The brand of every business is just as important as the products or services provided. Your brand is your universal representation.
Developing your brand requires an effective guideline to utilize. Knowing your audience and what they are attracted to is critical to each guideline during brand development. It is time to review the PERETTI brand and how developers created such an attractive brand for their customers. Below are six essential brand guidelines to review during your brand development.
1. Logo Specifications
One of the first things to consider when building a brand is the exact logo specifications. Logo specifications refer to the overall measurements associated with your brand’s logo. Considering the type of publishing materials where your brand will be advertised, begin developing your grey striped area. This area should be free from any additional texts or images that could destruct your brand image.
In the PERETTI logo specifications, the grey striped area is consistent between each letter of the brand. The specifications between the P and the E in the brand is equal to space before the P, and after the I. Each letter also has a radius of this around the name that eliminates room for other text or images to disrupt the brand. Ensuring that your logo is simple, yet effective, is the first step in brand development.
2. Typefaces Details
Each brand has different typeface preferences. Typefaces refer to lettering design and can come in a variety of options. They are a family of fonts that depict a certain style. Depending on the audience that you are seeking, you can choose typefaces that attract and related to that customer base. The typeface in each of these areas is critical to capture the attention of your customers. Keeping the same typeface in each area will wash out your information and cause your customers to lose interest. After you have decided on the typefaces for your brand, focus on three parts during your brand development :
- Headline
- Subheadline
- Body Copy
Your headline portion of the brand will be the most reflected in advertisements and various materials. That is why it is so important for brand development. The most preferred typeface should be used in the headline. It will be used in all representations of the brand. For subheadlines, you want to use a similar typeface, but the size will be smaller. Maintain a bold or italicized style on the subheadings to capture the attention of your audience.
With body copy, you can remove all additional style modifications such as bold and italicized. This typeface is similar to the headline but less bold and bright. It is much lighter and is used to fulfill the necessary information. With PERETTI, Avenir Light is used for the body copy while Avenir Medium is left for subheadings. The same font exists, but the weight of it varies because the medium is bold. Following font suggestions like these will significantly aid in your brand development.
3. Color Specifications
Once you know the specifications of your brand and the typeface, your brand’s essential color scheme comes into play. In fact, color is one of the most important parts of brand development. For PERETTI, their color scheme is a dark contemporary, but the right shade of white, black, and gray was needed. The way the color is perceived by your customers can be bright, flat, or a mix of the two. There are hundreds of shades of each color, so knowing exactly which shade you chose of blue or green is required to represent your brand exactly the same way each time.
4. Logo Styles
Logos are extremely crucial for brand development. Every brand will generate a number of logos over the course of its marketing. Each brand will develop a series of these logos that are categorized as primary and secondary. The primary logos are made available on any product from the business. In large publications, this is the logo that is utilized. It is the most recognized and usually found on any newsletters, emails, or other distribution that comes directly from your headquarters. Because it is the most recognized, it is necessary that time is put into your logo styling process of brand development.
For PERETTI, the primary logo spells out the brand name entirely, matching the proper space specifications for each letter. However, PERETTI also has a secondary logo that is used for social media thumbnails and other areas online where space is limited. This secondary logo maintains the same color specifications as the primary logo, but it includes an enlarged P instead of the entire brand name. Because it maintains color specifications and typeface of the primary logo, it is easily recognizable by customers.
5. Logo Best Practices
The digital age and use of social media have created a new market that requires smaller logos that are used for social media and online representation. The best practice is not to alter your primary logo for smaller spaces. Because these platforms dictate the size of the logo, many brands find that they need to alter their logo to fit in these areas and have their customers recognize them during a search. Per the PERETTI guidelines, there are a few things you should not do because they will hinder your brand development:
Utilize a Different Typeface or Font
Although a similar font may fit better in the thumbnail, it is not recommended to use a different font. Loyal customers will recognize the difference and may find this as a misrepresentation of the brand.
Alter Logo Size
If the primary logo will not fit in the required space, then do attempt to shrink it or stretch it. Also, this will appear as a misrepresentation to your customers and could keep them away.
6. Application
The final guideline for brand development is the application. Once your logos are properly designed, they need to apply to the right area. For a brick and mortar brand, the primary logo should be found at the entrance to the business. Most products or communication between you and customers should also reflect this logo. Your secondary logos are to be utilized for social media and mobile windows, making you recognizable and accessible through all mobile devices. A look at the PERETTI case study will reflect that their primary logo is found at the entrance to their store and full-page advertisements, while their secondary logo is found as the profile picture for their social media presence.
Brand Development
Your brand is the focal point to your business and is a constant for public patrons and customers. Ensuring that it is a solid reflection of your business is critical to remember when you are following these brand guidelines. At C&I Studios, we have representatives ready to assist you with your advertising and brand development needs. Contact us today for more information regarding our services. We look forward to hearing from you soon!