approx 10 minute read
Here is a little story about a unique and scrumptious fruit…
Birds instinctively know that red berries are the ripest and tastiest. Strawberries have evolved to advertise their tastiness by changing colour to an intense red. But what’s in it for them, you ask? Birds eat the fruit and don’t digest the seeds, so they are scattered around the area.
This made us think. We’re all in business to get attention. Right? The trick is making sure it’s us that customers want to pick.
And that’s where branding comes in.
Your logo is a visual shortcut that reminds people who you are.
There’s a study that shows the more someone sees a picture or name, the more likely they are to remember it. Familiarity leads to trust. And subconsciously, when faced with a choice, we choose the more familiar name. It’s automatic.
That’s how branding works.
It’s not that the Mona Lisa is the best picture in the world.
It’s just that we’ve seen it more. It’s familiar.
And this logic applies to your brand.
Every so often, the press reports some company rebranding costing eleventy bazillion bucks. And the crowd goes crazy. ‘What a waste of money’ they squeal.
We design brand identities for businesses like yours every week. For a lot less than eleventy bazillion bucks.
But let’s think about your logo for a moment. How many times will it be seen?
You should be proud of your logo. And liberally plaster it everywhere.
You’ll definitely use it on your website, your business cards and your stationery. You’ll use it on your brochures, folders and price lists. You might even use it on billboards, signage, vehicles or uniforms.
Over its life, how many times will it be seen? How many people drive past your premises each hour? How many visit your website each day? How many folks do you serve each week? How many EDM’s do you send each month?
Your logo could be seen MILLIONS of times each year.
Some people think a “brand” is just a logo.
Got a logo? That’s my branding done. Tick. That was easy!
But it’s much more than that. Your brand is how customers describe you to their friends. It’s the way you answer your phone. The way your website reads. The language in that handwritten sign in your reception. How your team react when a customer walks into your place.
It’s how you make them feel.
Sometimes it takes a fresh pair of eyes to look at your business in a new way. To look at it like a customer does.
But that’s hard for us to do ourselves. Our automatic, or ‘1 track’ mind blanks out details we see every day. We become blind to the way our business looks. That’s our brain’s way of protecting us from information overload.
But it’s dangerous.
You could ask a friend to review their experience as if they were a client.
But an alternative technique is to take photographs of the journey a customer would take and print them out. You’ll be surprised at the results and the insights you get from looking at your business through a lens. The same applies to your website — print out the flow.
Your mystery shopping exercise might reveal some things that need attention. Your website review might show some things that are unclear or confusing.
Not everything goes to plan. Things evolve. You keep meaning to do that new thing. Then life happens. Things get in the way of our best intentions.
Let us help. Branding is our business. We want to be involved from the start of your refresh. We can be a second pair of eyes. We can be your mystery shopper. Ask us to experience your business as a customer, and let’s start building the next chapter of your brand story.
People judge the quality of your business based on the feel of your brand—the overall experience.
If your website is out-of-date, if your brochures are skimpy, if your marketing looks amateur, then customers will unknowingly judge you.
Now’s the time to freshen up with elegant leaflets, brochures or a new catalogue.
Make your business look enticing, and tell your awesome story.
All the biggest brands use books to share their story. Consider how you could turn your business story into something more than a price list. Whatever you need your book for, we have a solution for you. We have 3 different print processes to print your book, Offset, Digital or High-Speed Inkjet.
Offset printing is the best quality full-colour print. It’s great when you’re printing a large number of books as it becomes more cost-effective. It is best for brochures and catalogues.
Digitally printing your book is best when you need smaller quantities. The quality is great, and our digital books have
The most diverse range of paper options.
High-Speed Inkjet printing is perfect for workbooks, notebooks, newsletters, and much more. Why? Price! Your book can be printed in glorious full colour for the price of black and white.
Size is important when it comes to your book. The first thing you should ask yourself is… How is this book going to be used?
This can help you determine what size you want your book. Most books are commonly A4 or A5 size, if you’re after a more custom size, just ask us.
Depending on how you choose to print your book or booklet, here are a few things to keep in mind when choosing your paper.
Some people are happy with all pages in their book being the same paper. However, most opt to put a thicker cover on the outside. We have a range of papers and card to choose from for your cover.
Then you can spice your cover up with some laminate, and add Spot UV gloss to make your cover glimmer and shine!
We have to keep all the pages together somehow; otherwise, they will flutter about! We have 3 binding options to keep your pages in order.
Perfect Binding, the pages and cover are glued together at the spine with a strong, flexible thermal glue.
Saddle stitching refers to folded sheets that are stapled on the folded edge.
Wiro binding allows documents to lay flat and will accommodate various paper thicknesses, inserts, tab dividers and cover options.
Our team of talented designers are ready to assist you in crafting an amazing brand or create a beautiful book in which to share your story.
Get in touch with your closest studio, and let’s chat!
A Fantastic Fabric Fiesta!