A business knows it’s onto a winning formula when its name, logo, colour scheme and values become instantly recognisable. A brand that reflects the business’s personality – communicating its purpose and key selling points with ease – builds familiarity and loyalty with customers.

What’s the secret to the formula? Does the secret even really exist? To find out, let’s break down the five key reasons why great brand design is a must for businesses and look at why it’s crucial to get each one right.

1 – Branding is more than visual identity

Increasingly, a strong brand includes values and propositions that echo consumer sentiment: things like being open about diverse hiring practices, ethical credentials and responding effectively and transparently to market needs. The gold standard is when that simple logo makes people instantly think of the service and values that are important to them.

2 – Branding makes your business stand out

The world is a crowded marketplace where even disruptor businesses like airbnb and Uber have had other disruptor brands trying to disrupt them. Despite this, the one thing a competitor can’t take away from a rival brand is that business’s identity – which is often so strong, people remember a logo, colour scheme or unique proposition long after that brand has disappeared from the marketplace. It’s why another car-sharing service would look too derivative if it named itself with a single German word or used white sans serif font on a black background: for better or worse, Uber has that branding cornered.

3 – A strong brand attracts loyal customers

When it comes to customer loyalty, often the smallest things are the most important: returning a product for free, getting an exclusive discount, or being open at times when people need to use the service most. The same goes for branding – having a clear, consistent visual identity engenders people’s trust and makes you a go-to business.

4 – Good branding keeps things consistent

With strong branding – which includes everything from logos to sales lines – a customer can expect the same visual and verbal messaging on whichever of your channels they land on. This gets more important as time goes on and your web of marketing channels increases. A customer might end up on your Instagram account before they’ve ever seen a social media ad or Google search result that takes them to your website, so it’s essential to make sure they know they’re interacting with the same brand.

5 – Branding needs to be done right

The problem with branding is most people think they know how to do it. In reality, creating a truly unique logo, verbal proposition and sustainable, long-term brand plan takes deep knowledge of the brand process. If you’re starting up a business and want to define the brand, get some advice from a branding professional and they’ll help you bring your brand dreams to life.

Time to rethink your brand strategy? Perhaps you don’t have one yet. We’re here for free advice and a friendly chat – get in touch.