< back Advantage by Design – visual identity in brand - South East Business september 2010

As a creative agency we find more and more that design is going beyond marketing and into the entire business plan. The principle of good design is as much about conception and planning as it is about copywriting and art direction.

Visual identity is crucial to the performance of a great brand. In August I discussed the art direction of a visual identity. This month I would like to highlight the document that allows your visual identity to be conveyed consistently – often referred to as the corporate guidelines.

Not every brand needs or indeed has the budget to produce a full set of corporate guidelines. A serious attempt should be made, however, to ensure that everyone involved in the preparation of visual material for your brand does so in a consistent manner.

We are all more observant than we may think. We do notice when things are not consistent and it is very much a reflection on your brand. Whether it’s simply everyone in your company’s business cards being slightly different, your corporate colour varying from orange to red each time it is printed, or every piece of material in your literature stand looking like it has been designed under a separate brief. Clients will notice.

So why is it important? Well firstly attention to detail is something that most businesses profess. If we don’t practice it, how can we possibly preach it?

Secondly it will save you time and money. If you and your agency know what every piece of literature should look like you can either reduce the time spent on a project or allocate that budget into more creative thinking, ultimately improving the project at the same cost. If you do not have any guidelines then you should, at least, invest in the preparation of a very basic document ensuring consistency of logo usage, corporate colour and fonts. It will ultimately make you look more professional in a competitive market.

Next month I’ll be discussing how to create a professional presentation for that allimportant first meeting with a new client.

Tune in then or alternatively email me to discuss how your business can gain advantage by design.