How to stand out in a crowd

EFFECTIVE BRANDING IS THE KEY

Imagine a crowded marketplace with many tables full of products. One of those tables is yours. How do you catch the attention of people walking by? How do you get them to buy? How can you encourage them to come back and buy again?

Those are questions that have been asked since marketplaces have existed. Fortunately, there are now answers to the questions that are based not only on experience but on scientific research. It’s a good thing too, as today’s marketplace is complex, and getting more so every year. Standing out in a crowd is harder than it’s ever been.

It’s Kris Remick’s job to make Service Credit Union stand out in the crowd. As Creative Services Manager, she oversees the Service CU brand identity, or how the company is perceived from a visual perspective. With 10 years of experience at the credit union, she knows what works and what doesn’t.

What does work, Remick says, is “differentiating yourself.” She explains that it could be as simple as a restaurant having “the best soup in the area” or as complex as a company creating an identity with a common thread of branding that ties together all the elements of their business, from visuals to experience and product.

Kris Remick, Creative Services Manager at Service Credit Union, oversees the company's brand identity.

BRANDING BASICS

One of the elements of that branding is the company’s logo. “I think it can be the most important,” says Remick. “It really speaks to what type of business you have.” And, she adds, with all that’s competing for a potential customer’s attention, that’s something that needs to be communicated quickly.

To do so, she says, “Keep the logo simple. You don’t want to have a logo that’s difficult to read. You want something you can look at and know right away what it is.” In fact, studies have found that first impressions take just two seconds to form. In that amount of time, people can decide whether to engage — or not.

A brand mark, like Service Credit Union’s member star, can also quickly provide information about a company. Think, too, of Apple’s apple, the Nike swoosh or the Amazon smile. “They don’t even have to say their name,” Remick says.

The need to communicate quickly also applies to signage. “Again, keep it simple,” Remick says. “Realize that people are going to be reading it from a distance, so you want to make it quickly recognizable. Part of doing that is having a font that’s easy to read. There are some fonts that are really condensed and hard to read. Also, if you’re working with somebody on signage, and they tell you, ‘Oh, we can fit that word on there, we’re just going to squeeze it in,’ that’s probably a bad idea.”

It’s not just signage where font choice is important — it’s important in all aspects of your branding, because different fonts create different impressions. Consider what Remick describes as “an old-style font, the serif font that you’d see in an old book” and what kind of impression that makes. Then, consider a sans serif font like Helvetica, which has more of a clean, modern look. Another element is the weight of a font. “You can have a big, bold font, or you could have a lighter-weight font. That speaks to your company’s voice,” Remick says.

A company’s “voice” is the way you connect with your customers. “It’s not just how you speak, and it’s not just what you say,” Remick says, “It’s how you combine language and tone.” And how you do that can depend on what kind of business it is. If it’s a law firm, for instance, Remick says she would expect “a serious, factual tone.” Other businesses can adopt a more informal, conversational tone. Either way, the company’s voice “gives you a glimpse of who they are.” She adds that a company’s voice should be consistent no matter the channel of delivery — print, website, social media, even email and phone calls. The experience should feel familiar across all platforms.

Another aspect of brand identity is color. Take the color palette of Service CU, for instance. When Service CU first went into business in 1957, its mission was to provide affordable credit to airmen and their families at what is now Pease Air National Guard Base. The color palette for the brand identity back then was a patriotic red, white and blue. But, over the years, as the reach of Service CU expanded to other populations, people often thought, because of the colors, that it was still a military credit union. To encompass all of its members, the company updated its color palette. It retains the blue of the original palette but adds in turquoise. “It adds a bit of modernity and energy,” Remick says.

How do you choose the right colors? Think about what color works well with what you want to convey. Remick says, “If you had a yoga practice, you don’t want to use fire-engine red because that’s going to be too bright, too alarming. You’d want more muted colors, more earth tones, because they make you feel calmer.” However, if a bright color is right for your company, it can be used to catch people’s attention. “If you have company vans with bright branded colors, they could act as easily recognizable visuals to reinforce your identity,” Remick says.

Employees are an important part of the brand as well. “They’re advocates of the brand, advocates of the company,” Remick says. “At Service Credit Union, it’s about a relationship with our members and how we serve them. It’s a really personalized experience. We work daily to develop our brand across all aspects of the Credit Union, especially the relationship we have with our members.”

HOW TO GET STARTED

Making decisions about how to brand a new company can be overwhelming, but Remick says there are ways to simplify the process. First, she says, think about where your customers will be coming from, how you plan to convey information and what’s important for them to know about you. Keep in mind that whatever you decide to do visually is a representation of who you are; it’s a piece of your brand. As Paul Rand, renowned designer of corporate identities, once said, “Design is the silent ambassador of your brand.”

Next, begin the work of designing your visual identity, something that can be daunting if the services of a professional are unaffordable. Says Remick, “If you don’t have a lot of money, just do a little bit to begin and then build from there. Remember that your identity should complement who you are as a company.”

Start with a name and some colors. Play with different fonts. Create a simple logo. Set up a website with the templates that are available. It doesn’t have to be fancy, Remick says. She tells the story of a famous designer who ripped up old comps, wrote his name on each piece and handed them out as business cards.

If you want professional design work, there are two ways to get it. “Independent designers can help you put some assets together,” Remick says. “If the cost isn’t as much of a concern, or if you’re a bigger company, agencies can work with you to get your brand in place.”

While design is a big part of branding, Remick says think of the whole experience: “The way your employees talk to people, the way you talk to your employees, the products and services you have, and everything you do all day long, no matter if it's customer-facing or not. That is who you are. Your brand is the thread that ties it all together.” n