BRANDING & WEB DESIGN

Google the term “branding and web design” and one will see a plethora of firms that specialize in these services as well as offering graphic and logo design for their clients. What exactly is “branding?” One company posits this description: A brand is a product, service or concept that is publicly distinguishable from other products, services or concepts so that it can be easily communicated and marketed to customers. Branding can be applied to an entire corporate identity as well as to individual product and service names.rnMost importantly, a brand connects the consumer to a business, product or service; it embodies the “personality” of a product, service or company. Brand image is the perception of the information and expectations associated with a product, service or company. Web design, on the other hand, incorporates a variety of skills and disciplines to create and maintain websites. The term usually refers to the design process from the client’s perspective while employing tools such as interface design and search engine optimization (SEO). Branding and web design is a viable strategy to boost consumer awareness of a start-up or a relatively unknown business and its products or services. Typically, a branding and web design consultant will determine the client’s marketing objectives and issues such as competitors and consumer demographics. Once a strategy is created, the consultant may research the market to grasp the current dynamics of not only the client’s business but that of the industry sector as a whole. At this point, the client’s business needs to have a unique and effective logo in place to establish a corporate identity. A strong logo helps build an effective brand image as well as delivering a positive message to the consumer. Once these prerequisites have been established, the consultant constructs an engaging web presence customized for the client’s business and goals. First, a visually compelling home page is built that demonstrates the client’s products and services in an assured and favorable manner. The website needs to be user-friendly and easy to navigate with information that is pertinent to the consumer’s needs. Next, the consultant creates a template that is used for subsequent pages, focusing again on delivering relevant information that assists the consumer with products or services. Finally, most consultants provide writing services for marketing and technical purposes. Web copy needs to be brief and concise, using visual cues to help the consumer quickly evaluate information germane to his needs. Many branding and web design creators use content management systems (CMS) to present information on websites. They may be built atop a separate content management framework (CMF) that customizes software to manage web content. One ubiquitous CMS open source platform that is familiar to laymen is Java, as it has widespread applications across the internet. Once installed and managed on a web server, a CMS hosts images, documents and numeric data as well as storing and publishing documentation. Most clients are too busy building their business to immerse themselves in such minutiae - hence, the importance of hiring a competent branding and web designer.