Max Branded Identity Design Services

A flagship product needs a flag. Branding gives your offering a face, allowing customers to have a closer, more intimate relationship with your product. Nearly 4 out of 5 marketing leaders considers their brand a critical part of their success.

Square Max Branded Logo

Get our newsletter

Branding Basics

The word "brand" comes from the Proto-Germanic word "brandaz", meaning "to burn". Initially used in term "branding iron", meaning to burn a mark of a ranch onto its livestock. Then used to claim authorship of artwork, then product origin designation, and now a symbol of the experience of a product.

Branding Basics

The word "brand" comes from the Proto-Germanic word "brandaz", meaning "to burn". Initially used in term "branding iron", meaning to burn a mark of a ranch onto its livestock. Then used to claim authorship of artwork, then product origin designation, and now a symbol of the experience of a product.

Having an indelible mark on your product implies that you are proud of it and stand behind it. Brands have a personality in the style of communication as well as the style of the visual design and colors. Many brands have a mascot, and/or a backstory as well, to add depth of character and help customers relate to the brand. They are a symbol of the product, and as such, become the object of love for those who enjoy the product. The single most important aspect of a brand is what is known as the brand promise. It is the total experience that customers who love the brand expect to get when consuming the product. Brands are about connection, and our focus when designing brands is to find a combination that resonates with the target market.

The Benefits of a Strong Brand

Branding does not just attract, engage, and retain customers, leading to higher profits and greater market share, but also have a positive effect on employees and investors. Some interesting brand related statistis are:

  • 81% of customers report needing to trust a brand to buy a product.
  • 4 in 5 market leaders says their brand is critical to their success.
  • Brand recognition is a primary goal in 80% of advertising.
  • Social media is the #1 market channel to build brand recognition.
  • Brand recognition nearly doubles when using a signature color.
  • 77% of consumers purchase based on brand recognition over product quality and features.
  • 64% of customers feel emotionally attached (affection) to their favorite brands.
  • 93% of people trust product recommendations of friends & family.
  • Nearly 50% of new business can come from referrals, and brand memorability makes it possible.
  • 96% of buyers mention customer service as the primary factor behind brand loyalty.
  • On average, 1 loyal customer produces the revenue of 10 one-time customers.
  • When customers trust a brand, up to 62% of them stay loyal.
  • When new customers are 20% of the existing customer base, retaining 40% of existing customers is worth 200% of the year's marketing budget.
  • Brand recognition is a factor in over 80% of investment decisions.
  • Recognized brands have up to 50% more job applicants (more employee options).
  • Recognized brands have up to 30% lower turnover (better employee retention).
  • Recognized brands have up to 50% lower cost to hire employees.

There are two main types of products, commodities and differentiated products:

Commodities

These are products that are sold based on a standardized price per pound, or unit of volume (grains, coffee, gold, etc.). The perception of the market is such, that it does not recognize a difference between one ounce of 24 karat gold from one source or another. Having a brand is not relevant to the buying decision if the only reason people are buying a product is price per unit of measure, because the next time, the product purchased will be the lowest price again.

Differentiated Products

Products that have unique features that deliver benefits to customers, providing a superior experience when consuming the product are known as differentiated. Highly unique products come to mind. We would never compare the price of a Ferrari to the price of another car based on the weight of the car. But differentiated products include all the brands in the supermarket as well. Even a low price product with a consistent mid-level of quality, could be a unique value proposition, and as such, could differentiate the product from the competition. Commodities are often sold in differentiated marketplaces. For instance, gold may be sold in an exchange that guarantees the purity of the gold they sell, offer safe and convenient transactions, and have a reputation for integrity.

Brand Benefits

Differentiated products that have a consistent appeal to a target audience, can obtain enormous gains by developing an attractive, engaging, and memorable brand. When customers experience the product, they associate that experience with the brand. When seeking the product again, they may recall the brand and know where to purchase it, or can recognize the brand instantly on a shelf or listing among competitors, and the likelihood of a repeat purchase is much higher. Brands also facilitate recommending products to friends and family. Simply put, brands produce traction, attracting new customers, retaining existing ones, and increasing the total market share and stability of a company. Creating brands that resonate with the target market, is one of our specialties.

Visual Design for Brand Logos

Being pretty is one thing. Being attractive to the target market and inspiring confidence in taking a decision to buy, is a completely different thing. Our work speaks for itself.

Visual Design for Brand Logos

Being pretty is one thing. Being attractive to the target market and inspiring confidence in taking a decision to buy, is a completely different thing. Our work speaks for itself.

When a business logo is well designed, it is not just art. Logos must be flexible enough to comply with a variety of needs. A logo must look sharp and organized, and have an element of wittiness. Customers are more likely to take a purchase decision from brands that have those qualities. The design itself creates credibility and sets a tone that is positive to promote customer engagement. A logo must also highlight an aspect (or more than one) of the brand name, in order to synergize with the name to enhance memorability. There are situations, where logos must be used in a single color, and others where the logo will be rendered minimized to a favicon of 16 x 16 pixels. A good logo has the ability to adapt to those business needs.

Designing a brand is much more than creating a logo that is appealing and memorable to the target market. It involves a story, state of mind, and satisfaction that goes beyond the need for the product as a solution to a problem.

Brand Design Process

Ultimately the target audience should see themselves reflected in the brand. Research, testing, and development are the key to get there, and are therefore essential, at the same time, each business has a different budget, which will provide access to different tools that may improve the results.

Creative design image

We cater to small to medium sized business entrepreneurs, to help them avoid making early mistakes in branding that may cost them dearly down the line. Our customers do not have the budget to hire a staff of marketing professionals, so we are aimed at being a high value hybrid. Results that approximate a top level team at a fraction of the price.

Our Visual design process begins with an in-depth interview with the customer regarding the dynamics surrounding their target market. We explore industry trends, competition at various levels, demographics and psychographics of the target market, and the brand strategy.

The initial aim of the design process is to develop a logo that will resonate with the target audience, producing a sense of familiarity and comfort, improving memorability, and promoting engagement with the business interests of the brand.

  1. In-depth customer interview
  2. Research into target market & design
  3. Logo concept development (3 options)
  4. Mid-point customer presentation and feedback
  5. Design fine tuning and color implementation
  6. Final logo presentation meeting
  7. Adjustments and delivery of artwork

Development of Important Brand Assets

A branded marketing message must have continuity with all other assets of the brand in order to reinforce the experience and make the experience more memorable. Some important brand assets to look into are:

Tagline

"A brief, catchy, and witty phrase used in communications that sets a tone for interaction."

Palette

"A set of 3 or less colors that together produce a suitable business setting, per color psychology."

Font Style

"Lettering that is clear and simple, while supporting the message and setting the right tone."

Jingle

"A catchy riff with a pleasant rhythm intended to enhance memorability of the brand."

Mascot

"A cartoon or other fictitious character that adds personality and humor to the brand interaction."

Packaging

"Products delivered in brand packaging tie the excitement into the brand experience."

Imagery

"Visual continuity across advertising and other points of contacts reinforces the message."

Signage

"Window displays, building signs, and all other printed media should tie into the brand message."

Frequently Asked Branding Questions

When people within your customer base have become aware of your product and it’s unique benefits, branding it clearly with a fun, differentiated name will make it so they instantly recognize your offering among your competitors, increasing the chances they purchase your product.

When a brand is established, consumer perception is that the product delivers the brand promise, and other products are somewhat of a gamble. They may work well, but probably not. Products labelled with the brand can command a higher price than competitors offering a similar product, and people will be glad to pay it, and be proud of their purchase.

Interesting Fact:

In the early 2000s, Volkswagen launched a super sedan called the Phaeton, with specs that rivaled the Bentley Continental at half the price. It was the very best VW could offer. But sales fell very short of expectations... You would think that an established brand like VW, at a far lower price, would take away Bentley’s business. But Bentley’s sales were relatively unaffected. The reason is because Bentley is a very strong brand in the segment of luxury cars, where VW is not.

Strong brands develop a following. Customers who have become believers in the brand, fall in love with it, and return to purchase more products consistently. Even friends of the believers have more openness to try the product their friend loves so much. Customer loyalty to brands can be very intense, even to the point where customers can demand a say in the product and development of new products and become angry if they are excluded. It seems like a problem, but it is the contrary. That type of following makes a company extremely stable and allows it to be very profitable.

Interesting Fact:

Kraft Foods was sued over the trans-fat content of their Oreo brand cookies. They agreed to change their recipe to remove the health-risk in their product, only to find an enormous outcry from their loyal customer following, who did not want any alteration whatsoever to the product they loved so much.

When new competitors come into a market, they often are very loud and seem to advertise everywhere, and often try to entice people to try their product and gain new customers by offering lower prices than the established suppliers. Those who built their business based on the argument of price are now vulnerable to the new competitor. Those who developed strong brands will lose the least customers.

When a brand is strong, customers are more likely to remember the product and name, and when they speak with friends who are looking for a similar solution, they share their positive experience with the brand, which translates into greater sales.

When brands take root and become strong, competitors often try to take advantage and impersonate the leader with similar graphics and names. Imitations come out of the woodwork. A brand can receive trade protection from the Patent and Trademark Office, and beneficial rulings in courts of law, including injunctions for those encroaching on the brand and settlement proceeds for damages.

Strong brands are short and memorable, so when they are advertised, people have a greater tendency to remember and share the advertising message with others. Short strong brands also take up less space in ads, which is actually very important. Cluttered ads are less effective.

Studies of Recruitment officers around the world have shown that the brand recognition of the employer has great, favorable influence in the application process. The reputation of a brand that delivers on its promise to the consumer, conveys status upon the employees. The best candidates want to work with the strong brands.

To create a strong brand, we must focus on three things: (1) Market / Industry research, (2) Formulating a brand strategy based on data, and (3) Implementing the brand promise into product features, market communication, and the culture of the organization.

A well designed website must captivate the target audience instantly with a strong visual appeal, then provide the user with a satisfying experience finding what they are looking for, with intuitive navigation, and good rate of flow that converts guests to our desired next step with efficiency. The design must also be optimized for SEO, accessible for impaired users, compatible with mobile and other screen sizes, be free of deprecated technologies, robust in security, and lightning fast.

We require payment as a retainer for the scope of work, which we in turn use to pay for the professional time and resources used creating your design. We need your timely direction as we colaborate building your site. Once the design is finished, we will need you to supply the content (text, images, videos), per guidelines we give you, to fill the available space on pages.

There is an onboarding phase to SEO, in which keywords are researched, a plan is prepared, and modifications are made to the site being optimized. The process can take between 1 and 4 weeks depending on the complexity and magnitude of the project. Once that is completed, the off page SEO, which is an ongoing process, can begin implementation. Usually, customers see growing results within 10 to 25 weeks from the point implementation begins. Direct advertising, through social media, YouTube ads, and search engine PPC, produce instant results, but have a higher cost structure.

There will always be work required to maintain favorable search engine ranking. SEO ranking is similar to the movement of a big ship. When the right things are done, the forward movement begins, eventually getting closer and closer to the top position in search results. But if the right things are not done, the results start being lost. When that happens, it can be hard to recover an upward momentum.

It is impossible to quote an accurate price without a scope of work. That being said, companies that have an established brand and their own in-house online marketing team with a qualified web designer and some SEO / PPC specialists pay hundreds of thousands yearly to maintain the team. With us you can have the power of that team for a fraction of the expense.