These days, it is just not enough to create a terrific product, offer super service, and have a solid business plan to back you up. Your company image is equally important to the overall success of your business.
Every time you hand out your business card, send a letter, or welcome a client into your office or store, you are selling someone on your company. Even the look of your office helps “sell” your business by conveying an image, whether it is that of a funky, creative ad agency or a staid, respectable accounting firm.
Your logo, business card, signage, and style are all part of a cohesive image program known as corporate identity. And with the right corporate identity, your company can appear highly professional and give the impression of having been in business for years.
In this chapter, we will discuss how to create a corporate image that works.
Office Space
When you are a startup with limited capital, it may be tempting to put all your money into advertising and equipment and skimp on office furniture. How you furnish your office might not seem to matter, especially if your customers will not see it. And if your office is located at home, the dining room table might look like the most logical choice.
But a nicely furnished office is not just a matter of aesthetics. Grabbing whatever furniture is at hand and plunking it down without a thought to organization can put you at a major disadvantage in terms of productivity.
What’s in Store?
Got a retail location? Ask yourself these questions to make sure your store has the “eye appeal” it needs to keep customers coming back:
Are your shelves clean and neat? Is merchandise displayed so people can see it easily?
Is the area around your cash registers or terminals clean and orderly?
Can you find forms, packaging, and related materials quickly and easily?
Are light fixtures clean, bright, and working properly?
Is there plenty of room between counters and shelves so that aisles are wide and free of barriers?
Are glass surfaces clean and floors vacuumed or swept and scrubbed regularly?
Everything in Its Place
Improving your own and your employees’ performance involves a lot more than finding comfortable chairs. It involves placement of offices or cubicles within the building, proximity to equipment, lighting, desk space, meeting areas, privacy, and more. People spend most of their waking hours at the office, so its design has a tremendous effect on morale.
How can you create a high-performance office? The first step is addressing organizational issues of who sits where. The days of big “power desks” and hierarchical corner offices are over. More businesses are turning to flexible environments ideal for small companies where the business owner probably doubles as salesperson. Indeed, many large companies have even done away with offices for executives, instead giving them the window seat on a long row of desks full of, well, everyone who works for the company.
On the Outside
The inside of your office may look great, but don’t stop there. What about the outside? If the first impression a potential customer has of your business is a shabby door or an unkempt parking lot, you’re not sending the right message . . . and all your hard work in designing an attractive, efficient office could be going to waste.
Step outside your place of business and take a long, hard look at the parking lot, sidewalks, windows, exterior lighting, landscaping, and the outside of the building itself. A well-maintained building projects an industrious, professional image. Weeds, trash, broken sidewalks, tattered awnings, dirty windows, dead plants, and overflowing trash containers send the message, “We don’t care.” It might also turn off customers or clients who are wary of entering a location that seems unsafe, desolate, or just unkempt.
Whether you’re in a retail location or an office building, take the time to check the property from the outside, and make sure it’s inviting and appealing every day.
Regardless, with today’s emphasis on team-building, office design is moving away from compartmentalized offices and moving toward large spaces where teams of employees can work. When setting up your space, think about who needs to work with whom and which employees share what resources. If you group those people together, you enhance their productivity. And if you’re more visible and accessible, you’ll be more plugged in to any daily frustrations or challenges (and good ideas from employees immersed in the day-to-day) that you can tackle before they become real problems.
“When I see a barrier, I cry and I curse, and then I get a ladder and climb over it.”
—JOHN JOHNSON, FOUNDER OF JOHNSON PUBLISHING CO.
In addition to maximizing your own and your employees’ productivity, your office may also function as a marketing tool if clients or customers visit. Think about what visitors will see when they come by. Will they be bombarded with noise from one department near the entrance? Or will they see a series of closed doors with seemingly no activity taking place? Visitors should not be overwhelmed by chaos as they walk through your building, but they should see signs of life and get glimpses of the daily activities going on at your company.
Your customers should get a vibe that tells them this is where they want to be, where they want to do business. How you convey that depends on your business type and the expectations your customers have walking in the door. A quiet coffee shop might be best with soft couches and light music playing at the entrance while a cutting-edge marketing and advertising company catering to startups might need a more visual wow-factor and some hustle and bustle upon entrance.
Designing a Logo
Before you start designing a business card or picking colors for your letterhead, you need a logo. Featuring your company name, embellished with a little color and perhaps a few graphic touches here and there, your logo is the most important design element because it is the basis for all your other materials: stationery, packaging, promotional materials, and signage.
Through the use of color and graphics, your logo should reflect the overall image you want your company to convey, advises Interbrand, a brand identity and marketing company. It should give people a feel for what your company is all about—and give them a sense of what they can expect from you.
For example, say your product is an organic facial cream you will be marketing to health-conscious consumers. Your logo should represent your product’s best benefits—being all-natural and environmentally sound. Creating a simple, no-nonsense logo using earth tones and a plain typeface will give the impression of a product that is “back to basics,” which is exactly what you want to achieve. Take that same product and give it a slick, high-tech look with neon colors, however, and people won’t associate your logo with the down-to-earth product you’re selling.
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Evaluate business card designs with these criteria in mind:
• Is the card easy to read?
• Does the design catch your eye? (A good designer can make even an all-type card appealing.)
• Is your name or the business’ name immediately identifiable?
Secrets to Making Your Logo Stand Out
If asked, most of us could name at least a few iconic logos, whether it is Coca-Cola’s cursive script or the charging bull of Merrill Lynch. That’s the point—for a logo to stick in your mind.
“Other people have to be able to speak for your brand,” says Jonah Berger, author of Contagious: Why Things Catch On (Simon & Schuster, 2013) and a marketing professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. “You love your company, you think your company is great, but if you’re not around, what are people going to be able to remember? And what are they going to tell others?”
The best logos have several things in common. Here are Berger’s five keys to a successful logo.
1. Simplicity. “A good way to think about simplicity is how many moving pieces are there in the logo,” Berger says. For instance, the old Apple logo was rainbow-colored, while the current one is rendered in solid black or simple grayscale. That newfound simplicity makes the logo easy to look at, which customers appreciate. “The easier it is to process things, the more we like those things.” For that reason, most brands want to present a simple aesthetic that is easy for consumers to digest.
2. Brand consistency. Your logo will communicate things to consumers about your brand, so you need to ensure that its design fits your company’s overall message. Consider the Apple logo again. A few decades ago, Berger says, “rainbow colors had a certain association [with] being free and easygoing,” but not anymore. Whereas Apple’s old logo connoted the free spirit of an upstart that was taking on staid tech giants, its current position as one of the most valuable corporations in the world calls for the sleek, futuristic logo it has now. “That’s consistent with the message that Apple wants to suggest: We are technology, but we’re friendly technology; we’re easy-to-use technology.” If you’re starting a new company, Berger says, you should put some serious thought into your brand’s key characteristics and how you want to convey them in your logo.
3. Memorability. Memorability is the quality that makes your logo easy for customers to recall, which leads to repeat customers and word-of-mouth, says Berger. Your logo should “help them remember that you exist and what you stand for,” he says.
4. Remarkability. The remarkability of a logo is what makes it “worthy of remark,” cutting through the clutter of your industry to reach customers, Berger says. TalentBin’s logo exemplifies this quality. The logo for the search engine that helps companies with talent acquisition consists of a cartoonish purple squirrel riding a unicorn. While it may seem ridiculous, it has a specific meaning. “In the recruiting industry, a ‘purple squirrel’ is a type of person who is really hard to find,” Berger says. “It’s a way for them to show that they’re insiders, that they know the culture.” The purple squirrel is not TalentBin’s primary logo; it is used internally at conferences and on promotional materials given to people in the recruiting industry. “If you’re an established brand, you may not want a remarkable logo. But if you’re a startup, you need to take a little more risk.”
5. Market testing. Don’t just trust your gut when designing a logo, Berger says. Do market research. One way to test various logo designs is to put out a survey on a service such as Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. “We could throw up a quick study for an entrepreneur for $10, and within a day get a lot of feedback from different people about how heavy or light, fast or slow, a logo would be,” Berger says. The point is not to assume that a given logo is great. Get some independent feedback about whether your logo is saying everything you want it to.
Logos come in two basic forms: abstract symbols (like the apple in Apple Computer) or logotypes, a stylized rendition of your company’s name. Consider Allstate’s “good hands” logo. It immediately generates a warm feeling for the company, symbolizing care and trust. It’s a good use of an abstract symbol matched with the brand. But beware of going too abstract: “Such a symbol is meaningless until your company can communicate to consumers what its underlying associations are,” says Americus Reed II, a marketing professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, who’s conducted research on the triggers that lead consumers to identify with and become loyal to a brand.
The logos of IBM, Microsoft, and Sony, on the other hand, use type treatments with a twist that makes them distinctive. You can also use a combination of both. Alan Siegel, former chairman of Siegel+Gale, a design firm specializing in corporate identity, warns that promoting an abstract symbol can prove very costly for a small business on a budget. In addition, he says, such logos are harder to remember. “A logotype or word mark is much easier to recall,” says Siegel. “If you use an abstract symbol, always use it in connection with your business name.”
Trying to create a logo on your own may seem like the best way to avoid the high costs of going to a professional design firm, which will charge thousands for a logo alone. However, be aware that there are a lot of independent designers, including many who advertise online, who charge much less. According to Stan Evenson, founder of Evenson Design Group, “Entrepreneurs on a tight budget should shop around for a designer. There are a lot of freelance designers who charge rates from $35 to $150 per hour based on their experience. But don’t hire someone because of their bargain price. Find a designer who’s familiar with your field . . . and your competition. If the cost still seems exorbitant, remember that a good logo should last at least ten years. If you look at the amortization of that cost over a ten-year period, it doesn’t seem so bad.”
Even if you have a good eye for color and a sense of what you want your logo to look like, you should still consult a professional designer. Why? They know whether or not a logo design will transfer easily into print or onto a sign, while you might come up with a beautiful design that can’t be transferred or would cost too much to be printed. Your logo is the foundation for all your promotional materials, so this is one area where spending a little more now really pays off later.
Business Cards
Once you have your logo, it’s time to apply it to the marketing items you will use most, such as business cards. A good business card should convey the overall image of your business—not easy, considering the card measures only 2 inches by 3 inches. How can you possibly get a message across in such a small amount of space?
You can’t expect your business card to tell the whole story about your company. What you should expect it to do is present a professional image people will remember. “A business card can make or break a client’s first impression of your company,” says Evenson. That little card makes as much of an impression as your personal appearance—the suit you wear or the briefcase you carry.
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Ask owners of noncompeting but related businesses if you can display some of your business cards on their counters. A pet-sitter, for example, could leave her business cards on the counter at a pet store. Offer to do the same for them.
The color, wording, and texture of your business card have a lot to do with its appeal and its ability to convey your company image. Use common sense when you are designing your business card. If your business markets children’s toys and games, you might try using bright, primary colors and words written in a child’s script. On the other hand, if you run a financial consulting service, then you want your business card to convey professionalism and reliability, so stick to traditional looks, such as black printing on a gray, beige, or white background.
Multiple inexpensive printing services, such as Vistaprint (http://vistaprint.com) and Moo (http://moo.com), offer ideas and basic design templates. Their online tools can be just the ticket for creating a card when you have an idea in mind and a logo in hand. The best course of action: Look at all the business cards you receive and emulate the cards you like. You have more leeway if you are in a creative business, such as party planning or retailing, but in general, keep the following tips in mind:
Use your logo as the basis. Make it the largest element on the card.
Keep it simple. Do not cram too much information on the card.
Do include the essentials—your name, title, company name, address, phone and fax numbers, and email and website addresses.
Make the typeface easy to read.
Stick to one or two colors.
Once you’ve got business cards, make the most of them:
Always give people more than one card (so they can give it to others).
Include your card in all correspondence.
Carry cards with you at all times in a card case so they’re clean and neat.
Selecting Stationery
Every time you mail a letter to a prospective client or to an existing customer, the missive leaves a long-lasting impression of your company. In a service business, your written materials are among your company’s most important marketing items. And if you run a homebased business that doesn’t have a commercial location or sign, introducing your company to clients through the mail can be one of your most effective marketing techniques. The paper stock you choose, as well as the colors and graphics embellishing it, plays an important role in the image your stationery presents to your customers. A neon pink stock may work well for a new suntan lotion manufacturer but not for an accounting service. Your stationery should tie in with your business cards, featuring the same color scheme and overall look.
In the Cards
Business cards don’t have to be boring. If your industry allows for a little creative flair, here are some ideas to try.
Use 4-inch-by-7-inch cards that fold over (like a mini-brochure), cards made of plastic, or cards with photos on them.
Although they are more expensive than standard business cards, cards in nontraditional shapes get attention. Try a teddy bear shape for a day-care service, for example, or a birthday cake for a party planner.
Textured paper can add to a card’s interest (make sure it does not detract from readability, though) as can colored paper. In general, stay with lighter shades that enhance readability.
Thermography, a process that creates raised, shiny print, adds interest to a card. Embossing and foil stamping are two other printing processes that can give your card visual appeal.
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Creating your image can be costly, but you don’t have to splurge on the whole works at once. To save money, start with the key items the public will see immediately. If you expect to attract most of your clients through sales calls, for instance, put more money into your business cards; if you expect to lure people with your sign, put the money there.
Do not get so caught up in the design elements of your business stationery that you forget the obvious. You want to make it as easy as possible for your clients to respond to your offer by making all the information they need readily available. Attach your business card to each letter as well so clients can put it in their Rolodexes or quickly add them to an Outlook contact list for future reference.
Designing Your Sign
Retailers and restaurateurs alike realize the power of a good sign. Some companies rely on drive-by or walk-by traffic for customers, and if that’s the case with your company, your sign may be the most important element of your entire corporate identity.
A good sign must do more than just attract attention; it also has to be readable from a good distance. That’s why your original logo is so important—one that looks great on a tiny business card may not transfer well to a huge sign above your store. Clearly, going to a professional in the first stages of developing your image is essential. If you find out your great logo can’t be reproduced on a sign, you’ll have to go back to square one and rethink it, which will end up costing you more in the long run.
In recent years, a whole host of new signage materials has emerged to provide more variety and individuality. This also means it’s harder to choose among all the possibilities, which include neon, plastic, metal, wood, and more. Do some investigating before making your final decision; there is a wide range of prices for various materials. Depending on your location, sign placement can make a big difference, too. Options include a free-standing sign, a wall sign, a projecting sign, or a roof sign.
Before you head to a sign manufacturer with your design specifications, check your local zoning laws. You may find that the design you’ve come up with for your fried chicken restaurant—a 30-foot neon number in the shape of a chicken—isn’t allowed in your area. If you are moving into a shopping center, the developer may have additional regulations governing signage that can be used in the facility.
Most entrepreneurs need professional assistance with signage since they do not have experience in this area. You probably will not know how big the letters should be to be visible from down the block, and you may not know which materials fare best in inclement weather. For this reason, you should visit a professional—either a designer or a sign fabricator. A good designer knows when fabricators are cutting corners and not using the material requested or doing a shoddy job. A designer will also be present at the time of installation to make sure the sign is properly installed.
The cost of a sign varies greatly depending on the materials, type of sign, and whether it’s lighted. Buying directly from a fabricator can cost as little as $500, but you run the risk of not meeting zoning requirements. If you hire a designer, you’ll pay a design fee in addition to fabrication costs, but you have a better guarantee that the finished product will work for you. Oh, and always copyedit your sign before it’s fabricated. A typo isn’t just embarrassing—remaking a sign will cost you.