Visual branding standards and custom signs are two of the most important aspects of a business's reputation and brand. Many might ask what are visual branding standards?
To put it simply, visual branding standards are a set of rules and choices made about your brand. This is generally done in order to present a unified and consistent corporate brand identity. For example, if you receive business cards from several people at the same company all of them will have the same design, logo placement, colors and font.
Any material that your business puts into production, has to comply with the branding standard your business sets. This is why many companies require that all external communications and materials be approved before they either go to print or are sent out electronically. To find more information about print standards, take a look at quality print company websites. You should also have an idea of what looks good in print, and online, so speak to people who have the knowledge and experience to help you.
When it comes to setting branding standards there are a number of key components of the brand for which rules must be created. These include: logos, communication materials, and, as implied above, contracted printers, who can double check to ensure what is submitted complies with the rules you have laid out.
Logo Brand Standards
Visual branding needs to speak to the nature of the business and create a feeling for the customer in line with the product or service offering. When it comes to logos, disjointed or inconsistent use of a logo creates a feeling of cheapness in the mind of the customer. An excellent example of this would be a coffee shop with a different color and sized logo on each size of cup, or a slightly different shade of the color on the branded merchandise, with inconsistent sizing and placement.
Poor printing can also defile brand standards. The best example of this is a pixilated image, or logo, which looks like it was printed on an 80s era inkjet printer. It does not exactly conjure up the professional brand perception your business is aiming for. Therefore, search for a service that prints via uv flatbed printers for the best outcome.
When it comes to logos and brand standards design is important; with the critical question being, does the logo represent the company properly in the first place? If you are unsure, here are 10 logo design sins not to commit.
Communications
Email and regular mail communications represent the two most common interactions most consumers will have with a modern business. This means it is important to set up a series of policies and procedures to monitor external communications and ensure they comply with the brand standards. An important component of these procedures should be a random audit of outgoing customer touching emails, voice mails, and regular mail, to ensure compliance with the policy.
There are many policies to set forth. Ask yourself the following questions:
- What, if any, header is going to be used in your email communications?
- How big is the logo?
- Is it present in the employee signatures?
- Is there a set letterhead being used?
- Are the employees using the designated font? Or do some break policy, and use comic sans, for example?
Routine audits, and good internal communication, will ensure compliance with communications brand standards and related policies. Â A full article can be found here detailing tips and tricks for producing well-branded communications. This article is a great resource to provide to employees to ensure they are sending professional high quality communications.
Printing
The last key component of a strong brand strategy is to contract a single printer. Your business can then provide this printer with all of the information and rules on your corporate brand standards. This way when an employee sends in an order for printing that does not comply with the standards, it will be rejected and sent to communications for review.
Similar to the above, it is also important to audit the output from your chosen printer from time to time. This will ensure the printer continues to produce a high quality product for your business. You should also consider using blister package if you sell products that are used one at a time.