Building a brand: it's more than just looking pretty

The swoosh of the Nike logo is a defining logo of an industry and a brand. But does it define the brand? What does the bite out of an Apple mean? What about those tag lines? All you need to make a brand is a logo and a tag line, right?

The answer is ... no!

These are just the tip of an iceberg. If you are starting a business, don't start with a logo and tag line as this is the final step. Why do you do what you do? What is the goal of your business? What do you value as a business? What standards do you hold and will hold your employees to?

It is like building a house.

Your reason for existing is a foundation. The standards and values you hold and the way you act on them are walls. The roof is the business and all the pretty things.

Most brand state why they do what they do in a brand statement and how they work in values. The most successful brands have taken care to state these clearly and specifically. Having a value like, "provide the best quality service" is good but is it unique to who you are? How do you set a new standard in your industry? 

Let's say you are a new company that makes adjustable shelving units both prepackaged and custom.

Here are three questions to ask yourself.

Q: Who is your target? 

A: Young people with medium income with limited space but a taste for quality of design

Q: What is their problem?

A: Using space effectively and elegantly while adjusting to trends and life changes.

Q: So why do you do what you do?

A: Because space is a commodity and using it effectively brings a sense of fulfillment.

Now comes the part that is most visible; your values, standards or methods for doing business. These are not technical but emotional and easy to understand for anyone who visits you in person or online. Most companies place only 3 values but some go higher. The thing is the more you have the harder it is for your staff and investors to understand you. 

In the end the logo represents everything you stand for. It represents a feeling that will be experienced through interaction. Amazon's logo represents three things: 1) Everything from A to Z, 2) a smile from service and 3) diversity of content & services. That is pretty deep and over its 23 year history has not deviated from this idea. Starting with books, then into general consumer goods and now in the grocery (brick and mortar) industry they still provide everything from A to Z, ensure your happiness and deep diversity of content and services.

See? If your logo is pretty but you have no meat to your brand, it is not a brand.

So start who want to be and what you want your customers/clients to experience. This builds your brand and your business plan. Once you have this established, it sets a foundation for a good designer and wordsmith to develop your visual look and tagline.

That is how you start building a brand.