5 Things Your Brand Must Have Besides A Logo

Lots of people, many designers included, think a "brand" is just a nice looking logo. Wrong. So, so wrong, designers. A brand is about a lot more than simply a logo, or a stationery set, a cool t-shirt, etc. As a branding creative director, I've accumulated a bit of knowledge about what, exactly, goes into a successful brand that users truly connect with. Today, I'm going to take you through the 5 essential things I believe a brand needs other than a nice looking logo, which is also important, but it's also sort of a given, right?

1. A Mission

The brand you're designing has to have a reason for existing. If it doesn't, run far, far away from that project. A mission doesn't have to be anything especially complicated. It can be as simple as a dream or an ideal that the founder had to reach out to more people through their business, or perhaps they want to continue a family business started by a parent or grandparent. But, if the business owners have no motivation or guiding principles that inspire them to work hard on their business, how are they going to expect you, the designer, to do the same? Some entrepreneurs have lost the "spark" they once had, that motivation that made them start the business in the first place, and they are looking for outside help to try and get it back. That's all fine and good, but you usually don't want to be in a situation where you're the only one who's passionate about the business. What tends to happen is actually the opposite of what the client hopes: their "meh" attitude will actually infect you too, and you'll soon be dreading going in to work every morning.

2. A Target Market

You don't just create a branding strategy because you want some cool looking stationery. Your cl [...]