Many components go into developing a brand identity. Most companies are familiar with one of the primary components: the company logo. It is important to have a well designed logo that fits with your company and is easily recognizable. It is also important to ensure that all of your products and advertising literature displays the same logo. If you have a logo that includes a lion on one package, and a logo showing stars on another, you have completely lost the reconcilability factor.

However, more goes into generating a brand identity than just the logo. Every aspect of your company must incorporate the same basic design. Of course, you want to display your logo quite prominently on everything, but that is not what I mean. What I mean is that all of your products, all of your advertising materials, and all of your online media should use the same basic design.

Your website

Do not make the mistake of failing to incorporate your overall design into your website. Some companies invest millions is brilliant ad designs that they plaster all over their literature and in their commercials, only to ignore their online identity. When customers visit that company's website, they see a totally different design than they saw in commercials. That company has lost a prime chance to build their identity in that customer's mind, and they have perhaps failed to make a loyal customer in the process.

When you have your print and television designs made, go a step further and have it integrated into your website as well. When all of your efforts project the same image, it goes a long way to establishing your identity.

Print literature

Another common mistake that companies make is investing mounds of money in designing their ad campaign, and then tries to save money by spending as little as possible in the actual printing of the literature. This is a monumental mistake. The greatest design in the world will fail if it is not properly transferred to paper. In fact, if a poor quality company is used to do your commercial printing, it can do more harm than good. That design that you were so proud of when you saw it on the computer screen can end up looking atrocious on paper, and will turn customers away rather than bringing them in.

Investing in using a tested, quality commercial printer can bring in thousands in added revenue. A good printer will take your well planned design and convert it into an effective, consistent advertising effort.

Your products

Finally, make sure to build upon your efforts by adding elements of your design to your products. When you ship a product to a customer, they have already used your company and paid for your services. Build upon that by putting your logo, and overall color scheme, onto stickers on the package. This will reinforce your identity in that customer's mind. As long as they are happy with the product that they purchased, they will consider their experience with your company to be a pleasant one, and your design will stick in their head.