The Importance of Brand Consistency

How many times have you been given a flash business card, or given a link and then gone to check the website and…

Oh, they didn’t

Yes they did…

They hit you with a site with the design value of a peanut… Joy.

You might need web design, business cards & stationary, print design, exhibition displays – the list goes on. The one thing above all that you need across your online and offline marketing is consistency.
It seems as though many companies have some sort of branding schizophrenia. Variety is the spice of life…but when it comes to your businesses branding it needs to be only 2 things:

1.     Awesome
2.    Consistent

Why have all these different aspects of your company screaming different things, your site design says class, your logo says innovative, your business stationary says boring, your business cards say you can’t be bothered – overall it says you don’t know who you are.

If your company is sending out the message that you can’t make your mind up, through sloppy branding – you’re sending potential clients the same message, and that’s not awesome, or consistent.

A good strong branding throughout your company web and print shows consistency and can help your brand become something more, something powerful.

Try taking inspiration from the big guys, look at retail giants for example (Starbucks, Asda, Topshop etc) website, shop signage, business cards, email templates and logos,  everything has the same kind of design and message. Human nature leads us to remember things by association, and done correctly a good brand becomes so recognisable that two colours together, a shape or a combination of 3 words immediately triggers the memory of a brand.

If industry giants that have the money to throw thousands on research each year keep it simple, keep it consistent, and get results…why on earth don’t you? They’ve started small at some point and worked their way to the top and they didn’t do it without consistency.

If your brand is consistent through web and print you can send the same message about your company with every aspect of your marketing. This is why getting your niece’s mate to knock out a website and a friend of a friend who once heard of Photoshop to design you a logo is a BIG no no!

Brand consistency is one thing, decent and powerful consistency is another – save some pennies and invest in professionals to do the job for you, you’ll save in the long run. You’ve heard the saying “pay peanuts, get monkeys” take heed!
Your company identity is your most valuable commodity – cutting corners during its creation will lead you down the road of fail. Take your time, do your research and invest wisely.