Brand Synergy

The word ‘synergy’ is often bandied about as an almost meaningless buzzword in a business context, but it does have meaning. The definition on Wikipedia is “an interaction or cooperation giving rise to a whole that is greater than the simple sum of its parts.” and that serves our purposes well.

In regard to the branding of a business, synergy is a vitally important aspect that is often neglected from medium to medium, and this can do subtle, long-term damage to the way your company is perceived.

This often comes down to the problems when a lack of communication hits creative egos head-on, with both refusing to budge. It manifests itself in the marketplace with a muddled and unfocused brand. Whenever we design a logo for a client, that logo comes with what we call a Branding Document. It’s a simple enough, one-page document that lets the clients know what fonts have been used in their logo design and what colors compose the image.

This, along with the rest of the document, tell all involved how to USE the logos properly with a set of simple rules to follow to maintain consistency. And it would be in the best interest of the bran, for all involved to learn that information.

However, what I frequently see is fluid branding that disregards the basic instructions. Stretched logos to fit the space of a sign or banner ad. Websites using off-brand colors or fonts. Print adds that take the logo and clip it into pieces. Minor concessions are made when other people in the chain disregard the branding established and make it up as they go. What you end up with is a jigsaw puzzle where nobody bothered to look at the picture on the box, with others trying to use pictures from an entirely different set. It doesn’t hold together.

The logo never quite looks the same from application to application and usually creates an online presence that has no cohesion from platform to platform. So, as a designer, it’s our job to pay attention to that and take note of the fonts and colors that have already been established to make sure that your logo and branding are consistent across all platforms and applications.

That’s brand synergy. And it’s not a buzzword, it’s essential for your visual identity.

Written by Blog Contributor: Dee Fish