Paul Jukes of Vivid Brighton gives marketing advice to new businesses

To boldly go…

Q: I am starting a business and need a logo. What is the process?

A: Your brand is your company’s most important asset and must be viewed as far more than just a logo. When consumers think of your company, what are the things they think about? Society is becoming increasingly more knowledgeable and therefore more critical about brand design and image.

“You must develop a high quality brand identity that reflects who you are as a company”

They have higher expectations than ever before and, with it, a lower tolerance for anything that is not perfect. Establishing a brand should address everything, from your logo, to stationery, to marketing literature and, of course, a website. Every item you produce should maintain a coherent look and feel. You must develop a high quality brand identity that reflects who you are as a company. This does not necessarily mean that if you are construction businesses that you should have a house, or that if you are a lawyer that you should use a scale. Developing a logo goes beyond the actual content, to the style and image you are portraying. Remember, you aren’t just saying what you do; you are also saying how you do it.

The first stage of any logo/brand design project is to truly understand the clients’ needs and objectives. At Vivid Brighton we research the competition, customer demographic and begin to develop initial concepts based on the analysis. While still fairly unrefined, these concepts will convey the rough ideas we have for the project, and encourage the client to provide detailed feedback. In most circumstances, the design phase consists of a substantial amount of dialogue between the designer and the client – sharing ideas, critiquing layouts and engaging in a process of development.

The entire branding exercise will make sure that all the clients’ goals are adhered to; creating a relevant, vibrant and fresh outlook for the company identity. At Vivid Brighton we fully appreciate the financial investment of any branding exercise, and will therefore always aspire to provide the ideal creative and visual representation clients need to generate interest/sales/business growth. We appreciate the more we help with client business success, the more they will request from us, developing a strong relationship of mutual benefit.
Paul Jukes is managing director of Vivid Brighton.
23 Grand Parade, Brighton, BN2 9QB, 01273 604050, www.vividbrighton.co.uk