“We need branding. Can you design a logo for us?”
Yes, we can - but… branding your startup is about a lot more than a nice looking logo. Let’s explain why…
A logo is just a tiny fraction of the branding you need for your startup. If you want your startup to grow, stand out, and have a chance against your competition, there’s a lot more to take into account.
Your brand should be instantly recognisable, even without your logo being anywhere in sight.
Take the following image, for example. What do you think when you see it?
Without any copy or a logo in sight, it’s an instantly recognisable brand. And that’s the goal with your startup branding.
Branding Strategy for Startups
A successful branding strategy will give your startup a competitive edge and increase the likelihood of success.
Branding also helps create trust with customers by establishing credibility and authority. If customers trust your brand, they are more likely to purchase from you and recommend your products or services to others.
Working with a professional marketing and branding agency will help you get the best results for your business. Not only can they provide you with expert advice and guidance, they also have the resources, experience and skills needed to create an effective brand identity. With the right agency on board, you can save time, money and effort when creating your startup’s branding strategy.
What branding does a start-up need?
Unless you don’t want to come across as a professional outfit, branding will make you stand out from the competition. So as a start-up, you’ll need a brand identity.
What is a brand identity?
A brand identity is the essential component of a brand. This typically includes:
Name - If you don’t already have one. It needs to be memorable – and a thorough due diligence process and domain search will make sure you’re not directly competing with anyone, and that your domain is perfect for your brand.
Logo – This makes you different. It's your mark in the industry. Particularly if the competition has put little time or money into theirs.
Colours – Colour is a powerful and emotive way to connect your brand with your audience. There’s good reason brands choose particular colours. So, yours should be no exception.
Strapline – Nike’s Just do it ™ is a perfect example of what a strapline is.
Image style – Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past two decades, you’ll know that images are a vital ingredient for digital media – at the least, for your social media accounts. And your website, if you’re planning to have one. A consistent style for images will help build brand awareness (people recognising and ‘knowing’ your brand) in the digital world.
Graphics – Supporting graphics that work hand-in-hand with your logo and your message to build a bigger picture of your brand.
Fonts and Typography – It’s always best to have 1 or 2 fonts and stick to them for a recognisable brand. How they are then used, consistently, will make your brand memorable.
How much does branding cost?
To give you a bit of perspective, larger companies pay anywhere between £10k - £50k for a rebrand.
Why so much?
Because a rebranding project for an established business involves a great deal more work, which includes brand discovery, brand strategy, brand identity, brand roll-out, brand guidelines, and implementation.
If you're a new business just starting up, a good benchmark is to spend no more than 20% of your budget on branding. Unless you’re going to go cheap – and, of course, there are millions of options for a ‘cheap’ logo design – a basic branding project in the UK can cost anywhere from £1,000 to £5,000.
So, if you wanna start up as you mean to go on, you’re gonna need to invest.
Here at Hello Social Avenue, we provide expert branding services for startups and SMEs. Our team of experienced designers, developers and strategists can help you create an effective brand for your business that will help you stand out from the crowd.
We work as a strategic partner to transform your startup into an unforgettable brand.
Let’s dive a little deeper into our process:
1. Discover
It's all about you. We will discover who you are, what you're trying to achieve, and identify your audience and competitors.
2. Design
The fact is pretty websites don’t sell things. Words do. This is where we will clarify your message and develop your brand identity.
3. Distribute
This is where we use a marketing plan and work with you to distribute your brand across different channels to grow your business.
If you're considering a re-brand, new logo or website, you’ve come to the right place. Get in touch with us today.
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