Starting a new brand/business/organisation, or maybe your current operations need to realign your branding?
This brand checklist will help you focus your efforts on getting it right for a frictionless brand launch/re-launch, delivering your voice how you want to.
Tip
Plan and build your brand as seriously as you want to be taken. If you only focus 50% of your energy into this, the result is likely to be 50% of the quality. Be patient, do it right, get it right.
Mission Statement
Your mission statement (can also be known as a vision statement) should be a short formal statement that consists of a 5 power points:
[01] Why your brand/business/organisation exists.
[02] What its overall goal is.
[03] What kind of product or service you provide.
[04] Your primary customers or market.
[05] Your geographical region of operation.
A great mission statement example is from Nike which can be found on their about page:
Our mission is what drives us to do everything possible to expand human potential. We do that by creating groundbreaking sport innovations, by making our products more sustainably, by building a creative and diverse global team and by making a positive impact in communities where we live and work.
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark, emblem, symbol, or stylised name used to identify a company, organisation, product, or brand. It may take the form of an abstract or figurative design, or it may present as a stylised version of the company's name if it has sufficient brand recognition.
These five qualities make a logo instantly identifiable, and ensure that when consumers look at it, they'll connect with your brand:
[01] Simplicity - someone once told me: "keep it simple stupid"
Nike, Apple, and Target - 3 fantastic businesses and examples of simple logos that are tidy, clear, and have the ability to be repeatable and dynamic, which will help the versatility and memorability of your logo.
[02] Memorable - boast a logo that touches people, and stays with them
London Underground and McDonalds - we recognise and trust one logo that takes us safely to the next one where I know a Big Mac is waiting for me. Does your logo have this mental power on your customers?
[03] Purposeful - what's the point?
The best logos have purpose. By embedding particular colour schemes, their missions, anything and everything that makes them who they are, helps deliver their message to their community in the best way.
[04] Timeless - your logo needs to be part of your long term plan
Don't plan your logo for today, make it relevant for today, but timeless. Coca-Cola, and KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) are fantastic examples of logos which have and are still withstanding the test of time.
[05] Versatile - to be everywhere, sometimes you need to adapt
With so many different global communities, events, and channels that your logo needs to be a part of, sometimes you need to adapt; and actually, it can very much be part of all the fun. Pride month? Cool, can you get a rainbow in logo? Can you add a ribbon on your logo for Cancer Awareness month? Think about how you can be part of a global community but still stand out individually and delivering your message.
Logo Variations
A logo variation is a rearranged version of your primary logo design that gives your brand the flexibility to show up consistently, and recognisably, in different placements. Every brand needs a set of unique logo designs to use on several platforms that are recognisable, versatile, and complement its overall identity.
Take a look at my logo variation examples for Craftsmiths Consulting:
Colour Palettes
Your branding colour palette plays a key factor in building an identity for you brand that is aligned to your values, while being able to wow your audience to leave an everlasting impression on them.
The different colour variations you use in your palette are going to represent your company in many ways: logo, website, marketing, social media posts - make sure when choosing your palette you highlight the defining elements of your brand to shine through to your audience and customers.
For Craftsmiths Consulting, we went with the white for a crisp clear font that highlights our name, and for the butterfly we choose the light greeny colour to show how you unique we can be, whilst bringing our audience colours that are easy to emotionally read and receive.
Font & Types:
It is vital that when choosing a font, or multiple fonts for your brand, that you select one/those that best align and enhance the identity of your brand.
Here's some tips to help you choose:
[01] Kerning - Kerning is the space between two characters. Not enough space will make your font unreadable, and with too much space it's hard to tell whether the space is meant to separate letters or words.
[02] Balance - A balanced blend of thick and thin, heavy and light, is an important component of a great font.
[03} Consistency - This is when all of your characters maintain the same look. If a font's letter 'A' has serifs, 'B' should have serifs too. etc. If a font has thick letters with soft and rounded corners but that style's numbers or punctuation isn't the same, the font will feel inconsistent to your audience and customers.
[04] Legible - A font should always be legible. Check your font's legibility by writing a paragraph making sure you use every letter and different letter combinations. Scale it up, then scale it down to see if there's a size at which it becomes difficult to read. If you need text that small, choose a font that works at that size.
Here's some great fonts to try:
For more support with getting your brand right, check out my plans - good luck! ✌️