Branding Series Part Four (of five)
Written by Eleanor Harms with contributions from our Design team
We still can’t answer that – but we’re getting closer… In the penultimate installment of our series on brand fame, we delve into creativity and look at how design can set brands apart in the life science space.
Branding communicates what your audience should expect from your business. Done correctly, it demonstrates not just what you do, but who you are as a business, what you stand for, and what sets you apart from your competitors.
Branding covers everything from your logo and visual style right through to tone of voice and key messaging.
A clear and defined brand strategy will bring all these elements together forming a creative and unique approach that not only speaks directly to your intended audience but helps you stand out in the life sciences space.
Building on your brand’s tone and style using creativity can feel daunting but it’s all about balance. Pushing creativity too far risks alienating your audience but playing it safe could see you getting lost amongst your competitors, or even worse getting left behind.
The first impression of your brand often develops following interactions that happen online, therefore the importance of creativity cannot be overlooked.
For your brand to be successful both online and offline, you need a flexible identity that can grow with your business and is able to adapt to challenges and changes in the life sciences space.
If you’re not looking to overhaul your brand in its entirety, you can start small by introducing new elements like color, a graphic device, typography, or refreshed photography.
Re-visiting your brand strategy at regular intervals offers the opportunity to re-evaluate your brand story, values, and value proposition and to check whether your content and messaging is delivering and if you’re saying the right thing, to the right audience, in the right way. This evaluation will enable you to make small changes that can make a massive difference to how you are perceived and to how you communicate with your audience.
It’s easy for creativity to lose its potency over time. It can become diluted by being over or underused.
Once you have developed your brand, spend time creating a set of brand guidelines and a clear brand manual – these are imperative to the survival and growth of your brand’s creativity. They are important tools for people inside and outside your organization to refer to and use and will ensure your brand is represented consistently.
Your brand guidelines should cover practical creative applications, your tone of voice, company values, and communication style.
Your identity and creativity must be at the core of all your communication. From social posts to customer service, every interaction with your brand should be consistent.
By striving for instant brand recognition you will ensure that your brand is noticed, memorable, and remains present in the minds of your audience. Raising recall to above your competitors you will stand out from the crowd in the noisy life science space.
When creativity is expertly evaluated and applied it will amplify your brand and take you one step closer to brand fame.
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