At Proof, we rarely design, refresh, or redesign logos as independent projects. Because, independently, logos don’t define branding.
So, what is branding, exactly? As a creative agency, we’re aware that branding can be a loaded idea, and as we meet potential clients and write proposals, we often begin there.
Branding means a lot of different things to different people, but when we’re describing it from an industry perspective, we are talking about the big picture—everything from your identity, to messaging, to aesthetic, to completed collateral—and how it relates to each minute detail of the day to day goals, challenges, and impact you have as a company.
The mere existence of a refined logo, a lead generating website, and even a kick-ass mission statement do not constitute a strong brand. Rather, it is how all of these pieces (and more) come together to form a cohesive and consistent identity. Does your customer service rep speak the same language as your website? Do people think about your products when they see a specific shade of blue? Do they remember your tagline?
Short term goals are important, but if you miss the big picture goals, you’ll miss the chance to optimize your investment—branding is a long-term goal for how you will sustain your business and grow over time. We are proud when clients come back years later with success stories of how their brand has grown, the loyalty of their customers, and when new audiences remembered or spotted their brand.
It would be much easier for us to just redesign a logo when asked, or just develop a new website because the current one looks dated, but we won’t. Not without a deeper conversation. We often say we are not in the business of designing things to simply look pretty and sit on a shelf. Anything we create must not only look amazing but work well and produce results for your business. We take the time to get to know you and your team and what they love about the company. We ask tough questions, we push research, we require strategy, but we also follow up to see how the work we’ve done has made an impact. Branding is an investment—and, at the end of the day, it’s about investing in the dream you fought for in the first place to ensure it lasts.