Auditing your Brand
Graphic Designer & Branding Specialist Gio Petrucci, founder of GIOGRAFIK, shares tips for developing a strong visual identity for all of your brand’s assets.
“Design is the silent ambassador of your brand.”
(Paul Rand, best known for his corporate logo designs, including the logos for IBM, UPS and Enron.)
Let’s face it … There’s a ton of visual content out there today. It’s more important than ever to visually depict your brand in a way that differentiates your offer and builds trust with your target audiences.
I know this firsthand… I’ve worked with 200+ brands that range from international corporations like Amazon to local businesses - each with their own unique message and offer. I collaborate with my clients to help them assess their brand with the bigger picture in mind.
And I always start off asking the same question: When you think about your brand, what comes to mind? Your logo? Your colour? Your website? Or do you step back and think about all of the assets in your business offer, and how they reflect the personality of your brand?
The bigger picture
I send my clients a questionnaire that helps them, and me, clarify key factors about their business, their goals and their brand differentiators. I start with questions like:
What inspired you to start your business? What passion drives it (your mission)?
What specific goals do you have to achieve in order for this to happen?
Where would you like to see your business in 6 months? A year? 3 years? Why?
Drilling down
From there, I delve into specific touchpoints, and the assets involved, that will deliver the brand experience. This could include:
A Social Media Kit: includes any and all branded assets for all digital platforms, including your website
Print Materials: can include but not limited to signage, cards, flyers, vehicle wraps
Customer-facing Digital Documents: includes invoices, web banners, ads, social media posts
All of your assets need to be aligned with your brand. This may seem like running a marathon, but taking on just a little at a time will get you across the finish line sooner than you think… Start with the most basic touchpoints, and build out from there.
Next steps
Here is the link to the questionnaire I mentioned above that can help you develop or reassess your branding from a design perspective: https://www.giografik.com/client-questionnaire
This form will guide you in providing the information needed to make your brand identity unique and effective.
Gio Petrucci
GIOGRAFIK
Graphic Designer & Branding Specialist
gio@giografik.com
linkedin.com/in/giopetrucci
instagram.com/giografik
