Truth in Branding
People have incredible lie detecting antennae. These feelers give people a sense of who you are and what your company is about from the very first seconds that they experience your brand. This initial experience can be through the web, an email, a brochure or pamphlet, tv, radio, or even word of mouth. If you’re lying, misrepresenting yourself, or pretending to be something you’re not, people will pick up on it and it will negatively impact your brand.
I had a client come to me several years ago wanting an identity package and a website for his window washing company. I was a young designer, so I was thrilled with the work that found it’s way to my inbox. At this point in my career I was actually mouse cursor inside a graphics program which the client could control by speaking, emailing, and instant messaging. So I proceeded to allow the business person to guide the design through to its completion, and the owner got exactly what they wanted. Not only did the design suck visually, it totally misrepresented his business. He said he wanted to look like a “big corporation” with “a fleet of window cleaning vans”. He went on to explain how he wanted it to look like he had been around for years and had all kinds of big contracts. Well, the design came out very corporate and stale, with lots of fluffy jargon and stock photography.
In reality, the owner was just starting his business, had no employees or office, and one hatchback with a ladder strapped to the top. Contrary to common belief, THESE ARE NOT BAD THINGS. To illustrate this, I learned a valuable lesson from my next door neighbor. My neighbor was starting a one man garage door company just after the housing bubble burst. Needless to say, there were a lot of established garage door companies and not enough work to go around. Optimistically, my neighbor put a small ad in the yellow pages and started praying that someone would call. His ad was horrible. He designed it himself in Microsoft Word, but he said that he had a lot of experience, but was just starting his own business, and put a picture of himself and his wife on it. To my surprise, he began to get calls. People told him that anyone that would put their picture on their ad, was someone that they trusted to do business with.
Truth is refreshing to people. In this age of identity theft, and internet predators, phishing scams, and other dishonesty on the net, the truth and honesty really stand out. Here are some guidelines that I try to follow to be truthful when building a brand.
Do not pretend to be something you’re not
If you’re small, there’s nothing wrong with that. If you don’t have much experience, there’s nothing wrong with that. Dont’ try and appear to be “Bigger” than you are. Be honest, and let your work speak for itself. A lot of people actually prefer to work with small firms and individuals, because they know that their business means a lot to you and that they will get the dedicated TLC that they need.
On the other hand, if you’re a big company, don’t try to appear small and “grass roots”. That is the worst.
Don’t use stock photography
How hard can it be to shoot some original photographs? Everyone knows an aspiring photographer these days, and chances are you can get them for free if they need to build their portfolio. Bigger companies have no excuse. Everytime I see two business men holding briefcases, shaking hands in front of a glass building I want to punch something. Another thing that drives me crazy are the glamour shots of customer service agents with a headset on. No one’s customer service reps look like that. If they do, why not just take a picture of them and use that?
Do not use meaningless phrases like “We are committed to the highest quality with superior customer service”
Of course you’re committed to the highest quality with superior customer service. Who out there is committed to low quality and crappy customer service. It this really something that sets you apart from your competition? People do not process these statements as having any value. It is fluff and people are blind to it, and in most cases it isn’t true. I love the honesty that John Lewis has in their slogan: “Never knowingly undersold”, It makes you feel like they are constantly making sure that they have the lowest prices, and if they don’t they will make it up to you.
Do not comp images or manipulate product images.
Not everything has to have a drop shadow or be on a white glass table with a reflection. This image is a perfect example of dishonesty and misrepresentation of products. These earrings were not shot together, they were not shot on a glass table, and they are defying the laws of gravity!
Crate and Barrel does an amazing job with there product images. No drop shadows, no comps, no reflections. Just honest real photographs.
