How to Get your Brand to Stand Out

I’m sure you’ve heard by now, branding is more than your logo. It’s the entire experience that customers have with your company. It’s the face, voice and personality of your business and shapes the way your target audience perceives your business. It’s like the first handshake in a meeting, you want it to be impactful and have a lasting impression on customers. 

Great branding is one of the most important investments you can make for your business. It conveys the message that you are established and trustworthy. It can be what levels you up from just another option, to the BEST option. Making sure your brand stands out from competitors is key to growing your company and attracting loyal customers. 

1. Tell your story effectively

Your story is what makes your brand unique and sharing that story with your customers will help you connect in an authentic, memorable way. A great branding designer can take a brand’s story and translate visually and seamlessly incorporate it into your brand identity that allows the brand to develop a relationship with their customers. 

How do you want your company to be perceived? Is your brand playful and fun or serious and reliable? What sets your business apart from your competitors? Why should people care about your service or product and choose your brand over others?  There are so many creative ways to tell your brand story from the colors you use, through your messaging to the photography you use. 

Working with experienced designers will allow you to build a brand identity that conveys your story. Don’t have a brand story or don’t know where to start? We can help with that.

2. Study your competitors

As crazy as it sounds, study your competition. Learn what the other businesses are doing AND what they aren’t doing. Of course, you don’t want to imitate exactly what your competitors are doing. The goal is actually to differentiate from what’s out there and break the “norm” just enough to be seen in the crowd. Look at the most successful brands in your market and identify the ways they worked in order to get to the top. On the flip-side, analyze the businesses who aren’t as successful and identify the ways they could be improving. You want to have a pulse on what is out there, what other businesses your audience is being exposed to and what you can do to set yourself apart. Beyond that, you need to know what’s trending. While you don’t want to base your brand strategy completely on what’s currently popular, it is important to know what’s relevant and what totally isn’t.

3. Custom Illustrations

Illustration is often overlooked as a huge part of everyday life. Everywhere you look- advertising, packaging, infographics, wayfinding- pictures have a powerful impact on the decisions we make and the way we interact with our surroundings. Pictures tell a story and convey ideas more quickly than words, they are engaging and encourage people to explore further. 

Using custom illustrations to liven up your brand identity is a great way to add personality and appear more inviting and accesible. It adds a certain level of ‘humanness” to your company which translates into an improved user experience. 

4. Hand Lettering & Custom Fonts

Typography can evoke emotions and capture the essence of a narrative. Even in an endless sea of diverse fonts, it can be tricky to find one that exactly nails the vibe you want to portray for your brand. Working with designers that can build custom fonts to your brand to make it completely unique.

Hand lettering is also such a powerful tool to add personality to your branding. It adds a uniqueness that draws customers in and creates an lasting, timeless impression. A designer can take a font and customize it to your brand to make it completely unique.

5. Brand Patterns

Patterns are another great way to add personality to your visual identity. Incorporating patterns into your branding helps your company look established and leave a lasting impression. They can add a sense of depth and movement and make it look like you went the extra mile to convey your brand visually. You can use patterns in endless ways to add visual interest to your website, packaging, business cards, social posts, etc.  

6. Interior Design

Spaces have an energy all of their own and interior design has a big impact on people’s mood. How physical spaces affect customers is a huge part of the branding identity that is so often overlooked. Interior design incorporates all aspects of the visuals of a space including layout, furniture, decor, color and lighting. Read more about how Northwest Brand Design can elevate your business’ Interiors here.

How we can help you

If you are ready to elevate your branding, or even just want to know more about all of the details, book a free call with us today! We are ready and excited to collaborate with you to create the most kickass brand, catered to your business and all that you stand for.