Consistency. Consistency. Consistency.

With branding — as applicable to most things in life — consistency is everything. Whatever your brand message, the unified tone, visuals + offerings will help build recognition and loyalty amongst your customers.

Brand touchpoint for Little Bite of Sugar, a Toronto custom cookie shop

Start at the core, naturally.

Can you summarize the essence of your business in one sentence? Avoid overcomplicating the message. The goal is to highlight the single most important message. Your logo and branding will follow — a clear and distinct message.

Core value defined. Now what?

After defining your core message, a series of steps are taken to develop your suite of visuals. These graphics will be strategically designed to accurately represent the essence of your business. They can include a logo, patterns, submarks, icons, alternate logo lockups and the list goes on. What connects these graphics, is their unified look and feel. We establish that through tone, colour, shape and typography.

As people, we are programmed to recognize patterns. Therefore, a consistent brand is a strong brand. And, when your business is "on brand", it is successfully delivering the same experience with every interaction. This allows people to gain your trust and become loyal customers.

What happens if you don’t give your audience consistency?

If you don't have a consistent brand you're not giving your audience the opportunity to connect. A fragmented brand will be forgettable. Consistency is memorable. After all, don't we all just want to be first-in-mind?

How to ensure consistency once the brand is developed:

You've got a core message and a stunning visual identity that represents your business. Now what? With every Studio 3 package, you will receive a brand guideline. A guideline helps businesses set boundaries and ensure a unified look. The guideline outlines key information including your various logo versions, colour codes and font details. For more in-depth brand projects, the guideline is a multi-page package, which includes more extensive details. The guideline is a resource for the team, breaking down the details of the visual brand identity. The document ensures clarity, consistency and a straightforward strategic vision, directly tied to the business’ core values. Easy-peasy.

Have a look at your favourite brand. What makes it stand out for you?

As a small business, what can I do with the resources I have?

Consistency can be done on a small scale. We've already discussed the value of a succinct message, and working with a designer to create a visual identity package. We've also discussed a brand guideline, which should be included when you receive your logo suite. With those tools, consider every touchpoint between the customer and your brand should be calculated.

For case study examples, please see Mikki Rae Little Ones