When Brand Design Truly Matters for Business Success
As a brand identity designer, I often grapple with a crucial question: When does brand design genuinely make a difference? Companies like Apple, Dell, Google, and Amazon started out with simple, uninspiring logos and no significant brand identity. This leads me to wonder which of my potential clients would truly benefit from my services, and which might need more time in the business world before they can fully appreciate the value of hiring a brand designer.
In this article, we’ll delve into the how and why of branding, and identify who really gains from a cohesive, polished brand identity.
Why It Matters: Users and Buyers
It’s undeniable that people are drawn to well-designed products and services. A stylish, trendy restaurant will attract far more customers than one that is bland and unappealing. Numerous studies show that effective brand design not only enhances customer satisfaction but also encourages them to spend more.
However, how significant is brand design for a business that isn’t yet drawing customers? Many local neighborhood restaurants have thrived for years, or even decades, without any flashy branding. They fulfill their purpose by offering good food and service, which is what matters most.
This kind of brand analysis should be an integral part of any branding designer’s job. Clients aren’t just hiring you for a logo or a slick website; they’re hiring you to maximize their brand’s effectiveness in the marketplace. Being selective about which clients you work with not only helps strengthen your portfolio but also educates the design industry on the optimal time to invest in brand design.
When Do Companies Need Brand Design?
In my experience, new startups are often the most eager to request branding services, while being the least likely to actually need them. Instead of focusing on making their businesses profitable, they may waste resources on perfecting their brand’s appearance.
That’s right. Most new startups would do well not to hire a brand identity designer right away. I’m not hesitant to tell them this, and if you’re a brand designer working with entrepreneurs, you shouldn’t be either.
It might seem counterintuitive to turn away these clients (and I often do), but years of experience have taught me something new entrepreneurs often don’t realize: Your brand is only as valuable as the profit it generates. The primary goal of any business is not to look good but to make money. If a business isn’t profitable, it doesn’t need to be spending money on brand design.
Ugly Brand, Beautiful Profit
Apple was profitable long before Jonathan Ive was hired to design the first iMacs. If you’ve ever seen Apple’s original logo from the 1980s, you’ll notice that 1) it’s unattractive, and 2) a business doesn’t need a stunning logo from the start.
What a business needs at the outset is sales. Any designer who suggests otherwise is misleading the client, potentially harming both the client and themselves. If your client runs out of funds before the branding project is completed, it’s partly your responsibility for not advising them properly from the beginning.
Just The Right Time
Brand identity becomes crucial for established businesses that have developed their products, built a stable revenue stream, and are ready to target their niche with a memorable, eye-catching brand. Prioritizing brand identity before business development is risky and often premature. While it can occasionally pay off, more often it’s a costly mistake.
Designing For Designers
When a business is truly ready for a rebrand, it can be transformative. A strong brand can rejuvenate a business and open up new opportunities to connect with customers that your clients may not have even realized existed. But good brand identity design doesn’t just benefit the business; it also enriches the design community.
Inspirational brand designs elevate the entire industry by encouraging other designers to create better work for their clients. So, by all means, take on those entrepreneurial clients, but ensure the timing is right.
In Conclusion
Brand design is vital for staying competitive, especially in today’s highly visual marketplace. There’s no doubt that brand designers face the challenge of discerning which clients genuinely need a rebrand and which might be sabotaging their path to profitability by hiring us prematurely.
Be considerate towards these new (often young and inexperienced) founders and don’t take their money unnecessarily. Instead, offer them what they truly need from you right now: sound business advice.