Eight common branding blunders to avoid

Don't let chaos cause you to fall victim to these common branding mistakes that could seriously tarnish your reputation.

July 31, 2024

We're all for getting the job done BUT it should never come at a cost, especially when that cost is your reputation.

Running a small business is like herding cats, but with more paperwork. You're the CEO, CFO, CMO, and cleaner all rolled into one. It's enough to make anyone's head spin. And when it comes to branding and design, it's far too easy to end up looking like a DIY disaster than an experienced and respected brand. So let's take a look at some of the most common mistakes and how you can fix them.

The perilous pitfalls of inconsistency

Inconsistency, the sly gremlin lurking in the shadows of your brand strategy, ready to trip you up when you least expect it. You've got your snazzy logo, your witty tagline, and a website that's all bells and whistles. But your LinkedIn page looks like it belongs to a completely different company?

And let's not even start on the chameleon-like colour schemes popping up across your brochures and business cards. Mixing and matching fonts, colours, and messaging without a second thought dilutes your brand essence, making it hard for your audience to recognise, let alone remember, who you are.

How to fix it?

Establish a set of comprehensive brand guidelines that detail your brand identity, tone of voice and application thereof. Stick to it across all your communication channels and celebrate it both internally and externally.

Audience amnesia

Diving headlong into the murky waters of brand messaging without a lifebuoy can leave you floundering, especially when you forget the very people you're trying to enchant - your audience.

It's a tale as old as time; businesses casting wide nets with generic, one-size-fits-all messages, hoping to catch a glimpse of engagement or loyalty. Yet, in doing so, they miss the golden opportunity to spark an emotional connection, as impactful as finding a message in a bottle that speaks directly to you. This oversight is not just a minor blip on the radar; it's a full-scale episode of audience amnesia, where failing to tailor your dialogue leads to whispers lost in the wind.

How to fix it?

Define your target market and tailor your audience. Understand your buyer personas and tune into their frequency. Understand the nuances of their needs and desires, then weave these insights into the very fabric of your brand messaging. Invite your audience into a story where they play the starring role.

Neglected brand narratives

In the bustling marketplace of today, many small businesses walk through the crowd, utterly invisible, their brand stories untold and unheard. It’s a chilling tale of missed connections and forgotten tales, where the magic that sets a brand apart remains locked away, gathering dust in the attic of opportunities.

The ghost stories of neglected brand narratives, where the essence of what makes a business unique, its very soul, is overlooked in favour of blending into the busy background. Imagine a world where every book told the same story, it wouldn't just be boring, but you'd probably only ever read one, because what's the point, right?

How to fix it?

Reflect on what makes you, you. Your brand narrative isn't about spinning fairy tales; it’s about weaving the authentic threads of your journey, your values, and your vision into a tapestry that wraps your audience in a story only you can tell.

The Bermuda Triangle of brand experience

If the Bermuda Triangle sounds more inviting that your brand experience, you've got issues. Issues that need to be resolved quick time.

Delivering a stellar brand experience can be a treacherous journey for any small business. In the murky depths of mismanaged customer interactions and inconsistent service where every touchpoint seems to follow its own compass, lies the dreaded realm where brands vanish without a trace. A whirlpool of ignored feedback and a place where online reviews and constructive criticism fall into a void, never to impact positive change or guide the wayward ship back to calmer seas.

How to fix it?

This isn't an inescapable curse. The secret to navigating through lies in charting a course that's aligned with your brand's true north - your values and vision. Start with a customer-first mindset and ensure every interaction is a reflection of what you stand for and sail towards the sunlit shores of customer loyalty and trust. Remember, in the vast ocean of commerce, a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor. Embrace the journey.

Typography terrors

Where font faux pas roam free. Weep.

Picture your brand's voice trying to sing through a font that's more suited to a circus poster when you're aiming for sophisticated symphony vibes. Ouch. It jars the senses, doesn't it?

How to fix it?

Navigating the typography maze requires a keen eye; choosing fonts that resonate with your brand's essence and ensuring they harmonise rather than clash.

And yes, that means you need to ditch the squiggly script font currently masquerading as body text.

Colour palette pandemonium

A colour palette pandemonium, where businesses venture with the best intentions only to find themselves entangled in a kaleidoscope of mismatched hues and saturation chaos.

This realm is not for the faint-hearted. It's where the brave go to find their brand's soul only to risk losing it among shades and tints that clash like ancient rivals on the battlefield of aesthetics.

How to fix it?

The trick, or rather the art, lies in selecting a palette that whispers your brand's ethos with the subtlety of a sunset, not screams it like a neon pigeon sign gone rogue. By harnessing the power of colour psychology and harmonious combinations, you can navigate through this pandemonium with grace, ensuring your brand emerges not as a cacophony of colours but as a symphony of shades that resonate and captivate.

Poor pixilated pictures

Question: What's worse than using a stock photo that's been around the block more times than the latest office gossip?

Answer: A low-resolution pixelated image that's completely off-balance. Well, to be honest, they're probably about as bad as each other.

How to fix it?

A bit like your brand narrative, the images you use tell your story – who you are and what you came here to do. Using the same old stock images as everyone else makes your brand bland and boring. Using poor quality images that are off-balance, over saturated or badly edited are one of THE biggest turn-offs. Amp up your brands appeal by investing in high-quality, authentic imagery that mirrors the uniqueness of your brand.

A labyrinth of layout blunders

Poor layout across digital and print media contributes to brand inconsistency, causing a maze of confusion and user fatigue. If your information isn't easily and readily digestible, it simply wont be, and any effort on your part is completely wasted at the expense of customer convenience.

People don't generally notice good design, because it's intuitive. Bad design, on the other hand, sticks out like a sore thumb. It's like the stubborn child who wont get out of the road. It can make you look unprofessional, untrustworthy and ultimately loose you business.

How to fix it?

Keep it simple, keep it obvious, and let it breathe! You don't need to fill every square inch of space. Think about the medium and platform of where your content is being consumed. Don't forget about the hierarchy of your content either, what do you want your audience to read or do first? Keep accessibility at the forefront, always.

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