Your service brand’s logo: 4 tips to use it to stand out

You’ve heard this a million times. But let’s call it out clearly. Your brand’s logo is a key visual piece that is the face of your business. It is a visual touch point that helps your current and future audience perceive your business, relate to, and also recognize it.

Through this article, I want to share 4 tips with you on how you can use your brand’s logo efficiently and effectively so as to stand out when your target audience comes across your business and is ready to hire. Alright then, let’s go!

Attract with a story-based logo design

We’ve all been there. We have all wondered what the big company logos mean, signify, and represent. And once we found out the meaning and story behind the company logos, we started relating to them much more on an emotional level than we ever did. Be it the super-loved coffee brand Starbucks, the tech industry disrupter Apple, Amazon that redefined the definition of eCommerce, or the world’s largest ice-cream chain Baskin Robbins; they all have meaningful, story-based logos.

The point I’m trying to make here is that you can take cues from these big company logos. Make sure that your brand’s logo is not some generic pretty looking design but rather a custom design that reflects your story/values/work in a neat and simple way. This timeless piece of visual design sparks curiosity in your target audience’s minds. Address this curiosity by sharing the meaning behind your brand’s logo design wherever you feel it is appropriate like your website or social media. This is an interesting way to uniquely stand out in your own industry!

You might also like: 3 step formula to craft your founder’s story and stand out

2. use your brand’s logo consistently

If you worked with a professional brand identity designer for your brand’s logo design, you most likely received a complete logo package with all the versions of your brand’s logo as a deliverable of the service along with education on how to use them. Each version is designed for a specific use case and to effectively brand your service business I want to emphasize one thing - use each version of your brand’s logo very consistently.

For example, your main logo is the primary visual representation that must be used most often in all places that your brand shows up like your website, brand collateral, invoices, contracts, and marketing material both digital and print. Only in really small spaces like social media profile images, small print merchandise, etc should you use the secondary version of your brand’s logo also known as the logo mark.

By following these easy rules and caring about how your brand shows up, you increase the memorability of your brand’s logo in the minds of your target audience helping them relate to your brand better. That is one of the ways you can stand out as a professional service provider.

3. get creative with print media

So you have a professionally designed, meaningful, timeless logo design that you love! You have it perched proudly at the top of your website, on your various social media profiles, and on a few other branded collateral. But what more can you do with it? So much more!

Promote brand awareness, a positive brand association, and increase memorability in the minds of your target audience by using your brand’s logo on merchandise. Get creative with print media! For yourself, branded merchandise can be really cool props for your brand photoshoots! When marketing your service business, Vistaprint has a ton of options to print swag with your brand’s logo on merchandise. Even when sending gifts to your clients, branded merchandise can be a really fun and creative way to stand out. Online gifting portals like Greetabl allow you to add your brand’s logo to make a gift personalized and OnGoody offers custom printing on branded merchandise for gifting to clients. Super fun!

Here’s an example of one of my interior designer clients Dan Rak Design flaunting their brand’s logo mark that I designed for them on tees that their team wears when they go for installations. It gives their brand a much more professional and consistent feel.

4. use your brand’s logo on every touch point

You’re running a service business so it’s highly likely that you’re creating content on a regular basis for brand awareness, getting your name out, reaching more target audiences, making connections, getting more leads, and on a high level - staying on top of mind. Whether it is creating graphics for social media, your business card, or marketing material for a podcast that you host, everything that leads your target audience to your brand is a touch point. And so, adding your brand’s face/brand’s logo to each entry point or touch point is another way to stand out in a high-quality, professional manner.

CONCLUSION

You’re doing the hard work each day, every day and your business deserves to reach the dream next level. If you feel like your brand and website design lacks the special sauce that will help you stand out in your industry and confidently attract ideal clients, let's chat about creating strategic branding and website design for you.

 

How to Market a Graphic Design Company

If you are looking for a design agency that is known for its innovative and creative approach, you may want to consider a company called Re-public. This company has been in business since 1999, and has clients in Denmark, Mexico, and China. In addition to their impressive portfolio of projects, they have won many awards for their work, including the German Design Awards, Creative Circle Awards, and Red Dot Design. Another detail-oriented design firm is Essen. Founded in 1980, Essen offers conceptually intelligent and colorful designs for a variety of clients.

Before you begin your business, you'll need to decide on the best marketing strategy for your company. A marketing strategy will determine how to target customers and gauge its success. You will also need to determine the size and scope of your market and develop short and long-term goals, as well as measure your progress. Listed below are a few tips for marketing your graphic design company. When launching your business, don't be afraid to use your existing connections and reach out to potential customers.

A great graphic design company in Chicago will be able to incorporate your company's corporate identity elements into its marketing plan. A logo or a letterhead is an effective way to draw attention to a product, while a stylish package is another way to attract attention. Incorporate these elements into your brand identity and you'll be on your way to success. A graphic designer won't only design your business's logo and colors, but will also develop your company's fonts. This is another important aspect of your marketing strategy, and is almost independent of fashion trends.

 

How to Find a Logo Designer in Chicago

 If you have a new business in Chicago, IL, a logo designer will be able to help you create a custom design that will be perfect for your company. Your logo is a key component in establishing brand identity, and it can be used on business cards, brochures, T-shirts, and more. A high-quality logo design is essential for printing and other promotional materials, so be sure to get a high-resolution design.

If you are in Chicago, you may be wondering where to start. There are many options, but one of the most popular places to get started is 12&28. 12&28 is best logo design agency in Chicago that matches businesses with logo designers for the best price. Logos are often the most important part of your business identity, so finding a high-quality, affordable designer can be an excellent decision. The design process may take a long time, but the benefits outweigh the time and money investment.

Before the logo design process begins, a logo designer will first conduct research on your industry. They may read articles or websites about your business or industry, as well as press releases and competitor logos. The best designers will take notes from their meetings with clients and use these as guidelines for the first design iteration. After all, you don't want to waste money and time on a bad idea! The final design may require several revisions before it becomes perfect, so hiring a designer who can do the job efficiently is a good idea.

7 BRANDING & WEBSITE DESIGN MYTHS THAT ARE LIMITING YOUR SERVICE BUSINESS GROWTH!

 MYTH #1: BRANDING IS EXPENSIVE

As a brand and web designer for creatives, I hear that all the time. And sure, the investment for building timeless brands and websites that are strategy-based, and goal-focused - may run into the 4 or 5 figures. But consider this - the expense of losing dream clients and dream opportunities for your business just because your brand and website are subpar, is way more! And as I mentioned earlier, branding and website design is an investment into your future, leveled-up business rather than an expense if you choose to see it that way. So if you’ve been on the fence about the investment, I’d say make the leap with confidence!

MYTH #2: JUST A PRETTY-LOOKING LOGO IS GOOD ENOUGH

Not quite. Just a pretty-looking logo does not cut it when you’re trying to make your service business stand out in a saturated industry. Chances are if your brand identity is only about aesthetics, your brand won’t be as memorable and distinct from your competitors.

Aesthetics do matter and an expert brand designer will make sure that your logo design looks great. But more than that, with a professional brand identity system - you get a whole lot more. Starting with an in-depth brand strategy that pulls pieces from your business and ties them strategically with your ideal client values, needs, and aspirations to form a logical foundation for your brand to further build on it.

So you will end up with a great-looking logo that has meaning and a lot of character that will help attract and convert your dream clients!

MYTH #3: MY WHOLE LIFE & BUSINESS STORY SHOULD GO ON MY WEBSITE

Absolutely not! I get it though. You started your business for a reason and you’ve been building it purposefully. But just because you have so much to say, not all of it needs to live on your website for your visitors to have to go through and lose interest. Everything you write on your website should be geared toward pre-defined goals. The key is to present your website information in a concise way that keeps the visitor engaged and interested enough so that they take action like booking a call, filling out the contact form, or booking your services directly.

Keep it real but keep it short and sweet. To share more bits and pieces about your story, your business background, etc - the perfect way to make a personalized connection with your dream clients is by using social media. Take people behind the scenes with the help of stories, posts, etc. It’s a good way to create authentic content too!

 

MYTH #4: MY COMPETITOR IS DOING WELL, LET’S JUST COPY THEM

Never ever. There are a million reasons why that’s a very bad idea but let me state the basics. Every business is unique including yours. If your competitor is doing well that means that they have found their unique positioning and honed it to serve their clients in the best possible way. For your service business success, it’s important to create a clear, unique positioning, a memorable identity, and a website that portrays all of that cohesively to speak to your dream client. When you work with a brand and website designer, they have a well-crafted process that includes a lot of research, competitor analysis, industry study, etc based on which they are able to create a meaningful, fully custom brand that truly represents your business.

Blindly copying someone else’s branding and website design won’t help you create a connection with your dream clients and rather would have you end up looking like everyone else. So hopefully by now, you agree on how bad of an idea this is.

MYTH #5: THE RANDOM PHOTOS I HAVE ON MY IPHONE ARE PERFECT FOR MY WEBSITE

If you’re an introvert or a camera-shy person like me, I know how you feel about brand photography! But here’s the thing - even if professional brand photoshoots are not your thing, you do need a few decent pictures of yourself to go on your website and social media. So rope in a friend and get creative! Remember that the problem is not with the iPhone photos, it’s with bad lighting, random backgrounds, etc that make images look low quality and gives off a less than perfect impression to your website visitors. Here are a few tips to capture decent, consistent brand photos:

• Make sure you pick a spot/s with good natural light coming in. Face the light for best results (you can also turn on the studio light effect, and background blur feature that’s available on newer iPhones. These make regular photos look so professional, instantly!).
• Another great way to get a consistent look and feel for your brand and website design is color coordinating. Try and add in 1-2 colors from your brand color palette in your photos. Wearing something that has the color or adding a prop are cool ways!
• Choose either a plain background for your photos or a nice wall with some artwork. Make sure you add that blurry background effect and you’re good to go!
• And finally, be yourself and let your own personality shine :)

 

MYTH #6: MY WEBSITE SHOULD FOCUS ON ME

Nope! Your website is a marketing tool and more than that it is a sales tool. For effective sales, your website should be primed to focus on your ideal clients, their current situations, and their biggest pain points. Having said that, your website should focus on you but only 10% of the time as you bring the solution to solve your ideal client's problems. 90% of your website’s focus should be on potential clients as people tend to make decisions emotionally rather than logically. Feeling heard and seen by you when they land on your website, can be the reason they hire you for your services! So make sure you research your target audience really well so that your brand and website can speak to them on an emotional level.

MYTH #7: I DON’T NEED A WEBSITE

This is the worst of them all! Not having a website when you’re selling services would be a nightmare. As established earlier, your website is a marketing as well as a sales tool for you that even works when you’re not working. Dream clients can find you anytime if you have a strategic online presence. Even if you have alternate ways to get clients, not having a website would mean so many lost opportunities that limit your business’s growth potential. If you’re looking to build a strategic website to allow your dream clients to connect and convert with ease, schedule a free consultation call with me!

CONCLUSION

Don’t let a subpar brand and website design stop you from growing your service business to the dream next level. If you know that your brand has the potential to level up and confidently stand out in the crowd but you’re not sure what steps to take - reach out to me and I’ll gladly help you figure it out!

Be the boss, take action, and do the work. You’ve got this!