Branding is one of the most important things you can do for your business. Your brand is you and you may only get one shot to present yourself and you want to make sure you get it right. Once you have made that impression you want to leave a lasting impression to the person or persons that you just met. That impression comes from your demeanor during the meeting, your appearance, to the type of materials you left with the person you met. For some reason artists are one of the groups that seem not to care about first impressions. It may be because they are working from the creative side of the brain or for some they just don’t care. The problem is that by not working on things like branding and appearance you are losing some very important opportunities. So how do you get started on the road to branding?
In other articles I have talked about logo design so I won’t go into that here but there are other factors that help to brand your business and one of those is colour. When I am helping a client brand their business and create a logo many of them don’t think about colour. They figure they can change colours as needed and I have seen some of my past clients change their logo colours to many different ones and it looks hideous. You want to pick colours that tell the customer about your business, there is a reason that the Mary Kay Company is pink. The colours used on your business are an extension of your logo, of your personality. They make the difference between a professional operation and the hobby artist. Think of the last time someone handed you a business card, what was the first thing that went through your mind, is this person in business for the long term or just trying it out? Was the card professionally printed or done on the computer. Were the colours a reflection of the person or just thrown together without any thought? My wife used to have an old business card that was an awful orange, one colour, both sides, printed off the computer. It was hideous! She designed it that way to stand out and it would have stood out, in-fact it could have reflected the sun. It didn’t look very professional however and it didn’t tie her business together.
When deciding on colours for your logo the first thing you should work with is three colours. You can use black and white as accents. Those three colours should be able to move around so that if your logo is on a dark background or light background it will stand out. If you have a perfume business then you may want light airy colours, or if you are a design firm you may want dramatic colours. Choose the colours wisely as you want to keep theses colours for the life of your company. They can be interchanged but should be used on all company products where required. Your colours and design should follow through to your website, business cards, and other promotional material. Remember the colours are a reflection of you, your business, and your products. Choose wisely.
About the Author
Bruce Outridge is an illustrator, designer, and business consultant. He helps entrepreneurs brand and market their businesses. For more information visit his websites at www.bruceoutridgeproductions.com and www.outridge.ca
Bruce Outridge Productions 