- 17
- Mar
Keep your brand consistent. It seems like a simple philosophy. Your company has a brand (whether you realize it or not), your clients most definitely have a brand (which you may be creating for them as I type this), and all of our competitors have brands. Everyone has a brand; we get it. Using that brand appropriately causes all kinds of confusion. For this posting, I’ll concentrate on one area of your brand; your logo.
Logos have all kinds of variations (I’m not just talking about L&F here). Depending on if you have inherited a corporate logo and its guidelines, are in the midst of re-branding your image with a new logo, starting from scratch, or simply toying around with the possibility of an update - all logos must have usage standards. Done. I don’t have to type anymore… but I will to reinforce my points.
Brand Standards/Brand Guidelines/Usage Standards
Call it what you will, it’s a document (usually a nice PDF if you are so lucky) that outlines how and where you can use your corporate logo. What about your clients? They should have one as well. What if they don’t? Advise them that they in fact need one and you will set up a call to walk them though the reasons why. What is actually in this document as it pertains to your logo? I’ll give you some examples:
- Logo Color - Does your logo have color? What does that color look like on a dark background? Light background? What does your logo look like in B&W? What are the PMS colors of your logo? What are the Bin Hex colors of your logo (and to be fair, Bin Hex shift on Mac and PC, so some kind of common ground needs to be established here)?
- Logo Sizing - How big should your logo be in relation to the rest of the items on a page, monitor, poster, water bottle, etc.? What are the dimensions of each element in relation to one another (if you have multiple elements)?
- Logo Placement - I mentioned the water bottle just above; will you allow your logo to be on water bottles? Towels? Little green alien figurines?
- Logo Usage - Who can use your logo? How do they go about the approval process to approve the usage of your logo? In what format can they use your logo (color only; B&W only if…)?
- What NOT to do with your logo - My favorite. These examples usually show visual situations where you can’t use your logo. Things such as being distorted, non-approved color variations, objects covering elements of the logo, missing pieces of the logo, etc. The more examples you can provide will arm you with appropriate responses to comments like “…but the guidelines didn’t say I couldn’t do it…”
These are just a few samples of what should be included regarding your logo/your client’s logo breakdown. Trust me, there are many more. So, where am I going with all of this? It’s all about the practice. It does neither you, nor your client, any good to just have a guide, you also have to use it. Always. No exceptions. These approved elements are in place for the protection of your company, your client’s company, and your business. Displaying inconsistent branding not only confuses your audience, but makes you look really unprofessional. It does. Sorry, I hate to be so blunt, but it really, truly does.
Brand Gate Keeper
There will be this person, or team of people that are responsible for the Brand. How it’s displayed, when it’s not, when a change takes place, etc. They are the ones that will call you and say things like “…didn’t you look at the Brand Guide?” They are not against you. They are wonderful, amazing people. They have a lot of work no matter what the size of your or your client’s company. Not only are they responsible for keeping the guide up-to-date, but also for providing a multitude of individuals with this sacred document: internal personnel, vendors, agencies, sponsors, publications, etc.
I hate to use the word Police to describe the Branding Guidelines folks, but they are in place to serve and protect the integrity of an organizations image. I’m not even going to get into the legal implications of inaccurate usage of logos and trademarks in this post. These individuals are in place to better your organization, your presented work, and frankly without them you’d look rather… how did I put it above… unprofessional.
Your logo provides your existing audience, soon to be audience, and has-yet-to-discover-you audience with a memorable (hopefully) image to associate to your company or your client’s company. It’s who you are. It’s what you stand for. It took hours of focus groups, market research, L&F considerations, and color samples to create the pristine anchor that is your Brand image. Why wouldn’t you invest in the most important part; ensuring that the integrity of your or your client’s logo is always adhered to.
They don’t have one? Now what?
If you are dealing with a client who doesn’t have one in place, like I stated above, work with them to establish one. Do not go rouge on me and start shooting from the hip. It will do your client no good. Your client will thank you. They will appreciate the belief you have in their Brand. They will ask you over for their St. Patrick’s Day party… probably not.
Before I get heckled, there are so many other things that I have not talked about. Not because I don’t know what I’m talking about, but if you’ve gotten this far you must be related to me. Logos in EPS, Ill, FH, PSD (not so good), online logo usage versus print, tiered logos, “provided by” logo usage, photographic elements in logos (don’t get me started, please), etc. All to come in future posts.