As Steve Jobs noted, design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it’s really how it works.

Designing your Business Brand, methodology or process is about a lot more than getting a visual identity for it. So, it’s essential to leave Visual Identity Till Much Later. It is a most enjoyable aspect of branding but don’t jump into the design work too soon. Branding is NOT synonymous with getting a visual identity.

Mistaking What Brand Means

I myself made that mistake when I first set up my business in the mid-2000s.

The words ‘brand’ and ‘branding’ were very confused in my mind because I was a new business and a less experienced entrepreneur back then. So, I spent thousands on “branding” without getting anything more than expensive design work.

Your brand is more about the way you design your business than designs you get for your business to use.

Although the visual element does play an important part in the long-term growth and prosperity of a business, it’s all too easy to turn to a visual brand identity, when what you actually first need is to sort out your brand strategy.

I’ve explained in other posts why you need to go to different providers of services to get your brand strategy and brand identity, and then your visual identity.

Clarity about your business brand

Only once you’re clear on your Business Brand would it be appropriate to turn to a designer for a visual identity.  Only then would you be well placed to brief the designer properly, avoiding the need for them to spend hours and hours trying to understand your business, mission and values – which they, of course, need to know, in order to be able to deliver your visual identity.

A brand is much more than a logo, and branding is about a lot more than visual designs.

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