Many new businesses turn to logo development as a way to get their company’s marketing off the ground. But as essential as it is to have a logo, that’s only one small part of developing a brand. Having been in the marketing industry for over 15 years, I’ve worked with many clients who try to tie-in logo development with website development, only to admit later that doing a branding exercise up-front would have been valuable. When looking to develop any marketing or advertising for my clients, I try to gather as much information about the company and the brand as possible. I ask a lot of questions – like who is the target audience, what is the unique selling proposition (USP) and what competitors are in the mix. All of these questions eventually get answered, but I find that the most successful of projects occur when a client has brand guidelines in place. Whether developed with my help, or provided as a resource, brand guidelines are invaluable in gaining a big picture view of how the website, print brochure, business card or logo fits into the overall scheme of the company’s marketing communications. Brand guidelines are just that – a guide that defines the who, what, where, why and how of the company. This manual provides a point of reference for every touch point, and defines the company’s mission, target audience, attributes, tone, voice, look and style, among other things. A company’s color palette, logo and tagline are often also included in the brand guidelines. But these elements should only be developed after the brand strategy is defined. The logo can then be used as a symbol or icon that represents the brand, and is recognizable in the eyes of consumers. Defining a brand is both an art and a science that requires an understanding of the right questions to ask and the ability to listen to and analyze the answers. Website Jungle works with brands all over New Jersey (including Newark, Elizabeth, Trenton, Weehawken, Toms River, T-neck and Paramus) to develop smart brand strategy and online marketing, including website development, social media, SEO and PPC. Many new businesses turn to logo development as a way to get their company’s marketing off the ground. But as essential as it is to have a logo, that’s only one small part of developing a brand. Having been in the marketing industry for over 15 years, I’ve worked with many clients who try to tie-in logo development with website development, only to admit later that doing a branding exercise up-front would have been valuable. When looking to develop any marketing or advertising for my clients, I try to gather as much information about the company and the brand as possible. I ask a lot of questions – like who is the target audience, what is the unique selling proposition (USP) and what competitors are in the mix. All of these questions eventually get answered, but I find that the most successful of projects occur when a client has brand guidelines in place. Whether developed with my help, or provided as a resource, brand guidelines are invaluable in gaining a big picture view of how the website, print brochure, business card or logo fits into the overall scheme of the company’s marketing communications. Brand guidelines are just that – a guide that defines the who, what, where, why and how of the company. This manual provides a point of reference for every touch point, and defines the company’s mission, target audience, attributes, tone, voice, look and style, among other things. A company’s color palette, logo and tagline are often also included in the brand guidelines. But these elements should only be developed after the brand strategy is defined. The logo can then be used as a symbol or icon that represents the brand, and is recognizable in the eyes of consumers. Defining a brand is both an art and a science that requires an understanding of the right questions to ask and the ability to listen to and analyze the answers. Website Jungle works with brands all over New Jersey (including Newark, Elizabeth, Trenton, Weehawken, Toms River, T-neck and Paramus) to develop smart brand strategy and online marketing, including website development, social media, SEO and PPC.