How to Effectively Design Your Business Image > NetSparsh

Home
>
Small Business
>
How to Effectively Design Your Business Image

How to Effectively Design Your Business Image

In many industries, image is one of the last things business owner looks at. If business is not booming, they assume there is something wrong with the sales method, as opposed to the image. "If we just sent out a few thousand more fliers" they say, "we will get some more clients". When in reality, they should be looking at how the message they're sending to their target market is perceived in the first place. Here are a few pointers to look at:

-Color-

Colors evoke innate responses, which means not all colors are suitable for all business types. How does red make you feel? Angry, in pain, tense? It's tricky. In the financial industry red is negative (in the red). In the world of health, red can represent discomfort, not good for people offering pain solutions. In fitness, red is very sporty and stimulating. How about blue? It tends to be calm and soothing. Blue can range from fun and playful sky blue to dark, corporate navy. Green is often associated with natural things, or 'go' and money ? depending on the shades.

Yellow/orange/reds/browns in combination stimulate the appetite - think fast food and candy bars. Red is tricky. In some instances red means power and is striking. Purple can very easily go from sophisticated, royal aubergene to kid's grape (Barney). Orange is still a little weird and often used as a shocker, not as the dominant color. The only industry that can get away with almost any color is Tech.

-Personal Preference VS Market Preference-

People often let their own personal tastes rule their image decisions One's color preferences and styles may not suit the audience they are targeting. What style of design appeals to you? Now imagine that in the eyes of someone quite different, like your grandmother.

For example: being too sporty and athletic when your target is professional businesspeople. Too earthy and organic when your target is average Joes. There may be imagery that means a lot to you in your profession, but doesn't mean much to your target market. It may even scare them. Step back and look at your business as if you've never encountered it before. Imagine what might attract clients, or help explain simply what you do. Realizing that your image needs to portray a certain message to the general public, not the you or your colleagues, is the first step to image success.

-Looking "New"-

Just because you've only been in business for a few days, doesn't mean you have to look like it. Having a well put-together public image will build trust and a solid reputation. Taking a little time and care instead of quick 'good enough' fixes will help you appear more established. Potential clients may not consciously pin point it, but they will pick up on the homespun factor or the generic Staples business cards. How does that affect your credibility? It is good to get your name and information about your business out there. However, when it comes to points of contact like brochures and web sites, if they are messy and difficult to read, they aren't doing you any favours. There are professionally designed, inexpensive web templates that can do a great job until you are ready for a custom web site. Find a real printer and ask them have a look at your layout and make sure your type isn't falling off the edge and that the images sharp.

-Looking like everyone else-

You have a lot of competition. If everyone in your industry uses the same symbols and goes for the standard solution, how will you stand out? What makes your business unique? Is it the name? The location? Is there something meaningful to you that you could incorporate into your identity that shows your uniqueness, or that speaks to your target audience? Maybe a new take on an industry symbol. It could be as simple as having a blue card with a different typeface. Imagine this amongst a sea of black and white, times roman everything centered cards.

-Looking good on a shoestring budget-

If you can't hire a designer there are a few things you can do to help look like a pro. Have things printed professionally ? it is much better than your bubble jet. Don't make all the type gigantic. Give everything some breathing room by not butting up against the edge of the page or pictures. Line things up. Look at the competition. Compare your work to professionally designed material and try to notice the differences that make theirs look cleaner. Put your own tastes aside and ask your target audience for their opinions and then listen to them.

Faith Seekings is the owner of Faith Seekings Design. She works with business owners to help align their business goals with their business image. She can be reached at 416.368.8956 or email faith@faithseekingsdesign.ca

About The Author

Faith is a graphic designer trained at George Brown College in Toronto. With more than 8 years' experience as a designer and project manager, Faith has created logos, stationery, advertising campaigns, ecommerce solutions, websites and collateral material for a host of clients, including: Rogers Cablesystems, Daniels Properties, Zona Health, Nooro Online Research, Agent Wildfire, Nymity Privacy Services and more. Faith is a skilled designer with a keen eye for the strategic as well as the tactical elements of graphic design.

faithseekingsdesign.ca

faith@faithseekingsdesign.ca

In The News:

This RSS feed URL is deprecated, please update. New URLs can be found in the footers at https://news.google.com/news

Entrepreneur
Feeling Confused by the New Tax Law's Small Business Provision? You're Not Alone.
Entrepreneur
I've been a small business accountant for 30 years, long enough to see just about all there is to see when it comes to the U.S. tax system. But, never in my three decades have I seen the level of confusion and disarray caused by the small business ...

and more »

The Atlantic
The Never-Ending Struggle to Sustain a Small Business
The Atlantic
... one of a few small businesses that helped build a vibrant block in a then-rough part of Prospect Heights, Brooklyn—before a wave of development gentrified the neighborhood, and a new landlord decided to sell the building where her business was ...

USA TODAY
Mr. President, separating children is a business value, too
USA TODAY
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump spoke before an organization that often purports to represent small business, attempting to gin up support of the small business community for his policy of separating immigrant families. As someone who has worked ...

and more »

Forbes
The Dos And Don'ts Of Growing Your Small Business
Forbes
Growing your business is an exciting task. It means customers are receiving your business well and you're bringing in a profit. But, growing your business can be intimidating. Many things have the potential to go wrong. That's why you need a plan. When ...

CPAPracticeAdvisor.com
June 2018 Small Business Channel
CPAPracticeAdvisor.com
www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/12413166. As Business Revenues Grow, Hiring Becomes a Challenge. Small business owners are overwhelmingly optimistic about the financial outlook of their businesses and the national economy, but many are facing ...

Small Business Credit Card Trends And Their Future
Forbes
A few short years ago, business credit cards were less than four percent of the total number of credit cards in existence. However, those cards did account for $430 billion, or about 1 in every 6 dollars spent via general purpose (or consumer-oriented ...

Forbes
How To Ensure Your Small Business Isn't A Failure Statistic This Year
Forbes
While two-thirds of Americans dream of opening their own small business, recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals that approximately 20% of small businesses fail in their first year, and about 50% of small businesses fail in their fifth ...

The Hill
Making tax reform work for small businesses
The Hill
As millions of U.S. small business owners pay their second-quarter estimated taxes, last year's tax reform law would suggest they should be paying less and keeping more of their hard-earned money. The problem, which we and other small business ...

Central Penn Business Journal
YCEA summer interns launch a grant program for small businesses
Central Penn Business Journal
The York County Economic Alliance is working to engage the county's student population with the small business community. And to do that, they've enlisted a handful of the county's students as summer interns who are looking to use YCEA funds to invest ...

KCRA Sacramento
75 California small businesses honored for their success
KCRA Sacramento
Seventy-five small business owners were honored in Sacramento for having model businesses in California, including NorCal Gun Vault in Rocklin. Advertisement. Watch the report above for more. 75 California small businesses honored for their success.

Google News

How to Effectively Design Your Business Image

Small Business Small Business