Branding Archives

Create a website

August 24, 2016 By Haley Graves

Create a website that helps your customers find what they need

Remember the last time you lost something? How frustrating and time consuming the search was? Searching for information on the Internet can feel the same way. How many times have you gone to a website looking for one simple piece of information and you end up saying ?nevermind? because the website?s navigation is just too confusing. You know the information exists, but you don?t have the time or patience to continue searching. So you do what every other person with an internet connection does: you Google it to find another company that offers the same products and/or services.

A recent survey by AnswerDash reveals how and why we leave websites:

75 percent of people 18 to 24 years old and 57 percent of those 55 and over abandon a site within two minutes if they can?t find what they need.
Of those over age 55, 28 percent said they spend only 4 minutes trying to accomplish their task on a website before leaving.
Across all age groups, average abandonment time is 90 seconds.

Here?s another informative statistic: 57 percent of web users will abandon a site as soon as they have a question without a ready answer.

For small business owners, this means two things. First, a website is a must. Second, when building your website, you need to think like a customer and understand best practices for web development, design, search engine optimization (SEO), and user experience (UX).

Help customers navigate

For any new business, the company?s online presence needs to be topnotch. Basic functionality should never be an issue, and content should be fresh and up-to-date. Sites that are most inviting are clean and flow logically.

Here are eight keys to consider when creating your new site:

Timeliness. Your site needs to be current and updated. Consider blogs, forums, or other tools that are updated regularly with new and engaging content.
Navigation. Keep navigation organized and straightforward. Consider grouping similar navigation items together. If your site is going to have more than six pages, consider a sitemap. (For SEO, you will likely want a sitemap anyway. We?ll cover that in a later post.)
Simplicity. Content should be concise and easy to find, preferably not across multiple pages. No one wants to click through 10 different pages to find that one piece of information they need. As with navigation tools, group similar pieces of content together. Use headings and highlighting to set content apart. Also, within the article, DO link to relevant content. For example, if you mention tips to design a great logo (https://atbrand.com/branding/design-a-logo), you?ll want to provide a link to easily access that content.
Engagement. If users are bored, they will not stay long and they will not come back. Make sure the site is clean but still eye-catching. Add interactive elements where they make sense?don?t force them.
Structure. While the site shouldn?t be so bland that users don?t remember it, don?t stray too far in the opposite direction and make the site outlandish. If it?s in your budget, hire a designer who can help you choose the right colors, fonts, and design elements to make your site unique and attractive.
Optional audio and video. Using audio and video on your website can be engaging, but let the user choose what he or she wants to see or hear?do not start audio and video streaming as soon as the user arrives. And be mindful that audio and video can use more resources, which may require you to select a more advanced (and more expensive) web hosting service, or your site may load slowly.
Registration as a barricade. You need a good reason to force users to register to use your site. If the site has a customer portal, then registration makes sense. However, having users register just to browse the site is a barrier, telling them only certain users are welcome.
Ad overkill. Using advertising appropriately can be a legitimate income-generator for your business. However, advertising in excess can be distracting and frustrating. Users want to review your content without ads popping up all over. An ad should not be the first thing a user sees, nor should ad space outweigh content space.

Information courtesy of Kissmetrics.

One last note

Your website should be informative; try to anticipate users? questions and provide them with answers. However, when users have questions you have not considered, make sure your ?help? tool is portrayed as just that?your company?s offer to help and not a secret society for only the most technologically savvy customers to find.

Remember, the most important thing to do when building a website is to help users find answers. Do this, and do it well, and you will give yourself a great chance to earn more business.

Design a logo

August 4, 2016 By Haley Graves

As part of your brand, make sure your logo hits the mark

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. This phrase has been uttered countless times, and nowhere is it more relevant than in the launch of your new business. During a time when everything is moving so fast, how do catch your target audience? You may have only a fraction of a second to get them to stop what they are doing to focus on your business.

Creating a top-shelf logo is essential while trying to capture the attention of your potential clients. From a branding perspective, the logo you create for your new business is just as important as the name of your company ? if not more so. Like the business name, the logo needs to be unique and memorable. Your logo needs to clearly represent your brand ? the overarching mantle for how you envision your company.

Logo design: on your mark, get set, go!

You will want to connect with the right branding service to help you take your ideas and sketches to a professional level. However, before consulting an outside source, it?s good to do your homework. Similar to the process for naming your business, contemplating your logo should inspire you to get introspective. Review your company?s core product or service. Think back on your target market?s demographics and how they spend their time. Most important, focus on what your business will do for your target market. With these pieces, you are ready to start brainstorming.

For most people, the first thing that comes to mind when considering a product?a new car, a new piece of clothing, a new piece of furniture?is the color. In creating your logo, you need to consider what colors mean to different people and what colors will say about your business.

Here are the attributes of different colors as well as the feelings that they might evoke:

Red (intensity): emotion, aggressiveness, passion, love
Pink (femininity): love, sweetness, warmth, nurturing
Orange (happiness): creativity, enthusiasm, determination
Yellow (energy): joy, being alive, energetic
Green (nature):?harmony, calmness, relaxation, peacefulness, hopefulness
Blue (depth, stability):?comfort, understanding, trust, clarity
Purple (luxury or royalty):?glamour, power, nostalgia
Brown (earth, nurturing): reliability, support, dependability
Black (formality, mystery):?boldness, luxury, seriousness

?[data from financesonline.com]

Keeping your target market top of mind, you can research color preferences based on many factors, including geographic location, age, and education level. In addition, here are some gender-related factors to keep in mind:

Men:
- In the western world, it is not rare for men to be color-blind so use red, green, and brown carefully.
- Typically prefer blue to red and orange to yellow.
- Are becoming more accepting of pinks and purples.
Women:
- Typically prefer red to blue and yellow to orange.
- Are more willing to try new colors.
Both genders:
- Can be marketed to most effectively with blue, turquoise, green, red, yellow, black, white, gray, and silver.
- Look for darker colors for a more serious business: dark blue, dark green, dark red, indigo, black, and gray.
- Look for bright, light colors for a more casual or light-hearted business: red, orange, yellow, bright green, bright blue, pink, and purple.

[data from empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com]

Your logo is the symbol and long-lasting representation of your company and its product or service. It should be simple but stylish, memorable and enduring. Above all, your logo should be flexible to suit the needs of your business? it should be formatted and colored to allow for reproduction anywhere ? on a screen, in print large or small, and in the memory of members of your target market. This is essential as you will want your logo to be readily available for all marketing opportunities. It is important for your logo to be attractive, but even more important that it is suitable for all platforms. After you have created an attractive logo, consider consulting a professional to ensure that you have covered all bases.

Take the time to create a logo that will be the best representation of your business both now and in the future.

Naming your business

July 25, 2016 By Haley Graves

Brand experts who create ?sticky? business names focus on purpose and relevance?

Are you great with names? Say you meet someone at a networking event. Will you remember their name tomorrow? Next week? Next month?

If you?re like most people, the answer is no. In fact, you?re likely to forget their name within minutes?and sometimes even seconds. But rest easy. According to Kansas State University’s Richard Harris, professor of psychology, there?s nothing wrong with your brain?you?re just disinterested.

This psychology?the association between interest and memory?is an important factor to consider as you determine the name for your small business. Because if you want to create a brand with impact, you need a business name that is memorable, and to create a memorable business name, you need to make it interesting to your audience. That is, you want them to connect the name to your business?and connect your business to them.

Don?t accept that people are terrible with names

A lot of factors go into naming a business. First, review your product or service and get to the core of what your company will do. Next identify your target market. Remember their demographics and how they spend their time. Then hone in on what your business will do for them, because the key to creating a name that sticks is the ensure that it has purpose (a story that is unique to your brand) and relevance (a story that matters to your audience).

Other factors to consider when naming your business include:?

* Length. Try to keep the name short and easy to spell. This will help with your email, website and social media presence. And consider identity materials and marketing collateral. Long names are generally not design friendly because they do not scale down well for printing on business cards and small print ads.

* Timelessness. Even if your exit strategy is to sell fast, avoid trendy expressions. Today?s ?catchy? could be tomorrow?s ineffective or inappropriate.

* Competition. What are the names of your competitors? Don?t copy a competitor?s name, but do consider synonyms or similar words.

* Stickiness. Go for a name that is unique but not so unique that it will be too difficult to remember. The rule of thumb here is the same as it is in building a successful business. Know your audience.

According to Harris, ?The key to a good memory is your level of interest. The more interest you show in a topic, the more likely it will imprint itself on your brain.?

The takeaway here is that your business name does not stand on its own. It is just one element of your overall brand identity, and for it to be memorable it must be part of your broader brand strategy.

Clear your name

Once you brainstorm your list, narrow it down, and make final tweaks to arrive at what just might be ?the? name, you have to do your research.

* Google it! What comes up?

* Search domain availability. GoDaddy will allow you to search available domains. If your exact domain is not available, they will recommend alternatives.

* Check Twitter, Facebook, and other relevant social media sites. * Use the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office?s trademark search tool to see if something comparable, or an adaptation of it, is trademarked. You do not want to get involved in a trademark case: some 3,500 of them are filed each year in U.S. district courts, according to FTI Consulting Inc., and the legal costs could hinder the growth of your business .

Once you have finalized your name, get feedback from people you trust. Then share it with more contacts and a representative sample of your market.

Remember: business names are like first impressions. It?s easier when you get it right your first time.

Tips for Designing a Great Logo

September 9, 2015 By At Brand Staff

It starts by understanding that your logo is not your brand

For starters, let?s make a distinction. Your logo is not your brand. Your brand is an intangible?a personality?a relationship?an experience. It is shaped equally by you and your customers, and it is strongest when your vision and ability to deliver on your brand promise aligns with your customers? expectations.

So what, then, is your logo, and why is a good logo so important?

Your logo is the visual representation of your brand. It is a design element that helps shape the customer experience. If you?re lucky enough and your brand is strong enough, it becomes the defining symbol of your business.

Need proof? Check out this clever video from inetdesign, a digital creative agency. Do you recognize these brands? Even with their names missing?

So how do you create such an impressionable mark for your business?

Here are four logo design tips that can help you withstand scrutiny and the test of time.

Think unique. Ultimately, your business must sell a product or service, so understand what differentiates you from your competitors. Strive to have your logo represent your values statement.
Be memorable. With so many options in today?s marketplace, you want your logo to standout among the crowd. Moreover, people will start to associate your business with your logo?so make it worth remembering. Hint: less is more.
Think long-term. Great logos stand the test of time. A refresh may be needed from time to time to stay current, but a strong, identifiable logo will not need an overhaul. So avoid extreme detail and instead focus on differentiating your brand through with minor subtleties that tell a story.
Understand that perception is reality. How do you want to be perceived by your customers? Ultimately it doesn?t matter how good your product or service is, it?s what your customers think about you that really matters. Keep your customers in mind during the entire design process.

Above all else, a good logo is distinctive, simple, appropriate, and conveys an intended message. A great example of this is Nike. When Nike founder Phil Knight provided college design student Carolyn Davidson with details on what the mark for his shoe company should represent?flight, victory, and speed?not only did Davidson present the now famous ?Swoosh,? which inferred motion and speed, but she also suggested that Nike?the winged goddess of victory who had the ability to fly?might be a better name than the proposed Dimension 6. This clear vision ultimately defined Nike?s comprehensive marketing approach, including its decision to make Michael ?Air? Jordan an early brand ambassador. It is also why Nike is now one of the world?s leading brands.

Google Launches Rebrand with New Logo and “G” Icon

September 1, 2015 By At Brand Staff

Serifs give way to simpler, smoother new logo design that will translate well across all mediums?from desktop to mobile

Google today unveiled its new logo, bidding adieu to the serifs in favor of a slimmer, more modern wordmark. The release follows Google’s announcement of a major restructuring of the company, which has Google becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Alphabet, a new holding company owned by Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page.

In Google’s own words:

“So why are we doing this now? Once upon a time, Google was one destination that you reached from one device: a desktop PC. These days, people interact with Google products across many different platforms, apps and devices?sometimes all in a single day. You expect Google to help you whenever and wherever you need it, whether it?s on your mobile phone, TV, watch, the dashboard in your car, and yes, even a desktop!

“Today we?re introducing a new logo and identity family that reflects this reality and shows you when the Google magic is working for you, even on the tiniest screens. As you?ll see, we?ve taken the Google logo and branding, which were originally built for a single desktop browser page, and updated them for a world of seamless computing across an endless number of devices and different kinds of inputs (such as tap, type and talk).

“It doesn?t simply tell you that you?re using Google, but also shows you how Google is working for you. For example, new elements like a colorful Google mic help you identify and interact with Google whether you?re talking, tapping or typing. Meanwhile, we?re bidding adieu to the little blue ?g? icon and replacing it with a four-color ?G? that matches the logo.”

In the At Brand office, the reviews are mixed. Some are weighing in that the mark has lost its distinction by joining the flat design trend. I agree with that, but is it a disaster?

Ina Saltz, a typography expert and professor at CCNY, says it is: ?It looks childish, it looks unsophisticated, it looks like play dough.?

According to a report from PIX11, Saltz says the spacing between the lowercase ?g? and ?l? is too tight, the bottom ?jaw? of the upper case G sticks out too far, and there?s a dissonance between the angle of the lower case ?e? and the first ?G.? Instead of switching typefaces completely, Saltz said Google would have been better off beefing up the existing logo to work better on small screens while keeping its overall look.

Rebranding has proven to be a struggle for many major companies, from Gap to Coke and Hershey. Our prediction: the Google rebrand will be better received because the new wordmark breathes and brings continuity to the Google suite of products. It will also translate well across a variety of mediums, which is exactly why the unveiling was animated…highlighting the “G” icon and multi-colored dots. If Google were not so iconic, they could not pull this off, but because of their status as a gargantuan tech leader, this rebranding, while sure to initially get panned by design experts, will come to symbolize Google’s forward thinking approach.

Four brand building basics best left to the pros

July 14, 2014 By At Brand Staff

Running a small business can be financially challenging. Thus, many small business owners feel as though they can cut costs by creating business cards and other corporate identity materials themselves?wrong.

When your small business is your livelihood, wouldn?t you want to present your company in the most professional light possible? While hiring professional help may seem like an unnecessary cost, in certain aspects of your business it can actually save you time and earn you more money in the long run.

Here are four brand building basics you should consider turning over to the pros:

Logo Design. If you think of your business as a house, your logo is more than the welcome mat, it is the entire entrance?a vitally important design element that helps introduce and shape the way people experience your brand. Even more than that, the logo is the primary identification mark of your business. It needs to be simple, clear, and versatile. Your logo also needs to be valued and respected for what it is, a supporting element, not the defining element, of your brand?s visual identity. Yet it will always command a prominent place in the identity hierarchy, which it needs to be professionally designed to sit boldly front and center.
Business Cards. While companies like Vistaprint, Overnight Prints, and Zazzle offer hundreds of free templates, do you really want to use the same uninspired template as thousands of other companies? Probably not. Instead, your business card should be unique and make a lasting impression with potential clients and employees. It should be an extension of your brand. In fact, you should consider bundling all? your brand identity design needs together?business cards, stationery, envelopes, labels, brochures, postcards, and other promotional items. The best part, you can still use online digital printers to print your materials. It?s the best of both worlds?great looking designs and quality printing at a low cost.
Website. People prefer to do business with companies that have a professional website. If you take the DIY approach, you risk the chance of not being taken seriously. Perhaps more important, website development is governed by its own set of rules?CSS and programming languages?that every excellent web designer is well versed in. Why? Because designing websites that are both beautiful and beneficial is about striking a balance between code-generated design and graphic and traditional media elements. If you can strike that balance, not only will you have a great looking website, but you will also have a website that search engines and, by extension, visitors can find.
Content. Content for marketing, advertising, and web is crucial to the success of any company. Essentially, you want to develop content that is not only SEO-friendly but also engaging. However, if you know your writing skills are not up to par or have asked yourself what is SEO, you?re at a major loss. Hire a professional writer or SEO company to develop relevant content for both your target audience and popular search engines. If they can assist you with copywriting, editing, and proofreading, you?ll get a much better return on your investment than if you do it yourself. You may know what you want to say about your business. A great writer will help you say it better than you can say it yourself.