Honesty Renewal Energy Intuition Balance Communication Enthusiasm Wisdom Trust Depth Creativity Courage Then there is the logo. What should it say about the company, should it mention the name, what does it say about the ethos of the brand? Will it look great across websites, stationery, as an icon on social media (which are often square), on signage, clothing, etc? Should it be clever & complex or simple (and some of the best-known logos are incredibly simple; think of the Nike tick or the Mercedes star) /WhitfieldBusinessSupport @WhitfieldBizHub /WhitfieldBusiness