How to Get Your Team on the Same Page with Your Branding

One thing I’ve learned from working for over two decades as an in-house designer for various small business marketing departments is most businesses feel their brand identity could use some work.

The reason for my hiring in these roles was typically to have me come in and clean up the mess of the existing marketing designs which accumulated over the years of just being in business.

My job initially was to make the most public facing pieces more cohesive. Basically to make everything which had a logo on it look like it comes from the same company.

After a year or two I’d inevitably be pulled aside and asked to experiment with some ideas on the logo itself.

Once all the brand elements were in place, I’d then need to work even harder to keep them in tact.

If this sounds familiar to you. Here are some steps to take so you can get a handle on your small businesses identity too.

1. Create a Brand Style Guide

This doesn’t have to be anything elaborate if you’re short on time or don’t have a design department to help you out. Essentially this document is a compilation of all the elements of your brand and how, when and where to use them. It can be one page or 100 pages. It can be created in Canva or with a Google Doc. The point is to set some usage guides around the basics of your brand. What versions of your logo should be used? At what size? What spacing should be given? How should it not be used? What specific color formulas should be used? What fonts? You can also add examples of work to show how things should be created in coordination with these guides. Some guides also include mission and vision statements, tone of voice, and anything else that pertains to how you want your business identity to be shown to your audience.

You can see an example of a simple brand guideline document with this identity project for Broadway In Worcester.

2. Get the Team Together

Once the brand guide is finalized, set up a meeting with your marketing team, designers or anyone in your company that will have access to working with any of the brand elements from logos to layout. This includes your sales or customer service teams, your receptionist, and even the CEO. For your identity to stay intact it’s extremely important for you to review and explain how this guide is there to help the business put its best foot forward. As long as your company goal is to attract and retain customers and clients (and what company’s isn’t?), everyone involved needs to be moving in the same direction. Having the brand guide as a reference with help.

3. Set a Hierarchy

Others may be involved in helping create the branded marketing pieces for your business, but the final decision on what works for the overall identity needs to be made by one person. Designate who that person is and let everyone know in the meeting what the expectations are for creating new documents with your company’s brand identity. This goes for any outside vendors too. There will be lots of times when you’ll need to send your logo out for a printed piece of swag. Make sure when you get the proof back for review it matches what you’ve set in your brand guide. Check the fonts, colors, placement, and sizing. If the piece doesn’t meet the guide standards, request a revision to correct it. Your brand guide gives you power and control over the first impression of your company. One person needs to be in charge of this.

4. Check Up

As time goes on you’ll create a lot of work for your company that bares its identity. Once you get rolling this work will come fast and furious. Remember to check up on your branding every once in a while to make sure it’s still hitting the bar you set in the beginning. It should still be in line with your guidelines visually and tonally. Again if something comes across your desk that doesn’t sound or look like your company, through up a flag and do what you need to do to get it back on track. To others, this may not seem that important because it’s not their primary concern with their role in the business. However, as the person accountable for the face of the company and the first impression potential customers have with your business, it’s extremely important. To be proud of what you put out in the world as an individual and as a company is contagious. People can feel that. Even if they might not be able to articulate why.

5. Execute, Experiment, Evolve

Your brand style guides, along with your identity are meant to grow. Over time this will happen naturally so you’ll need to check back to your guidelines to make changes as things evolve with your brand. Change can be shocking and frustrating sometimes if it happens too frequently. I would suggest checking in with your brand every quarter at the most or at least yearly. As the business changes, the identity should be changing along with it. Otherwise, it gets too static and forgettable. This does not mean however that the logo should or the main components of color and fonts should change that rapidly. Maybe the graphics are getting stale and need a refresh. Maybe the layouts are looking a bit predictable. Go ahead. Play. Experiment. Break things. Brand identities are constantly evolving. There’s no reason why yours can’t be either. Life is more interesting that way. Just be sure to keep everyone on the same page with any new direction you take.