The most common brand mistakes to avoid

You have probably seen them as often as we have: the dodgy logos, the incomprehensible (or downright silly) strapline, or the look and feel that just feels... well, plain wrong. You don’t have to look far to find glaring brand mistakes, both in and out of the b2b arena. As well as the obvious shockers, there are hundreds of brands that are indistinguishable from the competition and just merge in with the others in its category. And in our world, blending in is a big mistake, too.

It costs precious time and money to brand (or re-brand) your business, so if you’re going to do it, you need to do it right. So, how do you make sure your next branding experience is a hit? Here are our top four tips to help you avoid common brand mistakes.

How to avoid brand mistakes

• Get your thinking straight: In many ways the strategic planning behind a brand is more important the brand itself. Invest some time and effort into getting this bit straight and the actual development of your brand should be plain sailing.

• Hire a professional for at least some of the process: even if your budget doesn’t stretch to hiring an outside team for the whole journey, consider getting in some outside advice to help you stand back and see how your brand looks (and has the potential to look) from the outside.
• No matter how tempting it may seem, don’t pay someone to design your logo and apply it to your collateral yourself. Branding is about so much more than just plonking down a logo, and important consideration needs to be made around how the logo fits in with your other design elements, and how your brand works across different materials to ensure consistency and a professional finish.
• Invest in brand guidelines. These don’t take long to create but give you a watertight guide of how your brand should be used, now and in the future. A good set of brand guidelines will ensure your branding investment is protected, regardless of who is working with your brand.