You make your Logo. Then we'll make everything match.
Walking the Line: Should Your Personality Influence Your Brand?
or
The Fine Line Between You & Your Brand
By John Williams, president of LogoYes.com
Copyright 2007, John Williams
I once had an
entrepreneurial client who requested an ad campaign for his new business.
After much research and competitive analysis, we recommended that he brand
his company using a compelling shade of green. He immediately rejected the
idea because, he said, "I hate green." That same week the founder of another
small business saw the designs we had prepared for the other client. The
second company's founder insisted we use the green to brand his company
because, he said, "I love that color!"
Neither entrepreneur
used objective strategy in their decision. Both relied on their own personal
preference. Was this a mistake? Maybe - but probably not. After all, as the
founder of a new small business, you are your brand to some extent. Your
preferences matter. New companies are strongly identified with their
founder, and strong brands often begin with strong personalities. That said,
however, you may have certain biases that could impede your company's
success. So when does personal preference get in the way and when does it
pave the way?
This is a difficult question to answer, and entrepreneurs would be wise to
ask themselves it when making branding decisions for their company. Here are
some guidelines:
- Whenever your personal preference is so strong that you can't "live
with" doing things in opposition to it, don't even try. My experience
has been that while not all of a founder's personal preferences become
enmeshed in the brand, all strong personal preferences – both strategic
and arbitrary - will become part of the brand one way or another.
- If strategy or objectivity points one direction, but personal
preference points another, weigh the strength of both. In my example
above, if the first client had listened carefully to our rationale for
using that shade of green, he may have decided it outweighed his initial
resistance to the color. Or perhaps he just knew that his hatred of
green would far outweigh any objective rationale.
- When you're unsure, get feedback from potential customers. Show an
example to them in way that makes them feel safe responding positively
or negatively (removing your personal bias). Keep in mind, however, that
customers also fight personal bias and may offer subjective reasoning.
- When intuition plays a role, consider your intuitive "batting
average." In other words, if following your gut has paid off for you in
the past, you probably can trust it. Entrepreneurs with a lot of
experience in their industry often have great intuition when it comes to
their verbal and visual identity. When they are instantly attracted to
something - like a color, photo or font - they go for it.
- Know that it's okay to defy conventional wisdom, as long as there's
strategy involved. After all, the point of branding is differentiation.
Just beware of rebelling without a cause.
- If you are working with a freelance designer or agency, make a
non-negotiable list of design elements to which you are opposed and
present it to your supplier at the beginning of the project. This list
might include colors and fonts to avoid. It is vital that you do this
upfront or you may face extra charges for "changing direction" down the
line.
- Don't compromise. If you hate the idea of tugging on heartstrings by
using big photos of puppies in your ads, don't compromise by using small
photos of them. Choose one direction (advertising wisdom: heartstrings)
or another (your preference: direct sell), but don't mix the two.
Successful entrepreneurs build their brands on the same things that have
helped shaped their personalities: their experience, insight and values. Be
true to yourself, and you’ll be true to your brand.
John Williams is president and founder of LogoYes.com, the world's
first and largest DIY logo website. In his 25 years in advertising, he has
created brand standards for Fortune 100 companies like Mitsubishi and won
numerous international awards for his design work.
