What the World Sees: Exterior Branding
Branding comes in many forms, but its purpose is that of establishing identity, being noticed and then being recognized again. Your company may offer the exact same service or product as another, but what sets you apart from them is your unique identity as described by your brand.
Branding a building’s exterior is critical for retail facilities.
- It has to set you apart from your competitors.
- It should make you easy to recognize.
- It reinforces your brand which creates credibility.
Recognition helps gets customers through your door, but a shopper’s decision to seek out a brand and purchase a product is very influenced by the visceral experience of the brand.
A few important things we consider when a client needs their retail store exterior branded:
- Do they have an identifiable store name that has a connection to the rest of the brand?
- Are there visual trademark-Secondary brand “marks” can be very stimulating and make you more memorable. This is in addition to or supportive of your logo.
- Does the curb appeal and store front reflect the brand-For an unmistakable store front there’s a lot of room to get creative, but the goal is to turn the heads that weren’t looking, to affirm your returning customers about your brand and to guide those that were looking.
- Are we using materials and finishes that relate to the brand in some way? If we are working with an organic food store, have we made selections that support “organic?”
The role of exterior branding is to compliment your marketing with the same consistency in message and brand promise that you offer your clients or customers in all other areas.
Consistency in all things visual suggests that your company will be consistent in quality and service. With the majority of human decision making based on emotion it stands to reason that a brand’s consistency is a major influence on customer trust. Trust means repeat customers.
At r.o.i. Design we can help you with exterior branding no matter how small or large the steps you want or need to take may be. We’ve been through it ourselves with our own identity and understand the importance of maintaining customer trust.