The Five Man Electrical Band’s song ‘Sign’ wasn’t exactly about branding. It was about signs everywhere ‘Blocking out the scenery Breakin’ my mind.’ That is how a lot of people feel about advertising. So how do you stand out in all the noise? A definitive and consistent branding effort.
Branding goes way back…
Branding is such an – arguably – overused buzz word yet is – unarguably – the most important aspect of defining an entity. The essence of branding is simple, to mark indelibly. The history goes back thousands of years where brands were used to indicate ownership, quality, and authenticity. Potters placed a special mark on their pottery to show ownership. The more commonly known act of marking livestock dates to 2700 BCE as ancient Egyptians marked their cattle with the identical design of a branding iron.
When there were ‘cows, cows, everywhere a cow’ ranches branded their cows so anybody that crossed paths of a herd or a loner knew exactly who owned those heads and where they came from. You should do the same with your entity. You want people to clearly and immediately recognize your business by the distinctive and representative marks you use to define your entity. Branding includes distinctive visual designs and other elements such as colors, typeset, layout positioning, tone of voice, sound, and in some cases, smell and taste.
Branding works for cows and everything else
LOOK is in the deep dive of developing the brand identity for a new company amid launching a new segment of product. It’s one of the more challenging and rewarding services we provide and one with the greatest responsibility. The brand guide is the instruction manual for ALL communications related to your entity. Your branding should capture the essence of what your entity is, in any environment, at any time. It is the foundation for all communications and should strengthen your entity’s identity every time someone crosses paths with it.
Can’t you read the sign?
If you need some help making your mark, #lookatus.
