Deciding Between a New Brand or a Brand Refresh

When deciding between a brand refresh or preparing a new brand altogether, it’s important to consider the following:

It’s a simple but crucial fact that small to medium-sized businesses need to stay relevant and resonate with their target audience, and your branding plays a key role in doing exactly that.

However, there comes a time during the lifecycle of every business when you will need to rethink your branding for several possible reasons.

In this blog, we delve into the details of creating a new brand or rejuvenating an existing one, aiding you in making the right decision for your business.

CREATING A NEW BRAND: STARTING AFRESH

Embarking on the journey of creating an entirely new brand for your business is almost like working with a blank canvas – it offers an opportunity for unbridled creativity, free from pre-existing limitations. This approach allows for a complete reinvention of your business identity, devoid of any prior perceptions.

There are compelling reasons why opting for a new brand identity might be the optimal choice. If your business is venturing into an untapped market or launching new products or services, a fresh brand can serve as a powerful tool to differentiate yourself from previous ventures. It can also facilitate connections with an entirely new or wider target audience.

Alternatively, in instances of significant setbacks or public relations crises, a new brand can signify a fresh start, helping to rebuild trust and credibility in your business.

BRAND REFRESH: EVOLVING WITH PURPOSE

Refreshing a brand is akin to giving it a makeover – retaining the core elements whilst infusing new energy and relevance.

It represents a strategic evolution, preserving brand equity while adapting to contemporary trends or shifting market dynamics. If your business has an established identity, a brand refresh ensures that you stay current and pertinent without forsaking the hard-earned recognition and loyal customer base you’ve cultivated.

If your brand remains relevant and aligned to your business ideas but requires a modern touch to adapt to evolving market trends and consumer preferences, a refresh can breathe new life into your brand image and reputation. Moreover, in cases of mergers or acquisitions, a brand refresh can seamlessly blend the values and essence of both entities while maintaining brand recognition.

DETERMINING YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS

When deliberating between a brand refresh or a complete overhaul, several factors come into play, influencing your decision-making process:

STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT

Understanding the strategic goals of your business is paramount. If you are undergoing a radical shift in direction or target audience, creating a new brand could be warranted.

Conversely, if your brand evolution aligns with your current trajectory and you don’t imagine there would be a huge shift in your overall aims and audience, refreshing your brand may suffice.

BUDGET

Financial implications should always be considered. While creating a new brand may require a higher initial investment, the reward of a blank canvas can be worth it in the right circumstances. If you don’t need to change everything, refreshing an existing brand can be a cost-effective choice.

MARKET DYNAMICS

Before making any decisions, it’s crucial to grasp current and future market dynamics that could affect the profitability of your proposed or existing brand. Your branding strategy should adapt to changing landscapes while staying true to core values.

EXPERT GUIDANCE

As a leading digital marketing and brand development agency, our experts provide strategic insights and creative know-how to guide you toward the most suitable branding solution for your business.

KEY CONSIDERATIONS WHEN CREATING A NEW BRAND

If you opt for a full brand redevelopment, several additional concepts need to be considered:

PROFOUND UNDERSTANDING

Ensure a deep understanding of your business goals, market dynamics, and audience preferences to make branding choices aligned with your vision and mission.

CONSISTENCY

Maintaining consistency across all brand touchpoints, from your logo and visual assets to your messaging and customer experience, helps foster trust with your audience. Read all about this in our recent blog on the importance of brand consistency!

FLEXIBILITY

Anticipate future growth and changes to ensure your brand can adapt alongside your business.

By carefully evaluating these factors and seeking expert guidance, you can confidently navigate the decision between a new brand and a brand refresh, ensuring your branding aligns with your business objectives and resonates with your target audience.

PARTNER WITH A PROFICIENT AGENCY FOR BRANDING ASSISTANCE

Whether you’re embarking on creating a brand from scratch or refining your existing one, collaborating with seasoned professionals yields invaluable benefits. As a leading digital marketing and branding agency in Birmingham, our adept team is poised to guide you in making informed decisions for your business.

With extensive branding and business identity expertise spanning various sectors such as construction, childcare, education, finance, and more we’re well-equipped to elevate your brand identity

Reach out to our team today to find out how we can assist you. Call 0121 355 8092 or email info@edge-creative.com to speak with an expert today, or take advantage of our current offer of a free brand audit worth more than £840 + vat.

The Power of Branded Visual When Marketing Your Business

When incorporating branded visuals into your marketing it’s important to consider:

In the modern business environment, marketing is the key to the success of any organisation. Whether using social media, printing advertising or everything in between, it’s important to do everything possible to stand out from the crowd.

One of the most effective ways to do this is through branded visuals. In this blog, the experts at our creative branding agency in Birmingham will highlight the impact branded visuals can have on your marketing strategy. Read on to learn more…

WHAT ARE BRANDED VISUALS?

Branded visuals relate to the aspects of your branding that can be seen, such as your logo, colour scheme, typography, and imagery.

These elements will consistently feature across your marketing channels to help create a cohesive picture of your organisation that your audience will recognise while conveying your personality and showcasing what people can expect from your company.

WHAT ARE EXAMPLES OF BRANDED VISUALS?

LOGO -The most recognisable visual symbol of a brand.

TYPOGRAPHY -Unique font styles used consistently across all marketing materials.

BRAND COLOURS: The specific palette used in marketing materials for consistency.

PACKAGING DESIGN – The design and layout of products, packaging, and labels.

ADVERTISING – Branded ads, posters and banners seen across digital, print and broadcast.

INFOGRAPHICS – Visual representations of information and data shared in an engaging way.

VIDEOS – Branded videos and commercials, animation, and video content.

SOCIAL MEDIA – Visuals like cover images, profile images, post templates and stories.

MERCHANDISE– Branded merchandise like clothing, bags, stationery, drinkware and more.

TAGLINE – A short phrase or slogan that communicates the key message of your brand.

HOW CAN THESE VISUALS BENEFIT YOUR BUSINESS?

As creative and branding experts, we are sometimes asked by clients at our digital marketing agency in Sutton Coldfield about the benefits of incorporating these branded visuals in your marketing activity.

BUILD BRAND AWARENESS AND RECOGNITION

Consistently using branded visuals in all marketing channels can help build brand awareness. People typically tend to remember visuals more than text, so having a strong visual identity can help your brand stand out.

Your logo is the most recognisable aspect of this. Alongside your other visual assets, this will help the audience to differentiate between you and your competitors and allow you to stand out in a crowded marketplace.

Colour has one of the biggest impacts when it comes to creating awareness and recognition. People associate certain colours with having certain meanings such as red being associated with strength and power, blue being corporate, secure, or trustworthy and green having an association with nature and the environment.

These colours can be a great way to relay certain thoughts and associations you want your audience to have with your business. This is a similar story for the use of shapes too.

In the last few years, ITV has made great use of dynamic logos that change depending on the environment they are in. For example, the colour of the logo will change on adverts for programmes on its channel to suit its backdrop as well as the nature of its programming as a result people start to build up and recognise the association between that programme and ITV.

Many organisations also consider the use of a tagline or slogan to help build brand awareness. It can help your audience to remember your brand and its offering, this is particularly useful when customers are faced with multiple options in the marketplace.

They help to separate you from your competitors and develop an emotional connection with customers through the way you convey your brand’s values, mission or purpose in the slogan or tagline.

Although not a visual element, brand sound such as jingles, sound effects or voice can have a similar impact to taglines in how it creates a lasting memory of your brand in the mind of your audience.

CREATE TRUST IN YOUR BUSINESS

Using branded visuals in your marketing activity can help create a professional image for your business. This is especially important for new or small businesses that are looking to establish themselves in the market.

When people see the same visuals associated with your brand repeatedly, they start to feel more familiar and comfortable with your brand and are more likely to want to engage with your business as you are considered an established and recognised organisation.

INCREASE ENGAGEMENT WITH YOUR AUDIENCE

This point is particularly important on social media as it is such a visual platform. By utilising strong branded visuals such as logos, infographics, and post templates you can help to increase the level of engagement with your audiences on these platforms.

It is no secret that eye-catching posts are more likely to be read and interacted with so when you have effective colour, shapes and imagery associated with your organisation it is likely to help make your brand more sharable and expand your audience considerably.

EDGE CREATIVE – THE BRANDING AGENCY YOU CAN RELY ON!

As a fully integrated digital agency in Sutton Coldfield, we know exactly how to help businesses and organisations build an effective brand that connects with your audience.

For a limited time, your business can get a free brand audit (worth £750) from the experts at our creative agency in Birmingham which will look at your brand positioning and branding identity.

Take advantage today and stand out from your competitors by discovering how well your brand and communication compare to your competitors and how it is perceived by your customers to achieve your business objectives.

4 Key Considerations When Creating or Redesigning a Logo

When creating or redesigning a logo there are many factors to think about:

Logos sit at the heart of a company’s brand strategy. As this element is visual, it is interacted with most frequently and acts as the main element of your brand identify, which is essentially the face of your organisation, engaging with consumers via multiple channels.

Studies have shown that three-quarters of people can recognise a brand just by its logo, and when you think about some of the most recognisable logos in the world, they all seem to have similar traits, they are simple, memorable, versatile, and perhaps most importantly, relevant.

At our Birmingham-based creative agency, we specialise in bringing your business to life through effective and memorable branding, connecting with your audience and helping you to stand out from the competition.

Want to ensure your logo is fresh and on-trend? Our talented graphic designers have outlined some of the most popular trends when it comes to logo design and branding.

Have you ever heard the phrase less is more? Well, a minimalistic aesthetic is exactly that. It focuses on simplicity by stripping away unnecessary components to make the logo both easier to recognise and more memorable.

Think about well-established brands such as Nike, Pepsi, or Mastercard- you can easily remember each of these logos purely because of their simplicity. In fact, Nike has removed more and more elements from its logo over the years to the point that it is now just the iconic swoosh. Learn more about Nike’s brand evolution in our blog!

Logos with minimalistic elements are often the perfect choice for organisations that use multiple communication channels both online and offline.

This is largely due to having less elements to factor into content but is also because they are easily to turn into dynamic logos which transform depending on the environment they are used in.

This helps satisfy the user experience, especially when viewing on digital devices such as smartphones and tablets where content is often resized to fit the smaller screens.

THE INCLUSION OF COLOUR GRADING

A gradient is a design element that enables colours to fade into one another, and they are often implemented into logo designs to leave a lasting impression.

Our eyes are acclimatised to seeing gradients in our everyday lives. A common example is when we look at nature, whether it be a sunset, open water, or a clear sky.

When used in logos, a gradient often implies a 3D effect, which can bring the design to life. This is why they are a popular option for businesses looking to engage with people across both digital channels and print.

Instagram is possibly the most well-known example of a good use of a gradient. It has become of one the brand’s most recognisable elements. Discover more about the meaning behind Instagram’s logo evolution on their website.

The main consideration with gradients is to ensure that your chosen colours are close to each other as they blend more naturally with a complementary palette, providing a smoother transition, rather than having a random combination that can look messy, distracting, and unappealing.

It is also crucial to make sure that your colours display how you intend across print and online. This can be done by comparing your RGB, HEX, CMYK and PMS colour codes.

RGB and HEX are for use on screen, whilst CMYK and PMS are used for print. Colours often don’t display as vibrant when they are printed or can even look like a different colour, which is why you should check how these work across your various marketing channels.

USING LOWER TYPOGRAPHY IN LOGOS

There is something unusual about seeing a lowercase logo because it is expected for them to be capitalised. However, they are a lot more common than you might think!

Currently, around 55% of logos use text that is fully capitalised, but that number is falling, thanks to global organisations including Facebook, Airbnb, and Amazon, who have all utilised lowercase text on their logo in recent years, prompting others to do the same.

Lowercase typography can give off an approachable and friendly vibe, which is why there have been so many larger corporations and businesses moving away from capital letters so that they can appear more friendly and human.

This approach isn’t suitable for every industry, however, with those looking to maintain a professional appearance, such as law firms and other B2B companies, likely to avoid the idea.

Using all lowercase logos is also an effective way to avoid the awkward empty spaces that some capital letters create. Take the letter ‘L’ for instance, which can create a lot of empty space, yet ‘l’ removes that problem.

It’s a trend that has looked like it was here to stay. However, in recent weeks Pepsi have broken the pattern with a brand refresh that has brought back the bold upper-case lettering they previously used. Could we be about to see a change in approach from more businesses?

A hand-drawn or sketched logo is a great way to create a unique piece of design work that gives off a personable approach. Famous examples of these types of logos include Disney, Virgin, and Coca-Cola.

This is a particular favourite trend of ours as it gives us an opportunity to showcase our creativity.

Hand-drawn logos are an effective and memorable way for a brand to capture, highlight or emphasize aspects of their brand that couldn’t otherwise be captured with a standard typeface. In some cases, a business will need to be able to communicate more about its message.

The drawback of a unique hand-drawn logo is that it can sometimes be difficult to reproduce or resize across multiple marketing channels if it has complex elements to it. For example, reducing the size for social media or business cards. They may also become expensive to reproduce for printed materials if they feature multiple colours.

ELEVATE YOUR BRAND WITH THE HELP OF THE EXPERTS AT OUR DESIGN AGENCY

If you are looking for a branding company in Birmingham that can help your business stand out from your competitors, you’ve come to the right place.

At EDGE Creative, we have been helping businesses of all shapes and sizes from a wide variety of industries develop their brand and create a memorable identity that sticks in the mind of their audience.

We are currently running a limited time offer where you can receive a free brand audit for your business worth £750.

Our experts will review your brand and help you identify how well your brand and communication compares to your competitors.

Take the first step by getting in touch with us today!

Promote Your Brand Authenticity With Strategic Storytelling

If you would like to add the depth storytelling brings to your business, it’s best to get started with:

Have you ever wondered how many times you’ve said, “I have something to tell you!” to one of your friends or family? Especially when you have exciting news or when you see something that’s caught your attention. In situations like these, we can’t really contain ourselves and feel the need to share the story with someone else.

Why is that? Well, that can be explained by the fact that we’re social beings who use stories to try to make sense of the world and to talk about what’s happening around us. Actually, we’re more than just storytellers – we’re also attentive listeners, always chasing for good stories to listen to.

Now you’re questioning how this can be relevant to a brand or in boosting sales. To that, we simply say: Why not give people what they’re looking for?

In a world where we’re constantly targeted by advertising, we began to build resistance to anything salesy, repetitive, or that doesn’t relate to us. Nowadays we’re all about getting different experiences and having something that feels new and made for us.

For brands, this means your marketing approach and delivery must step up. It’s never been more essential for you to humanise your communications and show authenticity by becoming storytellers.

WHAT MAKES STORYTELLING IN MARKETING SO IMPORTANT?

Just like we mentioned above, it has never been more important to humanise your brand, products, and adverts. Thanks to the unrestrictive nature of the internet, customers face plenty of options to choose from and brands can fall into the background if they don’t make themselves stand out.

To do this, brands need to think out of the box and stay away from traditional marketing by giving the customers the unique experience they desire.

This is when storytelling becomes a powerful tool for marketers as the key to customer’s hearts to nurturing their relationship with the brand and selling the value of the brand and product.

Through storytelling, a brand can show its personality and purpose by using the right tone of voice to create the desired emotion, whether that be heart-warming, humorous, or insightful… A great story has the power to build anticipation and excitement over the core message that you’re sending.

Here are some benefits of using storytelling to market your brand and products:

IMPROVE LOYALTY

Nowadays, people only want to buy from brands that they trust. To create that trust, it’s necessary to add personality to the brand and focus on your brand’s purpose.

By having a good story with a narrative that represents the brand and what it stands for, your brand loyalty will improve and will engage customers, reminding them that they’re not just buying a product, but also a story.

MAKE PEOPLE FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR PRODUCT

If you’re selling products online, your competition can be high and if you don’t have a set strategy to help you stand out from the crowd, your brand and product will become just like any other out there in the e-commerce landscape.

Using storytelling might be your secret weapon to make your customers fall in love with your product – people remember stories 22 times more than just facts or figures. So, it’s your time to shine and show who you are and how can they identify with you!

Creating a story for your product not only will help you simplify the message, but you can also place it in a real-life situation and show how can the customer benefit from it. This will make it easier for them to understand the purpose and the value of the product.

The story that you tell can make the difference between converting them to buy your product or going to the competition, so make sure you overload it with your brand personality and that you use the right tone of voice!

BUILD A COMMUNITY

People can relate to stories, meaning that they have the power to bring people together. The stories that you tell your customers can create a sense of togetherness, helping inspire and motivate them, as well as nudging them to reshare your product for the message and letting them become part of your brand’s identity.

HOW SHOULD YOU INCORPERATE STORYTELLING INTO YOUR CONTENT MARKETING STRATEGY?

Now that you know the importance of storytelling in marketing, you should be excited to start creating your content strategy. There are a few things to take into consideration before you get going!

It’s important to understand from the very beginning what your customers are looking for to solve their problem – customers look for a product or service that they will benefit from, and that’s what will ultimately make them decide to purchase it. By knowing this, it’s time to look at your brand’s purpose and what you have to offer and understand if this meets your customer’s needs and desires.

Does your offering check all points? That’s great! It means you share values with your customer, and you relate to your consumer’s challenges! You’ll start creating the strategy by taking into consideration both parts and finding the sweet spot: the story. How are you delivering the story? In a video, product description, or a photo? What are the purpose and core message of the story? What is the tone of voice? What is the action that you want the customers to follow up with? These are some of the questions that you will be asking when creating the narrative of your story – it’s vital to understand the end goal so you know you’re on the right track and delivering the right message!

NOT THE BEST AT STORYTELLING? NO WORRIES, WE’VE GOT THE PEN AND PAPER READY!

We understand that creating stories can be a bit overwhelming and is a skill that needs time to be crafted. But it doesn’t mean that you can’t start using storytelling now and benefit from all the good things that come with it!

We’re a creative agency in Birmingham with a team that loves writing unforgettable stories and creating the best marketing strategies for your brand to boost your product sales and make your brand everyone’s favourite!

Plus, we offer a wide range of marketing services to suit the needs of any business, including social media management, online and offline brand design, and web development.

Call us on 0121 355 8092 or e-mail us at info@edge-creative.com for more information.

Why is Website Design Important?

In this post, we’ll cover the following:

As a business, your website is one of your most important assets. Not only does it showcase the services or products you provide, it also gives new and existing customers the opportunity to engage with your brand. If customers are getting their first impression of the business from the website, it’s important that your website design is appealing and reflects your brand personality and ethos.

Website visitors will react to visuals immediately and quickly form a judgement of your business and its values within the first few seconds. According to Adobe 38% of people will stop engaging with your website if it contains unappealing content and an unattractive layout, meaning it is vital to get it right.

If you want to maximise your website, our website designers, based in Sutton Coldfield, have the expertise, skills, and equipment to bring your business’ website to life.

HOW DOES WEB DESIGN BENEFIT YOUR BUSINESS?

As your website is the first thing people see, the design is responsible for creating first impressions of the business and can be a deciding factor for customers on whether you are the right partner for them.

A visually appealing website creates a positive image for your brand and an engaging experience for visitors, encouraging them to spend more time on the website. On the flip side, an outdated website creates a negative first impression on your audience and acts as a deterrent, driving potential customers away from your website and onto that of your competitors.

This first impression also reflects your brand image and what the business stands for. Colours, images and fonts all contribute to how your business is recognised, so it’s important that this is selected carefully and remains consistent.

Consistency is key in ensuring your audience becomes familiar with your brand, ensuring your branding is synonymous with your business. If your web design is inconsistent and unprofessional, it will be challenging to build up brand recognition.

Inconsistency drives customers to competitors whereas consistency creates reassurance, allowing you to earn more leads and keep customers on board.

Trust is another important factor in your website’s design – if a visitor doubts the website’s legitimacy due to the site being poorly designed, they will not engage with the content. Build trust with your audience through a design that is modern, professional and feels reliable. This will attract new customers and engage existing ones.

Web design also aids your search engine optimisation (SEO) strategy as your web design influences how you publish content, affecting how your website is indexed.

Your code needs to be SEO-friendly, so don’t get carried away with intricate designs and clever technologies. They may look good, but they could also negatively impact your site’s optimisation and ranking.

Your online presence can make or break your business, so it’s important that you optimise what you have and showcase what is special about you.

HOW CAN YOU IMPROVE YOUR WEBSITE’S DESIGN?

It’s simple really, just use these three steps!

  1. IMPROVE IT’S USABILITY

Your web design influences how well customers can find what they are looking for, make things easy to find and draw your customers in with helpful information that is easy to find.

2. MAKE SURE IT’S EASY TO NAVIGATE

Keep the choices you offer the audience simple and easy to use, making decisions of what pages to go to and what buttons to click as simple as possible by limiting the number of options as too many choices can be confusing.

3. ENSURE MOBILE FRIENDLINESS

Most online searches happen from a phone or mobile device, so it’s important that your website is tailored to this. Make sure your website is responsive, relevant and easy to use, regardless of device.

To find out more information, why not read our detailed blog to find out 5 steps to improving your website performance.

WHAT CAN EDGE CREATIVE DO?

Want to find out more about why web design is important? Speak to our expert design team by calling 0121 355 8092 or emailing us on info@edge-creative.com today. We have an expert understanding of the complexities of websites and can help provide the best solution for you.

Morgan Parkes Recruitment: How Important is Employer Branding?

In this blog Morgan Parkes discusses the importance of employer branding, including:

At EDGE Creative, we have often spoken about the importance of brand. Whether that’s in terms of global identity or dynamic and static branding – brand encompasses a range of different features. One of these factors is the topic of employer branding. How important is it to your business?

Below, our partner Morgan Parkes Recruitment outlines the importance of employer branding.

GUEST BLOG FROM MORGAN PARKES RECRUITMENT

At some point, in every sector, a company will ask themselves, ‘how do we attract the best talent to come and work with us?’ or ‘what makes us enviable to the brightest and best?’ These types of questions fall into the category of Employer Branding, a term not to be confused with company brandings such as logos, letterheads, or brand colours for example.  

A strong employer brand is a must-have for any organisation looking to recruit talent in today’s competitive job market. So, what must a company have in place to promote a strong and persuasive employer brand? Let’s break this down into a few key areas:

STORYTELLING

A company must be good at this. A multi-national company will have started somewhere, be it a desk and phone in the back bedroom or perhaps the CEO had a vision of how a workplace should be. Whatever the company’s history and its success, this story is the backbone of your employer brand.

TECHNOLOGY AND YOUR EMPLOYEES

If you have happy employees, you immediately have loyal ambassadors of the company that will want to sing the praises of their employers. Companies may be a little apprehensive about a freestyling team member chatting to a camera, but please read on.

The power of technology and in particular video, is well documented with research suggesting that ‘Gen Z is rapidly turning to video for brand discovery and engagement’ (HR Technologist, 2020). For organisations to be on the radar of this upcoming talent, video and social media must play a key role in their marketing and employer brand strategy. What can be better than a current employee talking about what it is like to work where they work and why?

CULTURE

The culture of a company is also essential in the success of an employer brand. How the organisation is managed from senior directors down to the administration team will affect how it is viewed by employees and customers alike. A strong and inclusive corporate culture is something to shout about to potential candidates, use outlets such as blog posts, quotes, social media posts to share why your company is the place to work.

Candidates are drawn to a company or position for various reasons including remuneration and benefits, however, there are usually other non-tangible elements that will attract them. These areas can include flexible working, mental health support, training, team nights out, or even a ‘free’ day off on their birthday. A company should not overlook areas like these, as top talent can sometimes forego a high salary for a healthy and inspiring workplace culture.

THE CANDIDATE/EMPLOYEE JOURNEY

What attracts an individual to further the recruitment process with a company? As we have mentioned, it could be the role or the pay, but there are also other experiences along the way that will ensure the success of the recruitment journey. These could be:

  • The application process and communication
  • The transparency of the company online, including their website, social media and recruitment sites. Candidates may visit these for ratings and employee feedback.
  • The use of technology to make the recruitment process more streamlined such as video recorded questions ahead of an interview
  • Accessible information about current employees and their experience at the company
  • Mapping the application process and keeping the candidate updated

If a company can implement processes that will keep the candidate at the heart of their recruitment and also continue that attention into their employment, they are much more likely to be invested long term.

We have covered just a few of the areas that can be considered when growing or implementing your employer brand.  The current coronavirus pandemic has catapulted companies into adapting to a whole new way of working, the main change has been the requirement for remote working. As lockdown eases, and offices return to a new normal, companies may face further demands from top talent, who prefer to remote work as they juggle work-life commitments and enjoy a better work-life balance. The world of work is a changing landscape and companies will face the challenge to stand out to attract and retain their best workforce.

If you are a company looking to grow your team and would like support in sourcing the best talent, please contact us today to discuss your needs on 0121 296 5766 or email kate@morganparkes.co.uk.

EDGE CREATIVE

At EDGE Creative, we understand the importance of teamwork, feedback, growing and development, which is what makes EDGE such an exciting place to work.

If you are interested in joining our team, place send your CV to info@edge-creative.com or view our current vacancies on our about us page.

Why is Creating a Global Brand Identity Important?

In this post, we’ll cover the following:

All businesses have the potential to expand into new markets, and with digital marketing speeding up the process, this isn’t going to change any time soon. Technological developments and internet world-domination mean that consumers around the globe have the ability to connect with brands 1000s of miles away, giving businesses more opportunities for international growth than ever before.

Expanding into another country, however, needs much more than a good website (although this is helpful!). To be successful, you must also have a strong global identity with consistent messaging and values. Think local, act global.

Managing a strong, international brand identity reinforces your reputation and differentiates you from your competitors. Get it right and you can increase customer loyalty, reach and recognition, grow new leads and boost your bottom line significantly, but globalising your business isn’t easy. Your brand must translate seamlessly across borders and appeal universally to your target audience. To do this, there are many factors you must consider:

BRAND POSITIONING IN LOCAL MARKETS

In competitive industries, it can be difficult to make an impression and stand out. The challenge gets even harder when expanding into another country and marketing to an entirely new audience.

The first step to globalising your brand is reviewing your existing position in the local market. What are your brand’s core principles? What is your business’s cultural identity? What are your values? Before stepping into other markets, understanding what differentiates your brand is key to creating a strong and consistent international identity.  

It’s important to remember that your business will be competing with many local industry leaders and other, potentially global, brands that are already firmly established there. Having a secure and strong brand position involves truly understanding your competition and your competitive advantage. By doing so, you can influence purchasing behaviour in a truly valuable manner. Ask yourself: Who provides similar products and services in that market? What makes you different? What is your unique service proposition?

Arthur Weiss, managing director of competitive intelligence agency Aware, states that “by monitoring competitors on an on-going basis, you get to know their behaviour and so can anticipate what they are likely to do next. You can then plan your own strategies and win customers away from your competitors.”

By keeping tabs on your competition, you can expand your business internationally and break into new markets with confidence.

CULTURALLY CONSIDERATE MARKETING

When marketing your business, you cannot assume that what has worked in one country will be naturally replicated in another. For example, when Tesco entered the Japanese market, they underestimated the retail landscape. They invested over £250 million and 8 years into trying to break into the market but had to accept failure in 2011 when they could not build a sufficiently scalable business.

To create a brand that appeals to an international market, you must strategise based on what the specific market responds to. For example, according to Hubspot, UK residents are more 11% more likely to use social media for business when compared to their US counterparts. Market research will tell you exactly how to fine tune your strategy and allocate your budget.  

Building a global brand involves taking awareness of context. A clever brand name or marketing slogan which may sound great in one language could result in a cultural misstep in another. For example, Mr. Muscle, the popular line of cleaning products, had to rename their business to “Mr. Powerful” when starting out in China, as the spoken translation of their previous name meant “Mr. Chicken Meat” (Today Translations).

This cultural difference is also seen in imagery and colour. For example, in Indonesia, green is a “forbidden colour” and in South America, green represents death. However, in the Middle East, green is the colour of luck. Ensuring that your brand translates well across the world is integral in global success – using green in your logo and branding in the Middle East might work well, but you’re unlikely to break into South American or Indonesian markets.

When working with Carl Data Solutions, we shipped our brochures out to Sweden, Canada, Hong Kong and the Philippines. Within each country, it’s possible for a piece of work to be received differently. As the countries Carl Data Solutions operate in all have different cultures, it was important to ensure this brochure could be received positively across all 4 countries – taking into account the different connotations of colour, imagery and language. In order to complete this project, we created one brochure which translated seamlessly for a wide international audience with special attention to brand, word and colour connotations.

MAINTAINING CONSISTENCY

One of the largest challenges that companies face when trying to expand into a new market is maintaining their existing brand identity while customising brand messages to appeal to local cultures, preferences and regulatory environments.

You must be cautious and ensure that the extent to which your brand adapts to different audiences doesn’t erode the positioning and identity of the brand in your home market. Of course, cultural differences are likely to mean that certain branding elements will adapt as you explore new markets, but your core principles and identity should always remain the same.

These principles and identity should be built upon the conclusions you drew from your initial brand positioning review. Whether it’s the quality of your products and service, or the tone and personality used in your marketing campaigns, you should remain consistent, but flexible. This consistency is what makes a strong brand that is familiar to consumers wherever you are in the world. In fact, according to Forbes, consistency across channels increases revenue by 23%.

A great example of brand consistency is from Innocent Smoothies. One of the most recognisable features about their brand is their tone of voice, which is informal and friendly. They stray from grammatical conventions, regardless of the country they are in, and keep their language colloquial. This creativity and consistency across the globe establishes the brand in different markets and creates trust. This means that regardless of country, Innocent Smoothies is a brand you recognise.

OPERATIONAL ISSUES

Conducting business in foreign markets brings with it many operational issues which can affect the running of your company.

You should review the country’s law and it is highly advised that you seek experienced legal counsel for overseas business practices. By doing so, you can identify hazards that may cause barriers to your business. For example, in Sweden all employees receive 34 paid leave days whereas the UK only receives 28.

You will also need to think of basic operational necessities like setting up Wi-Fi, banking, a phone number and paying utilities bills in order to get your day-to-day operational tasks running. To do this, you must consider differences in currency and how that compares to your existing markets.

Other factors you must consider include time differences and communication between different areas for your business. Say your head office is in the UK, but you have just expanded into Australia, it’s important to work around time differences, especially when it comes to deadlines. For example, when working with PRC Partners, we had to schedule our calls around each other due to different time zones in both Canada and Hong-Kong. This meant we’d often take calls first thing or stay up late to ensure constant communication with the team and guarantee we hit the brief and finished projects in time.

EDGE CREATIVE

Breaking into international markets can feel scary – but all companies have the potential to go global. To achieve this, you must develop a strong global identity that positions your brand within your industry, translates seamlessly across cultures, maintains consistency and is operationally functional.

At EDGE Creative, we have experience working with international businesses across many countries. If you want support creating a global marketing strategy for your business, email EDGE Creative at info@edge-creative.com or call us on 0121 355 8092.

Dynamic or Static Branding: Which is Right for You?

In this post, we’ll cover the following:

Over recent years, there has been a sharp increase in the use of responsive design to represent brand. This trend has led to the emergence of an interesting new feature of business identity: the dynamic logo.

Many experts within the branding industry have argued that the age of static logos is over. Do you agree?

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A STATIC AND DYNAMIC LOGO?

A static logo refers to a classic image that comprises of only one brand icon and never changes. This type of design is built up of a fixed motif with elements, shapes and colours that do not change. The only variation you are likely to see is a black and white version or an occasional update to improve the quality of the standard icon. A good example of a static logo includes the icons used by football clubs across England. The Chelsea logo, for example, stays the same to provide instant recognition for their supporters.

In comparison to this, a dynamic logo is movable or fluid and changes with the context. Often, these logos have multiple versions. They may adapt their shape, colour or form depending on events or to represent a different part of the business. Two large popular examples of dynamic logos include Google, which changes form with context and events and the AOL logo, which takes on different shapes and sizes.

WHAT TYPE OF LOGO IS BEST FOR MY BUSINESS?

At EDGE Creative, we understand that effective logo design is imperative to brand recognition.

As a new company, choosing and designing a logo to represent your business can be difficult. Whether you go for a dynamic logo or a static logo will largely depend on the needs and goals of your business.

While there are numerous benefits of adopting a dynamic logo, it is not always the best choice for every brand. Similarly, while people may say that static logos are dead, this is not true – and it may in fact be the best course of action for your business.

FIRSTLY, HOW ESTABLISHED IS YOUR BRAND?

Logos are essential to brand recognition. As a new business, it’s essential that you form an association between your company and your brand symbol or logo. In this case, a static logo may work better to form a quick, easy and unmistakable association.

A dynamic logo may hinder your business at this stage. It takes multiple viewings before a potential consumer forms a link between a logo and the brand’s full identity. Giving your logo multiple faces to present your business makes it more difficult for your target audience to recognise your business for what it is.

DOES YOUR BUSINESS HAVE AN ELEMENT OF MULTIPLICITY?

Dynamic logos are best suited to portray levels of multiplicity of a brand. For example, our client H&G Recruitment works within five different sectors. To portray this, they have five different colours of their logo, adapting to change the sector it will become recognised for:

H&G Recruitment

If, however, your business is fixed within one sector and does not have many levels of multiplicity, it may be more beneficial to create a classic, stable and static logo.

WHERE DOES YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE SPEND THEIR TIME?

If your target audience is tech savvy and you will be gathering most leads through the internet and social media, one of the best ways to project a dynamic logo is through online platforms. The sheer scale of the internet allows you to maximise the impact of your logo and brand as you can show the full scale of your business.

In comparison, if most of your business comes from in-person sales and your audience does not interact much online, you are likely to have no need for a dynamic logo.

With many businesses increasing their use of dynamic logos to make an impact, it is important to remember that the type of logo you should use is dependent on your own business brand goals. Dynamic logos should not be adopted for the sake of it, but because they truly resonate with the needs and personality of your company. Find out more about why brand development is crucial to your SME success.

Collaboration Between Designers and Developers

In this post, we’ll discuss the following:

On any project, collaboration is important. This is especially true when designing and developing a new website.

All companies are structured differently. At EDGE Creative, our designers and developers work closely to streamline the process of building a new website. They do this to provide our clients with the best outcome possible.

SETTING CLIENT GOALS

The most important task before beginning a website project is developing a clear understanding of your needs. Together, we agree on the website’s main purpose, what it is you want to achieve and how we can attract the target audience to the website.

WIREFRAMES AND SITE MAPS

We will then plan the site map and start drawing out the wireframes.

Wireframes are simple layouts that outline the placement and rough size of that specific page. This process is mainly about planning the arrangement of content with the user experience in mind. They ensure that each page on the website has a purpose and achieves the goals set out in the client brief. We do this to create stability and lay down strong foundations surrounding the website.

FINER DESIGN DETAILS

Our designers fine-tune the details of the website project and incorporate logos, imagery and all other aspects of the design.

We are always open to ideas from the development team – especially during this design phase. Developers see things differently to a designer, so having a developer involved ensures that we are looking at the design from a functionality perspective too.

DEVELOPMENT

After the designs have been signed off and you are happy that we have hit the brief within the layout of the website, our developers begin to build.

Once finished, we carry out pre-live and post-live checks to ensure nothing has been missed and the website matches the original designs.

CROSS-DEPARTMENTAL COLLABORATION

No two people think the same way. This is down to personal taste, preferences and past experiences. For this reason, we remain open and collaborative throughout all projects. Not only this, communication must stay open between our team and you as our client. This ensures our projects stay within budget and we hit the brief perfectly.

From the initial meeting through to the final client presentation, all our meetings include a designer, a developer, an account manager and any other elements which needs to be incorporated into the website, such as a content creator.

All in all, creating an incredible user experience for users requires hard work. When developers and designers collaborate to achieve their projects, the positive outcomes are worth it. If you would like a new website, give us a call on 0121 355 8092 or email info@edge-creative.com to see how we can help you achieve your goals.

Why Body Language is Essential to Brand Success

One of the most frequently quoted statistics on communication is that 93% of all daily communication is non-verbal. This statistic originated from ‘Silent Messages’ by Albert Mehrabian, who stated that 7% of any message is conveyed through words, 28% through certain vocal elements and 55% through nonverbal.

Although it is difficult to prove and almost impossible to calculate a precise figure, there is no denying that body language has an impact on how messages are received.

This is also true in brand expression.

Marketing communication has evolved from solely explicit verbal forms like advertising, direct marketing and PR, and towards something new and progressive. This new form of communication comes in an implicit from, representing brand ‘body language’ – the non-verbal factors a brand does to demonstrate its marketing messages.

Firstly – how are you selling your product or service? Research into different marketing channels has found:

  • Offline – Expensively produced advertising in offline media drives trust as consumers take that only successful and credible businesses can afford to do this kind of marketing.
  • Sales – If your business is always having a ‘sale’, you emit the idea that you are failing to shift your products. This impacts your brand’s reputation and can defer customers and visitors.
  • Product Driven – Brands with genuinely strong products tend to turn to product demonstration, with the product sitting at the heart of their marketing messages. They may focus on large aesthetic work that shows their product for exactly what it is.
  • Brand Driven – Businesses with inferior products will focus primarily on brand advertising to associate their brand with an emotion or attitude and relate to their target audiences.

It is therefore not surprising that these – admittedly generalisations – of the marketing industry influence consumer perception at some level.  Although this impact may be only subconsciously, brand body language in marketing forms certainly shapes brand perception.

 

DEVELOPING YOUR BRAND’S BODY LANGUAGE

EDGE Creative can alter your brand body language in order to portray an accurate and effective representation of your business:

  1. Audit – We will assess your branding history, looking into what key platforms you use to portray your business with large emphasis into your explicit and implicit messaging.
  2. Impact – If you already have existing marketing strategies in place, we will evaluate the success of your campaigns to see what you can adapt and what non-verbal language you can make use of.
  3. Action – Depending on what our audit and analysis of your company has shown, we will begin to action your strategy, incorporating and developing your brand body language.

Find out more about how EDGE Creative can revolutionise your marketing and make an impact by emailing info@edge-creative.com or calling 0121 355 8092.

Why Brand Development is Crucial to Your SME Success

SME’s – they’re the lifeblood of the UK’s business scene. With over 5.7 million registered as of late 2018, it’s not surprising that 30% of businesses fail during their first two years. Five years down the line, this figure jumps to 50%.

With this in mind, how can you ensure your business stays strong, powerful and above the competition? Brand.

1. BRANDING IMPROVES RECOGNITION

How many logos do you come across during a day? Chances are, the number is pretty high. Even if you were to look around right now, you’ll likely spot a good few logos just on your first glance. If you want to attract attention, a memorable and well-designed logo is the best place to start.

However, a great brand goes far beyond a memorable logo. We all know that logos are important; they need to be instantly recognisable, convey your brand’s identity, and stand out across your entire marketing mix. Going “beyond” and making your brand truly recognisable is weaving these factors through absolutely everything you do, because if you want your brand to be recognisable, it must first be consistent.

Think: if your brand were a person, who would they be? What would they wear? How would they talk? What are their beliefs, goals and dreams? Before considering how your brand is going to be represented, you’ll need a clear set of guidelines describing your brand’s identity and personality, and exactly how you’re going to express this.

2. BRANDING GENERATES NEW LEADS

It’s hard to sell to people if they don’t know you exist in the first place. First impressions matter, and your brand is the first thing a potential customer will use to deduce if they want, need or trust your business. Your business might tick all their boxes, but does your brand tell them that?

Having a solid brand strategy will push you closer to new business, helping to bring in relevant leads who are ready to convert into customers. Brand awareness through channels such as social media and search engines could help customers to not only find you in the first place, but also understand that your brand is providing something they want.

Not only can branding make or break your success at the top of the marketing funnel, but branding can also influence customer loyalty and encourage repeat customers. If your brand becomes a familiar face for previous customers, consistency with your message, ethos and customer experience can help them choose you time and time again.

As well as making your brand consistent and recognisable, you also need to consider how it’s going to grab attention from potential customers. Your brand needs to be heard above the noise, but that doesn’t necessarily mean shouting louder. You just need to say something different.

3. BRANDING INSPIRES EMPLOYEES

Don’t be shallow – your brand’s true beauty comes from within. It’s essential that your brand has substance and incorporates a business mission.

Your business mission refers to your business’s purpose, ethos and values, and shouts out loud about how and why your company is different. When employees understand this and feel that they can relate to your mission, they are likely to feel the same pride and work in the same direction to achieve your business goals.

This can impact productivity and customer satisfaction. According to Korn Ferry’s Executive Survey, 70% of business executives say embracing the company mission boosts employee productivity to a great extent.’

Not only will a strong brand mission give prospective candidates a clear view of who you are as a business, but you’ll also show potential clients what your business stands for and influence their decision to use your products or services.

EDGE CREATIVE

EDGE Creative have extensive experience in brand building and storytelling for SME’s across a huge range of industries, including financial planning provider Ernest Grant, accessibility solutions provider Able Access UK, and fresh food supplier Tasty Chicken. One client we’re particularly proud of is Rudds Wellies, which came to us as a brand-new start-up business in 2016.

Having a strong brand has been vital to their success. We were tasked with creating the brand from scratch, incorporating the right look and feel to project the brand values and appeal to both consumers and funders.

Rachel Rudd, who is the founder of Rudds Wellies, said that after researching and developing their product for “nearly 2 years” before it came to market, they were “very nervous about finding a creative agency” that could take care of their product and “brand it effectively”.

“I need not have worried,” said Rachel. “EDGE Creative have an amazing ability to understand what you need and create amazing imagery and content. They have been with me every step of the way, from logo and packaging design to holding my hand during presentations.”

Even when you’re not sure what you need, EDGE offer amazing expertise and options to give your business a brand it deserves.”

Find out more about how EDGE Creative can support you and your brand by calling 0121 355 8092 or emailing info@edge-creative.com.

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