Why Brand Image Matters for Your Start-up
Getting your brand image right from the start can pay huge dividends for your start-up, driving sales and giving your business credibility. Your branding directly connects with your customers and if your branded materials look cheap, that will be their takeaway impression of your company. First impressions count, so make sure yours are as positive as possible.
Brand Yourself
Think about the way your branding communicates with your ideal customer and the brand promise that will connect with them emotionally, earn their loyalty and differentiate you from the competition. Having a strong logo is a crucial part of this process and should be applied consistently across your website, social media presence and your business stationery.
The Key Rules of Design for Non-Designers
For most start-ups, creating a suite of business stationery is likely to be a DIY exercise, which works if you have a talented designer on board. If not, there are a few simple rules it makes sense to follow to avoid your stationery looking as if it was designed by committee:
• Keep it simple – stick to one or two clean fonts and don’t be afraid to use white space
• Keep it contemporary – sans-serif fonts like Helvetica and Gill Sans have the right kind of clean lines
• Think about legibility – don’t sacrifice functionality for the sake of design
• Use 2 or 3 complementary colours and think about the way they’ll reproduce not just on paper but across the web
• Never use off-the-net clip art as it looks amateurish
If you follow these simple rules, you should be able to create a clear and coherent brand image to launch your start-up. Remember, it’s not written in stone, even the biggest companies like Apple and Microsoft have been through rebranding. However, this has its own problems, so it’s best to get something together that you’ll be happy to use for a few years yet.
Use a Professional Print Service
If you need business stationery in Morecambe or Lancaster, then contact us and we’ll be happy to advise you on the right look for your branded stationery. If you need help with refining your design, we offer a printing design service to help you create the impact you’re looking for.