Why an authentic brand story will see your products sell themselves

Why an authentic brand story will see your products sell themselves

Why an authentic brand story will see your products sell themselves

Brand Story

Consumers often believe that every brand is governed by a single ulterior motive – to sell something, right?

Well maybe not!

When a brand can convincingly argue that profits are just a by-product of a greater purpose, its raison d’etre becomes one of authenticity, elevating it above the competition and, in turn, making it more appealing to consumers.

In the past, businesses could claim virtually anything without fear of being disproved. However, the age of the savvy consumer has forced companies to reconsider their approach and social media has made it much easier to hold companies to account when their products aren’t up to scratch, the service is shoddy or the company exhibits a lack of principles.

In fact, consumers demand that businesses represent something more than just the bottom line! Research has shown that they are more likely to spend money with an authentic brand than with a dishonest one.

But what is brand authenticity?

It can best be described as a set of moral values such as honesty, integrity, consistency and transparency. Some of the most authentic brands hold these values at the core of their business and are never compromised, such as Apple and beautiful design, or Nike and the pursuit of performance. Customers value their integrity and their consistency.

Branding and brand authenticity is no longer a choice for companies who just want to get ahead of the competition. In a Cohn & Wolfe survey to reveal the 100 most authentic brands, it found that 9 out of 10 consumers are willing to take action to reward a brand for its authenticity – 49% pledging loyalty to the brand and 52% recommending it to others, demonstrating how an authentic brand effectively drives customers to its products and services.

If you need to check the authenticity of your brand, a thorough and expert review of it is essential to effectively measure its performance and potential. You don’t need to be perfect to thrive in the marketplace – you just need to be honest. Striving for authenticity may always be an ongoing task, but there’s no better time than now for your brand to get real.

Contact us for a chat so we can arrange a review of your brand.

Think! Associates Limited
+44 (0)1823 423212
studio@thinkassociates.co.uk

Think! Associates Limited
+44 (0)1823 423212
studio@thinkassociates.co.uk

© Think! Design Associates Ltd

Website designed by us, naturally!

© Think! Design Associates Ltd

Website designed by us, naturally!

Which font is best for your brand?

Which font is best for your brand?

Which font is best for your brand?

It seems like an obvious one – but few people often stop to think about what the typeface of your corporate identity says about your business. 

With thousands of different fonts to choose from, even designers appreciate that selecting the best typeface for a design project can be a tricky process. Getting it right can make or break a piece of design work. But why does it have to be so difficult – a letter form is just a letter form, isn’t it? Well yes, it is – but every typeface has its own unique personality and character. 

Different fonts evoke different emotions. For example, a serif font tends to portray tradition, reliability, principle and authority, whereas a sans-serif font has a more contemporary, orderly feel. A script font is elegant, feminine and flamboyant, and a display font is attention grabbing – good for headlines, but not to be overdone!

It’s been said that choosing the right typeface for your brand has been compared with choosing the right outfit to wear – it depends on what you’re trying to say about yourself. Imagine turning up for an event or function and being completely inappropriately dressed for your surroundings: it would likely leave a negative impression on your hosts. The same can be said of choosing the wrong typeface: get it wrong and it can say the opposite about your brand.

Choosing the right font for your company’s visual identity can be quite a tall order: after all, it has a very important job to do. Not only should it reflect the tone and personality of who you are as a business, but the reality of using that font further down the line needs to be carefully considered. For example, make sure that your chosen typeface is available as a webfont – not all fonts are compatible online. 

If you’re struggling to choose a typeface, or if you’re considering refreshing your corporate fonts, it’s worth considering a professional design agency to help you through the enigma that is typographical design. At Think! we use our years of experience and extensive knowledge of typography to guide you through this process of choosing a font and discerning which typeface is best for your brand. 

Think! Associates Limited
+44 (0)1823 423212
studio@thinkassociates.co.uk

Think! Associates Limited
+44 (0)1823 423212
studio@thinkassociates.co.uk

© Think! Design Associates Ltd

Website designed by us, naturally!

© Think! Design Associates Ltd

Website designed by us, naturally!

The benefits of bespoke photography for your brand

The benefits of bespoke photography for your brand

The benefits of bespoke photography for your brand

Beautiful and striking imagery on a website, or in a brochure is a fundamental ingredient of brand communication. But if the images staring back at you seem a bit mundane, perhaps something doesn’t quite ring true or seems overly glossy, then the chances are you may be looking at stock imagery.

Very often, clients simply do not have a bank of suitable photography ready to use in their marketing materials, so we have to turn to stock imagery to illustrate their message. It can work well, saving both time and money. Image libraries are easily accessible, and convenient when there simply isn’t any alternative, for example photography of remote locations, one-off events or obscure subjects.

However, stock imagery rarely offers the ideal solution, can often feel generic, clichéd, and could already be in use by all sorts of other companies, including competitors. Royalty costs can quickly add up, depending on where you buy the imagery and how you intend to use it. So too can the time searching for the perfect image, and even then it might need reworking or retouching before use.

As such, if your piece requires imagery, there should be a consideration in your budget for bespoke photography. Of course there are labour and timescale implications, but these will be outweighed by having imagery that is owned by you and unique to you. The photography can be curated, art directed and styled, forming important assets that will add value to your brand. The benefits don’t stop there, as search engines rank original content over generic content, giving an advantage to your digital presence.

Look at the images on our Us page. We didn’t just search for ‘people in a design studio’ on an image library, as they wouldn’t look like us (not as beautiful, obviously), but they also wouldn’t belong to us. Working with a professional photographer meant we had creative control to get the right shots, that we can use in our marketing collateral as we wish. Also, importantly, they are authentic and tangible – it really is the Think! team and studio in the pictures. Clients will feel more comfortable doing business with us because they can see us, and where we work.

In summary, stock photography is a useful resource which can help convey important messages. Used appropriately it can be cost effective, time saving and add to weight to your communication. But to really elevate your brand, and to garner more attention, bespoke photography should definitely be factored into your marketing strategy.

Think! Associates Limited
+44 (0)1823 423212
studio@thinkassociates.co.uk

Think! Associates Limited
+44 (0)1823 423212
studio@thinkassociates.co.uk

© Think! Design Associates Ltd

Website designed by us, naturally!

© Think! Design Associates Ltd

Website designed by us, naturally!