Be Braizenly Different | Braizen | Branding & Design for Small ...

In the early 1990?s, I noticed in an aspect of my teenage existence that, at the time (and still today), seemed hugely important. Like most teenage boys, I was obsessed with music. This was the heyday of the compact disc and I spent every spare cent on new albums. Groups like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins and Radiohead signaled a significant shift in the musical paradigm. They also signaled an evolution in the music industry.The groups from that era that have remained relevant (barring devastating suicides or band break-ups) are those that have maintained a creative edge and, in the words of branding guru Marty Neumeier, aren?t afraid to zig when everyone else zags (see?Radiohead).

In his branding overview?The Branding Gap, Neumeier recognizes originality (creativity) as?the?driving force behind any successful brand. He notes, ?would-be leaders in any industry must come to grips with a self-evident truth-you can?t be a leader by following.? Unfortunately, in an economic environment (and, logically, a whole society) obsessed with short-term, instant gratification, businesses are more likely to follow trends rather than blaze new trails. (see alsostay the course, safety in numbers, you first). The consequence of this ideology is a crowded market in nearly every industry operating today-from small, independent ?boutiques? to the largest corporate identities. In short, repetition and redundancy is the norm. Ironically, it?s also bad for business.

If you talk to business owners about what makes ordinary businesses dynamic, most will agree that creativity is the nexus for every success story since Henry Ford. Yet, were you to ask those same business owners if they would be willing to take a creative chance in some aspect of their business, most would, contrary to what they just said, resist, resist, resist. Why? Well, to put it plain and simple, creativity requires risk and risk is not a popular term in business. It?s a catch-22, but one that business owners at all levels must address. The path of least resistance can possibly yield immediate, albeit short-term, results-it requires little risk, little expense, and can buoy a business just enough to turn a profit. The road less taken is treacherous and can lead to great long-term gain ? it can also land you in a pit of venomous snakes (see?Indiana Jones).

Nowhere is creativity and originality more important than in brand development. Your brand is the identity of your business. It?s the gateway between you and any potential client or customer. You?re not only competing for their business, but you are competing for their business in a market flooded with hundreds, if not thousands, of other businesses offering the same or similar products as your own. In this flooded market, it?s your brand that initially sets you apart. If you?re just doing what everyone else is doing, you are doomed to get lost in a jungle of branding clich?s.

Don?t hang your head. It?s only natural. Imitation is, after all, the finest form of flattery. No doubt, you have a list of competitors or fellow businesspersons whose work you respect and whom you know to be great businesspeople. You want to harness some of their magic for your own business and, so, you look for ways to incite the same response in your potential customers as they do in theirs. If it works for them, why not? Well, that?s the damnable thing of it. It doesn?t work for YOU. Their brand is their brand. Chances are, if they are a larger business that is respected and successful, they have used their resources to develop a true brand identity. It?s THEIR brand built on their unique products and perspectives. And, unfortunately, you aren?t the only competitor to be inspired by their website. Everyone else is too and those businesses are using the same design for their brand just like you are. And so it goes, on and on, until ? well, you get the picture.

This brings us back to another gem of wisdom from Marty Neumeier: ?without fresh thinking, there?s no chance of magic.? Truer words ? Originality is a risk, but it?s a risk worth taking. And, if done properly, the risk involved greatly decreases. It?s not that you need to design your brand and website and stationery-you?re not a designer. You?re a (enter industry moniker here) and have your own business to run. However, you can make an informed, sound investment in a trusted design firm to create something for you. And if you?re already working with a designer, here?s another bit of wisdom: you must learn to conceptualize the world in a new light. Come to your designer with a vision for YOUR business-a vision independent of what ?everyone else? is doing. It?s okay to appreciate design elements in the brands of other businesses in your industry, but never say ?I want something like ?? No, you don?t. You want something solely representative of you and your philosophies on your products and your company.

At the risk of wringing Marty Neumeier dry, let?s have one more piece of wisdom from this branding guru: ?To achieve originality we need to abandon the comforts of habit, reason and the approval of our peers, and strike out in new directions [?] creativity doesn?t require rethinking the wheel, but simply thinking in fresh ways.? More specifically, Marty is talking about seeing the unique qualities of your business and using those qualities to shape a business identity. So, when you are thinking about your brand think of it in terms of who you are as a business owner, and an individual versus who you are in relation to another business identity. You don?t want to be like anyone else-you want you and, by extension, your business to be exactly what it is and communicate that wonderful, beautifully unique identity to your potential clients. You don?t want to be the Monkeys. You want to be the Beatles. Be YOU. Be YOUR brand.

Source: http://getbraizen.com/2011/08/be-braizenly-different/

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