logos

Often when we hear about the concept of “the brand” in the business press the focus tends to be on huge companies. In the late 20th century, it was firms that dominated their markets with high-quality, specialized yet mass-produced products that just about everyone used from brands such as Kodak and M&M Mars.

No matter whether you're an iPhone user or have an Android, there's one tool that you and everyone you know will use for the rest or your life. It's not the latest tablet, smart watch or anything that needs electricity of any kind.

Last year, as businesses large and small evolved marketing strategies, launched new products and tried on new colors and typefaces, it seemed like an explosion of graphics occurred across the marketing galaxy.

Branding today is different than it was in the last century. One simple reason is that there are more ways to reach people, thanks to changes in technology, media and the way we consume content.

Sometimes just knowing what your customers want can seem like the biggest challenge of all. In the promotional products industry, we know that t-shirts are extremely popular with both consumers and small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Yet when businesses place orders, what they buy is focused on what will best promote their businesses. Meanwhile, consumers consider personal preferences, such as fashion, fit and their own personalities, when making t-shirt purchases.

Over the last year, Idea Custom Solutions has talked quite a bit about rebranding. To us rebranding is, at least for most companies, an exercise that involves more than just a new logo on a website and social media, or putting up new signage.

Rebranding has more to do with reaffirming or restating what your mission is as a business, non-profit or educational institution. At a minimum, changing up your brand — including your logo, your fonts, your color schemes and even the look and feel of your marketing collateral — creates conversation.

Just three months ago a lot of us who live in the northern part of the U.S., along with those in Canada, were left scratching our heads. “Why in the world is it so warm?” January and February, as we all know typically brings sub-zero chills. When winter is pleasant, we have opportunity to ski, snowboard or go sledding.

Change is a part of corporate life and marketing. You need not be “on fleek” or "perf” to keep up with it, but staying current with trends and tastes should be a priority. When companies merge or change their products, a simple logo tweak may do the trick. Other times, a more comprehensive re-brand can help keep customers engaged, while letting a firm show off its new image.

We’ve been hearing a lot re-brands in the last 12 months. It seems that every sector, from big corporations to non-profits and from government-affiliated institutions to cities big and small are making decisive moves. They are thinking hard about their names, their logos, and ultimately their “brands”. But branding a business of any size should not be done without careful consideration.