Know Who You Are

Without a clear sense of Branding, the likelyhood of a corporation being recognized is low. Establishing a small business or modernizing an existing one always starts with Branding. Decide who you are and who you are not, pick a theme, and be consistent. Be sure that all of your artifacts reflect that style, whether they are customer facing or internal. Style Guide and Branding go hand in hand--they show you by how they look and how they sound who they are. It is vital to your customer's perception of who you are to be stable and reliable. How can they trust you to be there for them if you can't figure out who you are and what you stand for?

Here is an example of the style guide I developed for Wells Fargo, which led directly to the establishment of their Branding department. As I assist companies as they start up, like Lake Forest Handyman, I instill the importance of this image. That way as they grow, their image and reputation is intact and still stable for their customers.