What does a branding agency do?

Well, that’s easy. Branding agencies just design logos, don’t they? 

If only it were that simple. 

Given that a brand is how the personality and character of a company are perceived, and impacts all facets of an organisation, it’s good business sense to ensure your branding is right, from look and feel to tone and voice. This means getting the professionals in.

While it’s a no-brainer for some CEOs, others remain sceptical. So let’s take a closer look at what a branding agency can do for you. If your agency is doing all of the following, then congratulations, you’ve chosen well. If not, however, it might time to start asking some questions. 

Let’s start at the beginning. A branding agency takes the whole concept of an organisation, distils its key elements, and brings these to the fore to create a narrative with which to amplify the brand’s message.

Many people assume this is merely a creative process with design work as the end result. However, before the design and creative work comes the strategy – a cohesive framework and path for your business as designed by a team of experts.

That team is made up of thinkers, writers, digital designers, graphic designers, and client service professionals collaborating together as well as enjoying an open dialogue with the client, on all aspects of the brand development. Naturally, this covers design work, but it also extends to communications, marketing activities, customer touchpoints, brand messaging – anything where the brand has an impact with the end-user.

This team of experts has a depth of experience and knowledge from working across different industries and sectors, so can take a neutral view to look beyond the confines of an organisation’s specific area of practice. Working with a diverse group with a broad outlook is where the magic starts to happen and where a branding agency starts to offer real value. 

Additionally, and crucially, an agency is independent. This neutrality means they take a professionally independent view – we can be honest, and we can critique, both ourselves and our clients. We’re not just ‘yes’ people telling the CEO or MD simply what they want to hear.

So, we have the design chops, we can create a strategy, and we can bring fresh ideas to the table. What else? 

A brand should be seen as a living, breathing entity. It’s never complete, or just left on the shelf to gather dust. It’s forever evolving, developing, reacting to market and consumer trends. Your branding agency knows this, and should constantly be monitoring the landscape to ensure your brand stays relevant and retains its identity and significance.

Of course, with all this taken care of by your partner agency, you and your teams can focus efforts on other critical areas of your organisation, such as training, production, recruitment, sales performance, and so on. Your marketing guys are freed up to put their energy into getting your messages out to the world, raising your profile to bring in sales toward a magnificent return on your investment in branding.

So. Branding agencies. Slightly more, then, than designing a logo or two...

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