All to often we hear clients talking about their brand but referring to their logo, we then proceed to tell them that their brand is so much more. Of course their logo is a big part of their brand but that’s not where it ends.

While shopping over the weekend I found a great example of what I’m talking about. Hollister is not a shop that I’ve ever been in, I’ve seen it online and on the high street but I’d never really paid any attention to it or been inside.

My wife convinced me that I needed some new clobber as I looked like a tramp (her words, not mine!) and pointed me in the direction of Hollister. Like I said, I didn’t really know much about it so thought I’d give it a go. Now there’s nothing on the outside of the shop that shouts at you, it’s very understated, dark, moody and has a feeling of something special. You go through the doors and are greeted by a very good looking gentleman who is dressed in a way which is trendy but understated. You walk past a huge chandelier, comfy seating and are presented with a dark room packed full of great clothes. All of the displays are beautifully lit in a way that I’ve not experienced in other shops it’s so dark that it takes your eyes a while to adjust, the clothing lit from above in a way that makes you want to take a closer look as at first it’s kind of hard to see, a bit like an open treasure chest in a dark cave - you can see it sparkle but are unaware of what lies inside.

The store is decked out beautifully with a consistent theme running throughout, the fixtures and fitting look and feel expensive which adds to the exclusive feeling you get when you make your way around. Once you’ve grabbed the items you want, tried them on and decided that you’re just going to buy ALL of them (couldn’t help myself) you make your way over to the counter.

At the counter you’re greeted with a smile by yet more good looking people - all the men are tall, dark and handsome and all the women are blond, tanned and very pretty. They ring your items through the till, fold and bag them up and present you with the receipt. Usually this is a painful time as you’ve spent way more than intended but not at Hollister. This receipt was gold! A receipt printed on gold paper leaves a lasting impression which shouts quality and makes you feel like you’ve just done something special.

You see, a brand is about way more than a logo - sure, Hollister have a nice logo but that’s not all. Its about fixtures, fittings, people, personality, the look, gold receipts and more. It’s about consistency across the brand - it’s a way of life that others buy in to (or not). After all if Halle Berry can pull it off why can’t I?

Here at FHOKE, if we work on a branding and website design project for a new company we don’t just present them with a logo from which the rest of the brand is determined. We build the brand through designing the website - we work on tag lines, colours, language, fonts, imagery, icons and the logo. And what you end up with is the bigger picture, you get to see every element of the brand working together in harmony.

Working this way helps our clients to see from the off where we are going and what we’re trying to achieve. When you present a range of logo ideas to a client (as good as they may be) it can be hard at times for them to see where you’re going, after all clients are not designers.

So to sum this up - your brand is about many things but mainly it’s about you and your personality. Your logo, website, stationery and documentation as great as it may be are there to back this up not do the whole job for you.

Remember consistency is king, if you believe in your brand, live by it and stay true to it you’re bound to attract a following as does Hollister (I’m hooked!).