When you’re running your business and doing it successfully, it’s easy to take for granted everything you’re an expert on. No matter how skilled or seasoned, we can all get caught up in the process and unintentionally be holding ourselves back.
At Matcha Design we’ve worked long and hard to build the reputation of the award winning powerhouse for businesses, non-profits, and brands. That’s because we put our client relationships first. We couldn’t do that without empathizing and understanding the struggles our business owners, operators, and brands face.
Hindsight is 2020— so what a perfect year to highlight some of the more common struggles. No business owner want to shut down for good. This year has brought us all more challenges than ever, which are completely out of our hands.
Take advantage of the opportunities that you can control, so you’ll never miss a step as you climb forward.
You can’t grow your business without changing it.
You know that you need to change and adapt your brand over time, otherwise you’ll be held back as the world takes off to new opportunities. This never means abandoning your rich and rugged brand history, but even the most self-aware companies still hold themselves back and refuse change.
Logos are the first and most residual point of reference between brands and their customers— which is doubly true for the restaurant industry.
Thirteen years ago we were approached by a client that wanted a redesign of their logo. We agreed that a radical step was needed, since their existing artwork was out dated and stagnant in the eyes of their customers.
They didn’t even have a digital version of their logo as we started the project.
Starting with digitizing their original, we presented a series of six options to choose from. These ranged from small changes, into greater and more dramatic leaps.
Restaurants in particular face a unique challenge when considering an aging brand. Everybody eats, which can give confidence and security to some owners and operators… but it’s highly competitive and as we’ve seen this year, subject to rigorous obstacles that can be unforeseen.
The largest factor for success in brand recognition and loyalty is engaging your audience. That means keeping up to date, resonating with the people that patron your products and services, in addition to projecting an image to the public that shows you care about their values.
Over time, major fast food brands have made subtle and dramatic changes to their logos. This is a proactive marketing and brand design effort to stay ahead of the curve, and never let customers think the company is out of touch.
Unfortunately, the client refused to adopt any of the suggested changes and updates to the logo. We were able to digitize their original artwork, which has remained the same.
Had they moved forward on updating thirteen years ago, their brand design would have been on par with major national fast food restaurants today! Brand design is an overall phrase that encompasses a business’ identity. That means how the company looks to the public, the emotion people feel when thinking about stopping by, any future marketing opportunities, and the perceived value of the brand – attracting a higher end customer base.
Choosing the Lowest Cost Option isn’t always Being Rational.
A few years ago we developed a beautiful logo and design on spec for an event center at the top floor of a prominent building right in the heart of downtown.
At lot goes into effective logo design, and part of the process is understanding the brand from multiple perspectives. In this case that included studying their customer demographic, business goals, and the aspects of their vision for the future.
We wanted their logo to tell the right story that supports and promotes the brand identity in a way that people can easily understand at a glance.
The event center market is an incredibly competitive space. Marketing collateral, specifically logos, billboards, and banners on signage really need to stand out.
Unfortunately they chose to go with an option from a different designer, which might have had a less costly solution. While the design itself is competent, it’s not poor work, it doesn’t contrast and stand out in the space.
You can have all the answers people need, and the greatest story on Earth… but if you whisper in a crowded room you won’t get heard.
Unfortunately, this business has long since closed permanently.
A Well Designed Website Will NOT Bring in Customers on It’s Own.
Frequently we’ll work with clients that are fully aware their websites need a makeover. They understand that capacity isn’t something they can execute on their own, so they logically seek out a professional.
Often enough, despite that self-awareness, many organizations don’t know the critical importance of maintaining their website—from the technical side, the design and user experience, or through content marketing.
The misconception that a well-designed website will bring in customers on its’ own needs to be debunked.
Too many businesses will seek out a web firm based solely on their salesmanship. A sales pitch and execution are two different things.
A web design professional should be able to achieve the business goals of your website, show you the path or strategy behind it, and prove it with long track record based on data and reputation.
Some of our long term clients come to us after seeking the services of sales-first design shops that treat every business only as an account number on their ledger. Cleaning up their mess is sometimes a necessary process.
Brand Design for Your Business Needs to Communicate.
At Matcha Design we never create something just because it’s pretty to look at. As our Principal & Creative Director often explains to our clients, design isn’t fine art. It’s not intended for purely imaginative interpretation. It has to communicate, convey a message, and tell a story— a story that helps drive your business goals.
“Excellent design requires demanding research, asking the right questions, analysis, scenario planning, and finally the skills that are required to produce that design to the highest possible standards. With decades of experience, technical know-how, and with hundreds of industry awards, our many returning clients can tell you that we know a thing or two when it comes to design.” — Chris Lo
