While doing our annual spring cleaning around the studio (OK, maybe NOT annual, but close!), we discovered a few of our own self-promotional pieces that never made it past the cutting room floor. We collected them up and displayed them at our next staff meeting for an open discussion on why we had chosen not to use them.
One person claimed it was because of the cost to produce them. Another claimed we had decided to focus on another project. While still another felt that we had found a better way to communicate the message. One thing we all agreed on - our branding and collateral needed a little spring cleaning to ensure we were sending the right message.
Was a complete redesign in order? No! Just a little trip to the powder room for some freshening up!
Have you looked at your brand lately? Have individuals in your organization been committing "branding violations?" By this, I'm asking whether or not anyone has gone willy-nilly with the logo and recklessly plastered it onto anything they can get their hands on? Has it been stuck on a word document and stretched beyond distinction? Has anyone taken it upon themselves to come up with a "fun" new color palette for your marketing pieces? Or how about trying to "play" with the logo just enough to celebrate a season or a holiday?
Yikes.
Us designers aren't afraid of those right brainers trying to be lefties. In fact, we celebrate them for giving it the ole' college try. Some of the best corporate identity systems have been derived from the unexpected twist on an old theme. However, it's important to understand what an impact all of this may have on your customers and your clients.
When putting a little spring in your brand, pay attention. Don't do anything that will potentially harm the brand recognition you've worked so hard to build. If your customers relate to you because they like the sharp clean look of your brand, and the quality it represents, make sure that you continue to play that up. Would you know it was Nike if the orange swoosh suddenly became a purple square?
If you don't really understand how all of this works, ask a designer to create a corporate standards guide (sounds important, doesn't it?!). This could be as full-featured as how the signage in front of your building should look - or it could be as simple as how your logo should be placed in a Word document or a PowerPoint presentation. You don't have to be a multi-million dollar corporation to have one of these - just smart.
The power of this document is priceless, because it holds everyone in your organization to the same standard. If you (or someone sitting at a desk near you) starts suffering from spring fever and feels the urge to add a little ooomph to the company brand, you'll know exactly what you can and can't do! As one of my favorite design professors used to tell us, it's much easier to smartly break the rules, if you know what they are.