Branding a business premises entails various factors that need to be taken into consideration as the design concept is being developed. The days of boring bland office walls and reception lobbies are long gone. Instead, inviting office spaces that closely represent and eloquently relay the brand promise are here to stay, and with it, better ways of communicating the same to the masses. That said, when it comes to branding a business, the factors to consider include:

#1 Corporate Colours

What are the business’s Corporate Colours? What do they represent and what feelings do they evoke from the potential clients? Can they be used in isolation or will a neutral colour be needed to bring it all together? These are but a few of the questions you’ll first need to answer before embarking on the design concept. In cases where the answers are vague, engaging a design agency or focus group will help you get a clearer picture of the viable options. With the corporate colours in tow, identifying the various places the different shades can be applied on to come out with the best possible outcome is the next step. Be it columns, beams or borders to frame a space or interchanging the flooring layout to enhance the same, making sure the business’s corporate colours stand out loud, clear and majestic is the end goal.

#2 Brand Identity

When it comes to Brand Identity, we refer to the logo design and colour combination used to embody any business. Having potential clients recognise your business’s brand using only a handful of hints signifies that the brand visibility has perfectly shown through. The purpose is to always get to the point where all you’ll need to put out is a logo with a few choice corporate colours, and without even mentioning any names, the masses obviously knowing which business is being showcased. Thus, spending adequate time on developing the right logo, that sends the right message and clearly yet simply portrays your business, and by extension its brand, is a necessary investment.

#3 Brand Promise

Next comes the Brand Promise which encompasses your business’s slogan or tagline, mission and vision statements, core values and principles plus product and/or service offerings. Making sure the information is strategically placed on various platforms to maximise the reach is a game changer to not only your potential clients but the office staff as well. Having this information on everyone’s fingertips will help foster a conducive working environment, with all the deliverables being met, and a steady stream of happy and satisfied clients knocking on your doors. However, please note that “strategically placed”, does not imply having the information plastered on every available surface. Let the recipients feel like they are calmly being informed about your brand’s promise as opposed to having it shoved down their throats or worse still, being feeling like they are being yelled at.

#4 Corporate Culture

Last but definitely not least is the Corporate Culture which effortlessly comes to fruition as the brand promise takes centre stage. Corporate culture is in essence all about the working environment, the embodiment of the core values and principles, and tirelessly working towards realising the business’s mission and vision statements. For corporate culture, a slogan isn’t just a catchy phrase but the mantra summarising the traditions, beliefs and deliverables the business stands for or lives by. The way the business premises is branded, in the naming and tagging of the various spaces, and in the layout of the different departments and business functions, light is shed on a business’s corporate culture. Just because the business is in business does not mean it can’t have fun while at it.

As you can now see, branding a business goes beyond selecting colours and plastering your business’s logo on the office walls, taking the time to understand your brand as well as the possible stakeholders will result in successful marketing campaigns and guarantee your business outlives its competitors. So, take the necessary time, do your due diligence, brand your business and reap all the benefits that come its way.

Till next time…Baraka Tele