We’ve already talked quite a bit about the branding dos on our blog, like how to create a brand strategy, what every brand identity needs and inspiring brand identity examples. Now, it’s time to get into the don’ts. Just as you want to follow best practices, it’s important to know which common branding mistakes to avoid — after all, there’s nothing worse than majorly investing in a new brand only to realize it needs to be scrapped or reworked.
Whether you’re creating a new brand from scratch or going through the process of a rebrand, avoid the five following missteps to help guarantee that your brand stays relevant, consistent and right for you for years to come.
5 Branding Mistakes to Avoid
1. Relying Too Much on Trends
A lot of companies think that basing their branding on whatever’s “in” at the moment will help them come across as hip, but this backfires pretty frequently. While it’s good to have a pulse on the design trends in your industry, you don’t want to just copy what the cool kids are doing — I see this happen in the tech industry fairly often. This is especially the case for mid-size companies that are gaining traction but haven’t quite “made it” yet. Organizations like these are often afraid to take risks, and as a result, they adopt the same style as everybody else, assuming that it’s an industry best practice.
But copycat branding isn’t exclusive to the tech industry. One example I’ve come across recently is glasses retailer Zenni. A visit to their site reveals a lot of tired design concepts: monochrome backdrops, minimalist photography, hand-drawn illustrations and a combination of serif and sans-serif fonts. None of these are necessarily bad in and of themselves, but Zenni’s execution falls short. Their visual approach doesn’t really add anything new — just the same style that’s already so pervasive in the direct-to-consumer market.
The problem with trying too hard to fit in is that you almost always fail to stand out — and if executed poorly, your brand identity could look like a cheap knockoff of the brands that are doing it right, or quickly become dated. When developing your brand, ask yourself: Is it unique, ownable and distinct from your competitors? If not, it might be time to go back to the drawing board.
2. Branding That Doesn’t Represent Your Company
Authenticity is everything these days. Consumers are quick to call out brands that exaggerate their claims or pander to their audiences without being able to back it up — there are even entire online communities dedicated to naming and shaming offenders. Still, there are plenty of designers and agencies that develop aspirational brand strategies that position their clients against the competition without taking the time to really understand who they are.
No matter how great your brand strategy and identity are in theory, an inauthentic brand will be difficult to enforce and maintain. And when these inconsistencies present themselves — say, an employee creates an off-message one-pager or sales deck based on their own internal perception of the company — your users will feel confused, suspicious and deceived. Not a great look in this day and age of corporate skepticism. As frustrating as it might be, you can’t just change your target audience’s impression of you on a whim. If you try, you’ll most likely end up losing your customers’ trust.
3. Too Many Stakeholders
I’m willing to bet that you’ve been in a situation where having too many cooks in the kitchen led to chaos. With too many different (and sometimes, conflicting) opinions but no clear leader, processes fail to move forward and mistakes are made. Let’s say you have one agency working on your brand identity, another on your packaging, some freelancers doing web design and your internal team running the blog. Getting all of those different groups properly aligned on how to execute your brand will be a complete headache, let alone developing a brand identity that everyone signs off on and understands.
There’s usually at least one person (or even a whole team) that misunderstands an aspect of the brand, and if that is spread across five different groups, the guidelines become even more muddy and unclear. While you may not be able to do it all with one in-house team, limiting the amount of different groups working on branding as well as allowing them to take the time to get to know the brand strategy and where they fit into it will help ensure that the vision and direction of your brand don’t get lost in the shuffle.
4. Not Spreading the Word
Another one of the most common branding mistakes to avoid? Ineffective communication. In my experience, great branding is usually about 30 percent concept and 70 percent execution — and the key to strong execution is understanding. You can make a big splash about your brilliant new brand strategy, but if you don’t properly educate your stakeholders on how to maintain it, it won’t last long. When working on your brand, make sure to keep everybody who will touch or make use of it in mind. Likely, even the far reaches of your company and partners will need access to at least some part. So how can you effectively spread the word?
To start, they’ll all need to know the basics: messaging, brand idea, logo, color, type, graphic devices, etc. Making the corresponding assets, such as logo files or letterhead templates, widely available and easy to find is essential. Even application-specific information can be handy, like how to enter the hex code for your brand colors in Google Slides or PowerPoint/Keynote.
You can’t just hold a one-time training session and call it a day, though. Give the leads of each team a more in-depth walkthrough of how to use the brand in their work, encouraging them to pass that knowledge onto their current team and any new folks that come in. Come up with a press kit for media outlets, and guidelines for partners. Let people in your company know that they can (and should!) reach out to you if they have any doubts or questions regarding the brand. And don’t hesitate to hold multiple trainings to help drive home the message or provide updates as they surface.
5. One-and-Done Branding
Branding is a massive undertaking, and it can be a long, tiring process. But don’t let that convince you that it’s not worth refreshing. To keep the process smooth, designate a brand gatekeeper to own the guidelines and approve assets accordingly. This doesn’t just extend to your internal team, but also to any partners or media outlets that may want to use some element of your brand, whether that means photos of your team and office or just a logo.
The best way to keep everything up to date is to record when the brand has evolved, and share that information with everyone who needs it. A log at the end of your brand book is a great place to keep track of that information. When something gets added to the mix, like a new marketing template or ad campaign, your brand gatekeeper should make note of it, document images of the updated content, add guidelines or examples as necessary and enforce the new developments. Doing this will preserve institutional knowledge, and ensure that your brand remains relevant and consistent no matter how the stakeholders change over time.
Anastasia Salazar Ltd. is an independent design studio for tailored branding and digital designs. Reach out to learn how we can help you fuel growth and maximize your brand’s impact.