This Saturday, March 14th, I was invited to go with some family to the Chandler Ostrich Festival. I wanted to check it out last year, when I submitted a logo design for a contest they were having, but something had come up that weekend and I wasn’t able to go. Upon arriving, I noticed right away that the logo they had on the sign was inconsistent w/ the one I saw on the website – it actually used a more festive font, but the same blue bird illustration within a frame.
Once we got in, we were handed a program printed on newspaper, and yet again, was a completely different logo on the cover – this one was completely different than the other two I had seen on the street sign and the website. It was a lot more fun and festive looking, but it also looked kind of like clipart. Take a look at the two main differences of the festival logos:
Why use two logos for one event? It was pretty clear upon visiting the website, and then seeing the mis-matched signage and program that the festival not quite sure how to brand itself yet. There was no real message or tagline that informed me as to who they are or what they’re about that gave me any kind of emotional connection with the festival.
The logo that was used on the website had more of a modern and reserved look, but the one on the actual program, as you can see was completely different. The festive one was colorful, playful and fun, while the other logo was contemporary, and more business looking. Surely they could have stuck a balance between the two and just found one solution. I searched all across their site and found no use of the more festive logo, however, I did see that on the page about their 5K race, they were still using last year’s logo.
Developing a compelling message and consistently utilizing it across all mediums is critical to creating a memorable brand identity and building brand awareness. In this economy you have to utiize every dollar effectively. Not only does a consistent identity help to create awareness, but it also gives the impression that you are organized and have a clear vision. Are you using your brand identity consistently across all mediums and experiences? If not, you’re wasting time, money and brand equity.
So how do you use your identity consistently?
One way that has been used in many corporations for years is to develop a brand standards guide. This is typically a book, or .pdf file that contains your brand history, brand attributes, and logo in all acceptable uses, pantone colors, all acceptable fonts, a consistent grid in which your pages are structured with, among other things. These can be an investment up front to develop, as they do take some time, but the payoff is that you’ll have a guide in which to use across all vendors, mediums and experiences that will keep your brand consistent and build brand equity. When you develop a brand standards guide, you’ll not only create a unified look and feel, but you’ll create a consistent compelling message that people will recognize and remember.