The Importance of Brand Consistency

First and foremost, I am a designer. I went to school and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design — but as mentioned in my last post about The Business Side of Design, you can’t be successful on your own without developing other necessary skills. As I started to take on clients of my own I slowly began to recognize that many people wanted more than just a pretty image. They wanted advice and guidance on the best message, marketing angle, or avenue of execution. As I began to feel more comfortable offering my advice, I also realized people’s overall value of what I was doing increased. I no longer was “just” creating the final image (be that web banner, print ad, brochure, etc…), but was helping them establish and develop their company’s brand (TIP: And that’s when you can start charging more!).

Because many of my clients are small business owners themselves, this all-encompassing approach to design/marketing/branding soon became what set me apart from other freelance designers. And what has allowed me to foster a great group of repeat clients that is essential to my business. Here are some great resources and articles I’ve found over the years that continue to add to my professional development, to this day:

For example, I’ve been working with Capira Technologies for several months now and helped to establish their current marketing campaign. This company just started seeing serious growth over the past 12 months, so its main focus right now is to raise awareness of their products and services and keep the momentum going. By keeping the message and imagery simple, clear, and to the point, the intended audience will better grasp their value and “get” the message quickly without any confusion.

Brochure Design:	Animated Banner Ad:
Tradeshow Kiosk Design:	Print Ad:

A carefully crafted and executed marketing campaign can make or break a company in its beginning stages, and I think Capira Technologies really nailed with theirs.