Branding Your Small Business | Business Logo
and Company ColorsThere is no substitute for professional marketing materials. Many new small business owners attempt to skimp in this area and it shows. You will use your logo and company identity throughout your marketing materials, from your business card, letterhead, and envelopes to your brochures, website, packaging, e-mail signature, and professional company attire. It is not advisable to spend thousands of dollars setting up your business in an executive suite with brand new furniture and then hand out an easily forgotten business card. What you want is to attract your ideal clients with an impressive business identity.
Option 1: Professional
Expect to spend from $1500.00 to $2500 on your branding concept: your Business Identity. What you are paying for with this option is a professional graphic designer with experience and skill who will spend countless hours on your logo alone. You will want to negotiate a price that includes the logo, business card layout (front and back), letterhead, and envelope. Experienced designers are familiar with resolution, file format and color limitations that can occur during printing. Keep in mind that this expense is an investment in your company and should be amortized over the first few years of business operations.
Your company name, logo, colors, and tagline should all work together to complete your professional identity.
Option 2: Student
Another option is to call your local community college and locate an artist who may be willing to design your logo at a reduced rate. If you elect to go this route, your student designer should provide you with a portfolio of work that shows they have used color and imagination well.
I don't generally recommend this option as students do not have the professional experience to know how a brand will carry through to an entire business branding application. It takes years of experience for a brand designer to understand the pros and cons of particular design applications. You could end up with a logo and a brand that is expensive to utilize throughout your business due to print issues and the like.
Logo
A logo is a way for your target client to remember you more easily – by associating your company name with a logo you are creating a positive image with your clients. A good logo says “this is a professional company” and allows you to command the fees you are worth. Be clear with your designer regarding your target market so that the look and color are consistent. If you are a financial advisor for example, you will want to elicit trust and confidence - you'll want to stay away from red or black (see below).
Layout
It is not enough to use your professional logo on your marketing materials. Just plopping your logo on a business card will not complete the job. Your designer should also create a professional layout. This means utilizing your logo and a design format to showcase your brand by creating a design flow utilizing your logo, colors, and texture.
The Psychology of Color
The colors used in your logo and business card layout should work together to create a strong brand. It is not wise to use different colors for you business card and website. Try to maintain a consistent image across all your materials. Different colors mean different things to different people. When discussing color with your design professional, make sure he/she knows your preference.
You will need to understand the ramifications of using certain colors in your marketing materials. What appeals to your target client? Are you accidentally portraying a negative image of your business? In addition to the information in the chart below, I advise performing an internet search on the psychology of color to determine what suits your segmentation or industry.
Because of its visibility, stop signs, stoplights, brake lights, and fire equipment are all painted red. Red is also “sexy”. Not an image you want to portray if you are an attorney. Green means “go.” When “all systems are green,” it means everything is in order. Green is a healing color, the color of nature. If you are “true blue,” you are loyal and faithful. The first prize gets a blue ribbon. Purple is a royal color. Purple robes are an emblem of authority and rank. A yellow ribbon is a sign of support for soldiers at the front. To holistic healers, yellow is the color of peace. Orange combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow. It is associated with joy, sunshine, and the tropics. Black is associated with power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery. White is associated with light, goodness, innocence, and purity. It is considered to be the color of perfection.
I highly recommend the services of Art Guy Creative | Corporate Identity Graphic Design. Professionals like Art Guy have the experience to create a brand that will position your company to attract your ideal clients who are willing and able to pay you top dollar for your services. Affluent clients expect professionalism therefore you can't compete without a good brand.
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About the author
Suzanne Muusers is a Business Coach and Business Expert based in Scottsdale, Arizona. She has owned or managed a business every year for the past 25 years. She is a member of the International Coach Federation and works exclusively with entrepreneurs and independent financial advisors who want to leave behind their lives as business workers to become business owners earning six figures and above annually.
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