Is Brand Design Consistency A Myth?
Zaheer Dodhia, CEO of Logo Design, is an entrepreneur whos launched multiple startups including ZillionDesigns, 2ndBazaar, and PCStore. getty  These days, were all looking for stability. And just when we need it the most, it seems harder than ever to find. It isnt just a question of reliability in our jobs, living situations and families. Sometimes its the little things that add up, like knowing that a Starbucks logo means you can get a caramel macchiato or knowing that the golden arches mean you can get a cheap hamburger. Brand design consistency has several factors. And despite my references to big, consistently-branded companies, brand consistency can be such a challenge that some might think its next to impossible. When Consistency Becomes A Challenge  Consistency, reliability, harmony  all of these are qualities that I would want to promote in a brand. But marketing a brand as these things doesnt mean much unless the brand follows through. Brands have to put their money where their mouth is when it comes to these promises. Brand design is consistent when a brand delivers the same messaging in line with the same brand values, promises and identity over a period of time. Some variation is expected, and it can even be healthy, provided that it follows a set strategy. The point of brand design consistency is to avoid giving your target audience whiplash. They should know what to expect from your brand, and your brand should prove it's reliable. But consistency can be a challenge for a number of reasons:   Budgeting And Supply Changes: This was highlighted drastically in the past year and a half as changing world conditions hit small businesses hard and even altered the growth of big corporations.  Difference Of Vision: Very few of us have the final say in running our brand, and its almost inevitable that someone in a position of authority will have a different view of the brand than we do.  Change In Content Creators: A big part of brand design is the messaging, which requires careful attention to tone, word use and on-brand content. Not all content creators are created equal, so the way a new creator writes for your brand may not be quite spot on when it comes to messaging.  Technical Variations: Presentation varies from platform to platform, especially comparing websites to social media. Colors may be rendered differently, fonts may not load correctly, and spacing and formatting might be dodgy.  Consistency Is In The Eye Of The Beholder: Brand design encompasses all aspects of branding, not just visual design. A brand is made up of every point of contact with the customer. So if a customer misses a gradual brand design change or the announcement of rebranding, it could cause a disjointed feeling, which wouldnt necessarily be the fault of the brand design itself. Each of these provides a unique challenge to developing and maintaining a consistent brand design. No one can completely eradicate every aspect of these challenges, but you can manage them by thinking ahead and building them into your branding strategy. None of these reasons have to be the reason that brand design consistency is a unicorn; careful planning and execution can put the consistent brand design back in reach. Consistency Is Key To Brand Recognition  And theres a good reason why none of us should stop reaching for consistency  its key to brand recognition. You cant be consistent with just one application of a brand design; it isnt enough to prove consistency. For the same reason, you cant ensure brand recognition with just one viewing of your branded material. It has to take place over time. That means leveraging your visuals, like your logo. Some of the entrepreneurs Ive worked with have a pretty narrow view of where a logo should be used, but the fact is that your logo is the single major identifier for your brand. Many logos are blue because the color helps in brand recognition. Your audience expects to see your logo color, so using it liberally is a key component of building consistency. This next point should be self-evident, but Ill mention it anyway. Ive found that its so important to brand consistently across all platforms. This is another unique challenge because different platforms appeal to different demographics, and that information is useful for making the most of your marketing. If you want to reach a female audience age 25-34, focus on Instagram. If you want to reach a male audience age 30-49, focus on Twitter. And so on. But even with those demographics in play, its still more important to keep consistency as your goal in your social media posts. The message, values, promises and identity of your brand shouldn't change at the whim of the platform. Allowing for large fluctuations in brand design will scuttle your recognition and undo the work youve put into developing a consistent presence. I guess the answer really depends on who you are and how you handle your brand. The short answer is, it doesnt have to be. Theres no getting around the fact that consistency in brand design is a challenge. But it isnt impossible. Awareness of the specifics of the challenge and proactively building them into your branding strategy can turn consistency from a unicorn to a horse: steady, useful, reliable and definitely not mythical. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders.