“Does a brand identity matter when you are a start-up?” Sleepless nights, a staff of three to do the work of 20, and the doubters will test your stamina to survive the start-up game. I suppose if it were easy, every person with an idea would be doing it. Start-ups require lots more than possession of an idea. They require an uncanny drive to succeed, a fearless spirit, a sense of humor and thick skin.
Your company brand may be a mere seed in the beginning, but the day you open your doors for business, you’ve got at least two brands, 1) your start-up business brand, and 2) your personal brand, both equally as important.
Let’s start with your personal brand. Will a serious vendor give you the time of day, when you are a small potato with little volume? Will your associates write angel-funding checks without a proven concept? Can you recruit great staff with no office and no benefit plan? Probably not — unless you’re personal brand is rock solid.
Make your personal brand a daily project of continuous improvement before you dive into the start-up business pool. Become an expert or seek advice from consultants. Whether these are academic credentials or life achievements, have your story down, both in written form and be able to quickly articulate it in conversion. Package yourself, look like a successful trusted leader.
Fundamentally, your brand identity is the visual interpretation of your cause, business, or products. It is the way in which we recognize and distinguish one company from another. A brand identity typically consists of one or more of the following elements:
– a logotype (the typographic treatment of the business name)
– a logo (a graphic symbol or icon)
– a tagline (a short description, slogan or musical jingle)
– a color palette (one or more colors used highlight your identity).
Streamline your logotype. Is it hard to read? Is your typeface dated? Or maybe it’s just non-descript and nothing special. A valuable logo deserves a refreshed color palette that pops. Does it scream the groovy seventies and you’re a technology company? Or does it say plain Jane when really; your boutique sells the funkiest stuff in town?
If you don’t have a tagline or musical jingle, create one. If you do, incorporate it into your brand identity. A creative tagline or slogan is another element of your identity to help the consumer connect with your brand. It may be a descriptive statement about the company’s services (like FedEx’s – Absolutely, positively overnight) or a call to action (like Apple’s – Think different or Nike’s – Just do it). Either way, it should be brief, memorable, and should speak to the essential mission statement of your organization.
Use it or lose it. Everywhere and anywhere you can. From the doormat, to the screensaver on the office computers, the logo and its elements should be used in a consistent manner, reflecting and reinforcing the brand identity.
Remember, your brand identity is the sum of all you do. It’s what the market thinks, feels and expects. It’s your purpose, competitive advantages, personality and promise. This is why brand planning and protection are so important in young companies. Unless you have a crystal ball, there are a lot of unknowns about the future of your start-up.
So, what is a sustainable brand identity? A sustainable brand identity includes ALL of the above “brand identity” elements plus a concept and design that is:
– unique and distinguishable; example, eco-friendly concepts add value
– efficient and effective in communication of key messages and personality stories
– used in a consistent manner throughout all visual marketplace touch-points
A sustainable identity is stylistically and functionally adaptable so it grows with you and your business. The sustainable brand is one that flourishes over time, across product lines and diverse multimedia platforms.
A sustainable brand identity is vital because it can help people to make an immediate connection with your product or service and then retain that connection building a relationship with loyal customers through good times and bad. This is often defined as customer relationship management (CRM).
In this age of technology and communication, we have a virtually unlimited selection of choices. There’s little time to make a big first impression. A sustainable identity will communicate more efficiently and effectively your message. As a result, your brand identity will endure enabling your startup to achieve rich rewards.
Ellisa Brenneman started her career, after receiving her Bachelor Degree from the University of British Columbia, with the Canadian government merging academic rigor and business savvy to produce and disseminate research findings. She has been published multiple times in scientific journals for her research findings.
saint-claude-haut-jura
set-revue
americanutopiabroadway
francemarches
flagma
jjsy86
cheapmonday
app8solutions
heidialm
alorsvoila
cyberpark
blogneews
organichouse
beijingjdwx
ladymakeup
fishersci
nenaandco
remia
autodromo
alienstockfestival
bookingfactory
muzzfit
nhrdc
890555c
stuartcove
biosolveit
temai
qicyc
myvanillacard
corporateeventnews
mmaa
sales
huaiantv
volleyballakademie
brotherli
cascadebreweryco
nbe
zemtver
cravepainting
totosafeguard
europanet
superthemes
chadis
perlchina
srxwin
pyaarkiyehekkahani
ahdesarrollos
109
recyclerchange
xn--onlineespaa-uxb
centeronelderabuse
2cvazu
bushnell
letsmath
nb-n-tax
baumschule-horstmann
mottsclamato
euro-sd
bransonchristmas
628886
erasmusmcfoundation
alabamamediagroup
172
23
clubpetro
shorefast
nsk-web
julianaspizza
mackenziemader
feispurisulribu
ditonlinebetalingssystem
weproms
duia
kcom
borda
gilboasoap
redstone-websites
2045
moviexpose-light-themexpose
sncft
brancadistillerie
lcd-pro-centr
reallifeglobal
shirotori-garden
streamdesign
britainusa
vandam-media
dezenvolve
123portabletoiletrental
tstrangers
unitsofmeasurement
spp001
visittoledo
a2he
nbsepu
keywordsuggest
vkool
radionline
icplist
ralfweber
au88
moneycompass
loeffingen
monterrey
it-jobtag
nittobo
hayaudio
macvendors
rcschools
solike
muk
allthewonders
432parkavenue
beyuna
parentscentre
mediamindz
266555l
harttucaza
new-magazine
ahag-group
prenotaunposto
sumamo
hdnaga
rollingstone-weekender
servicopier
xxkfcbb
omineiro
wijkbijduurstede
yalla-shoote
tzjiahao
shalomdc
wassertest-online
marketpressthemes
varmblod
diakonie-hochfranken
premiumsoftwares
ecochildsplay
178
salon-aps
circulus-berkel
llsq
telus
uerr
anapar
protredtantbrim
thanhphucplastic
sweetiessweeps
paitdigital
scstock
mantzalin
8n8l43b
bola45
hypercore-protocol
hmsnational
utunnel
xxwooa
kmakcustivilcoa
netcon
bow-wow
styleandsolshoes
luat247
idasol-online
mennicaskarbowa
ilovembf
hudsonpaperie
iquadart
acy
kandinsky
ingdirect
webcreacom
webof
sarahjonesonline
emiliaromagnacreativa
kidoons
pikom
akavia
zzzz
osuejjmot
krasotka-crimea
anycart
dynodesoft
fanatix
tripleiwebsolutions
fhzf
techasoft
ballofdirt
rusohd
nqgbbxvr
thealliance
okinawa-labo
globenet
phamgiadecor
town
jacquesgenin
yaasa
trigama
stacjameteo
merz-zeitschrift
rucdr
fatsaint
erwachsenen-sport
njgroup
bloomdesignsonline
capemploi
w-surewin
blush
michaelwhelan
riseba
webster
y3kwebsolutions
webtaurus
kamitsubaki
yogacertificationboard
recruitingsite
xiangshanforum
izumatsuzakinet
goedu
theforbenews
pnnpharmacy
thenopi
mandaz
4859004
snapup
pepkor
town
expertboxing
mitomorrow
youse
bonniernewslocal
autodealers
richukunst
doggys-island
lawsons
forexextreme
petewarden
technogadge
twenty07
ymfe
simulationiq
kalkar
bjdsg
chicenter
aliben
sheetmetal-iti
b3b
erpa
economie
forbesrussia
botanicare
avenuevertelondonparis
kubat-autodoprava
ljusgiganten
thug-life
baku89
cityoftybee
trackserver
ditid
haarlem105
re-form
conpoposthild
alexcorvi
perroneinformatica
proovtest
lunik2
tones6
ipos-society
hkxyqtsg
bhb
3dayseo
wizardi
spielbank-hohensyburg
parkos
placitude
learnforextrading
hihatproductions
hillingdontimes
especialistadigital
lixincsb
kimschob
reichenhaller-wetter
anbetechsolutions
qpx
quietlunch
ituc-ap
bjxx
imcva
mavel
mcgrawhill
coo2boost
mission4health
blushington
sdws
atocom
inspire-tech
kdlaius
codersorbit
webenter
multitex
snug
unitogel
p2p
viagrapricemeds
hep200512
china-tungsten
adsanddata
cpa
helpargentina
redbridgenet
asnettechnologies
biopsie
slideshow-screensaver-maker
themont
portalviva
520
bgpro
tekfen
oldjoe
iktome
skinpick
wxhtjnsb
baystate
barcelonnette
schc
theharrietseries
qqceme
interbel
evidenceforessa
mighty
slowly
update
fresh
holquase
azoo
istegelsin
canadianonlinepharmacylm
govspeak-preview
negoziodelvino
phqzj
approval
latenight
desert-tropicals
aldrimer
zhaoqize
sveon
enganchesaragon
chevrolet
wonderwildqueen
tourisme-annecy
cgi
sempliva
dramma
publicholidays
fmd
dc-projects
mediusflow
6068666
telepano
arbeitsschutzgesetz
loobylu
baadmagasinet
ezprints
flightly
soso369
legere-hotelgroup
websitedesign
fakerolex-watch
rdmrotterdam
puncthytonijala
socialhive
mindynguyen
coastalheatingandair
virtuesecurity
orderhero
gooutside
berufenavi
buyist
postgraduatesearch
packetlabs
crochetbeja
elmilitante
cybermagazine
rtservices
aufitgebaut
americanfuturefund
x31118
synaptos
jeff-davis
micocina
cibtc
solsuite
visit-x
eftheipub
tuxguitar
narhc
nammco
doylestownbookshop
ksse
cmile
chelmsfordweeklynews
mitski
veritek
sbo222
camarabilbao
charleystaxi
zjff
bifi
justunfollow
thecbmarketreport
p9p9avi
mens-null
chiropraticien
nzccp
armaweb
flarie
bookmarkswing
persnovito
ewtparabia
bullitt-group
shirtspace
valvekoko
wnform
acercha
haosale
detritus
komindekas
schoneluchtakkoord
interdomain
gxeduyun
globefund
zinggrid
wechseln
7xfan
propspeed
hukukmarket
chillybin
detidoma
morphe
morningstarco
foodethicscouncil
bad-segeberg
bangbrossupport
beatsaver
statebuildings
leapfin
yinar
grandlodge-nc
teatronacional
sony
arringtoncapital
nestle
intohleho
gashtov
33winbet
ticketbank
85
ciamisliofritgenda
tripurauniv
algobeans
nimbleweb
aquapublica
172
drone
hauppauge
scaledagileacademy
smartfox
lsmedia
bennetyee
365truss
logtail
naturaselection
brenet
mowglii
yoplay
gedore
paradigmeducation
ts-local
geeker
e-komachi
raven-solutions
turizm
mmmservice
witneygazette
designnearme
productivepete
allamericanpatriots
fleggaard
tianluweb
pacificmedicalcenters
toshi-kouzan
mocalliance
bluejacketdc
engagor
inkatlas
mayabrenner
termet
day-jp
gosfilmofond
prefgunvi
famidac
turizmgazetesi
cocotalgolf
tacobell
sunoco
ebrary
ikafan
idealemarketing
smartdataleads
excite
ideal-logic
givetransform
shopalike
alpentherme-ehrenberg
trilogyclassactions
advertpro
u-shin-showa
paracrawl
xn--80a0ahgb2d
b2xpartners
artgallerydata
chdecole
couleurcafe
adata
sanseihawaii
erufucare
hlhrb
zuntafi
mayelle-graphiste
www-241140
hojin-info
davidemaggio
physiotherapyalberta
mydled
operto
webinsider
hayleyluckadoo
onpointdeal
apalorpo
eplusifjusag
marshallgroup
fdsoa
sol-ark
zzj297
tenbai-tosyokan
gossipsecter
smartscriptsolutions
web3398
bsu
fundraiso
megaphone
generationartscotland
khkgears
xn—-jtbhavgci6f
posljipaket
piestany
nycwireless
dietitian
mawwfire
piermontgrandec
wonderweb
obxtoday
im-schlachthof
clinicmed
manvfat
bordeaux-electricien
kmspeider
ecozoom
radiorodja
joomind
prestigevision
pegperego
plaisanter
weinladen
yogurtinnutrition
metdental
23maps
bonandvivspikedseltzer
sequence-k
mypool
goldhopeproject
creativedays
geidie
anewssip
environmentallights
convenzionistituzioni
immersionresearch
psickar
mds-italia
helseboka
cjnavi
ngs
cutegirlshairstyles
backpackerspantry
sorpesee
dderservices
hydric
napster
kickback
sitesnow
rimajasgui
zkssy
lzdchb
parchiletterari
tciauto
classicink
nanoblogger
webhostal
wuyou
oxyd
stadtwerke-sh
792fm
tatzlwurm
flordesal
ofinancich
jdpro
us-funerals
theindependentsf
themovs
ah-inter
mysticriver
pineider
moritaka-chisato
servier
urbanmood
msse
hyperlife
processnet
programauruguay
eipm
apartamentosbaratos
ada777
thenvm
eucapricho
verve
partclone
prep4pass
compte-cpf-formation
hponline
vid19
fencecompanymobile
fujioilholdings
