The Steps to take Before Investing in a New Brand Identity Design

Before undertaking any work at all, have a good think if this really is the right time for you to invest in a new brand identity. It is a huge investment for you, not just in terms of financials, but you are investing in time, a huge impact to your business and your audience, and making significant changes that shouldn't be taken lightly. I would advise to consider how long you have been in business - for example, if you are only just starting out I wouldn't recommend investing thousands into your branding, when you are likely to want to change it 2-3 years down the line once you have found your feet. Generally speaking, the time to really consider a rebrand is if you are feeling misaligned with your brand and it is feeling icky or dated compared to where you want to be, if you are established enough to know your audience, your competitors, how to market your products or services etc., if you are growing or changing and need to reflect this in your brand, and also consider if you can afford it in terms of finance and time. If it is the right time for you, then let's move onto the first step to take.

Before undertaking any design work it is vital that you know your brand story inside out. This is something that I really go into depth with with my clients, taking up to a month, as it is a vital component that will result in you forming a new brand identity that is unique to you and tells your story. Ask yourself:

~ What got me to where I am today

~ Why am I running my business and how I'm running it

~ What are my values

~ What are my products or services and the specifics of them

~ What are my passions and how do they reflect my business

~ How do I want my brand to look and feel.

There are a few more things that I cover with my clients, but these are the basics that will give you a good head start into the messaging of your brand.

Once you have done all of the necessary background work on yourself and your business, it is time to look at who you want to buy your products and/or services, in order to define your target market and furthermore be intentional in all that you do from this point. Knowing who you want as your audience allows for so much less confusion, overthinking and a lot less chaos. You can talk directly to these people and specifically target them in your marketing activities. Specific to designing a new brand identity, this alongside your brand story will be the foundation point for you and the designer. When forming your target audience, think about these aspects:

~ Who are they? (Demographics such as age, gender, location)

~ What are their interests and values?

~ Why would they be looking for your service or product and what would they want to see from it and the larger brand?

You can bring all these together and create a muse, or client persona, to focus everything on.

So you know who your brand is, you know who your audience are and now it is time to work out who you are competing with. I will stress that this is so you can stand out from them, form a unique brand and gain further knowledge on your industry, and not to compare or copy in any way. It can take a little research but as a starting point try to find 2-3 competitors and form a competitor analysis based on these findings:

~ Their style of work

~ Their brand style

~ Their brand authenticity (ie. how long established, how well recognised, presence online)

~ Their target audience

~ Any differentiating factors

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Probably my favourite pre-design stage, and another one not to be rushed. It can be easy to simply pin, save or cut out inspirational images that you love for your future new brand, however it is vital that you do this with intention and keep everything in mind that you've discovered so far, from your brand story and target audience, through to your competitors. Start off being flexile with what you are saving as your inspiration, and then take time to mull over it all and ask yourself if the inspiration matches your vision and sits alongside your brand messaging. At this stage someone with design experience will be able to whittle your inspiration down with pure intention when knowing your brand foundation, but for you it may be a little harder. Know that if you work with the right designer - further on in the process - they will be able to work with you further on this stage. The kind of inspiration you should be cutting out, pinning, saving etc. should be a real variety and whilst there is no right or wrong, some ideas are; images that tell your story, brand design elements ideally from non-competitors, things that show what you do, colours and materials etc, architectural or design details that inspire you, and so on.

What do you hope to achieve with your new brand identity and where are you looking for it to take your business in the future? Setting clear objectives will guide your whole design process and help measure success in the long term, which is what we want for any project that we undertake and what should always be considered with such an investment. Think about:

~ Are you looking to attract a specific audience with a specific type of product/service that has been on your wish list?

~ Do you want to enhance brand recognition? Perhaps you're looking for growth to enable sales from a specific market.

~ Are you aiming to establish a strong emotional connection with your customers, and therefore build a brand that they can trust and want to work with.

You will generally have more than one and they can be very unique to you, these are just examples. But having these objectives in mind will ensure that your brand identity aligns with your overall business goals.

As mentioned right at the beginning, creating a new brand identity is an investment not to be taken lightly. If you feel you are ready for this, create a budget (and try to keep to it!). Consider the entire budget and then break it down to the elements, which could be things like:

~ Brand designer

~ Any creative direction elements that are not covered by the designer

~ Perhaps a web developer

~ A poential photo and film shoot to sit alongside your new brand assets

~ Any ongoing costs, such as tech

~ Any printed matierals you will be wanting

~ Any marketing costs that you may incur

This list is not exclusive, and will be individual to your needs but are some of the things that you may want to discover.

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If you've got to this stage, you will have a well established brand foundation alongside new brand vision. Before securing a designer, agency or creative team it is vital to do some research. You will hopefully already have an idea on the vision for your new brand and aligning this with the kind of work that is in the designer's portfolio is a solid beginning. There is also the obvious financials - ensure your designer is in your budget, if you have one, or within the range of what you were hoping for / can work towards. However, understanding a designer or agency's costs beforehand is paramount, as an excellent brand designer is worth their wait in gold, will go above and beyond, spend many hours on your brand and deliver a huge number of assets that will stand you the test of time. This is another reason to do this when the time is right for you in your business.

But if you are still unsure in finding your designer or agency, ask yourself these questions:

~ Do they have experience working with brands similar to yours?

~ Can they articulate your vision and values through design?

~ Are they open to collaboration and feedback?

A strong partnership with your designer will ensure that your brand identity is a true reflection of your story.