Branding 101: Why customers always judge a book by its cover

Article written by Darren Hughes, founder of Withoomph.com

We all know the saying, and we all know that we shouldn’t judge people, or books for that matter, on first impressions. But when it comes to brands, like it or not first impressions make all of the difference in the world.

Ultimately, a brand only exists because consumers choose to acknowledge its existence. People choose to begin a conversation with your brand, and therefore choose to begin a relationship with your business. If your brand creates a poor first impression (or worse, no impression at all), you’ve got a lot more work before seeing that customer.

So what constitutes a first impression of your business? Often, your logo is your first impression – your shop window. It’s the public face of your company. Much like the clothes you wear to a business meeting, your logo needs to say “I’m smart, I’m relevant, and I can compete,” at first glance.

For example, think of a brand. Any brand. Likely as not, you have an image of your chosen brand in your mind, and that image is its logo.

Every brand is dependent on image, and a good image starts with a memorable logo design.

For start-ups and small businesses making the right impression from the get-go, is especially important. However, the high costs of employing a design agency and concerns over creative control often push branding and logo design to the bottom of the priorities list.

As understandable as these concerns are, the fact that Twitter paid only $15 for it’s
iconic logo and Nike $35 for its swoosh, shows that paying loads of money for a professional logo and surrendering creative development to someone outside of your business is no longer necessary. It’s your brand, you can creatively direct the design of your own logo yourself through easy tools, such as Withoomph. After all, you did create your website via the same means with Yola. Tell us, what have you done to stylize your logo? What tools or resources did you use?

—

Darren has 18 years’ experience in creative agencies, specializing in a mix of design, advertising and digital works. A letterpress enthusiast, he also worked at Wieden+Kennedy on projects for Coca-Cola global, Nike and EA Games. www.mrdarrenhughes.com. 

Darren is now the founder of Withoomph.com which provides beautifully designed logos instantly with a push of a button. The logos are designed using algorithms by combining graphic symbols, typography and color palettes.