Developing a brand can be a daunting task. Thinking of a brand name and developing a logo takes time and thought. The name can reflect what the brand is portraying and the logo (ideogram or symbol) is the image embodying an organisation. When you look at brands that have 'got it right', they have a distinctive look about their brand that reflects the lifestyle, and target audience. Surf brands like Quicksilver have managed to portray an image that directs them straight to surfers & board sports. You can easily recognise their style of graphics, logos, colour pallet and garments. They all give the image of a typical surfer. Although you don't see many professional surfers actually wearing the brand. Still, they understand their target customer and design directly to the armature surfer, or consumer who just likes the lifestyle surf brands portray.
Knowing and understanding your target audience is the most important part of brand development, without this you haven't got a customer base. Do your research. Yes, there might be a niche market that isn't out there already, but why is that? New clothing brands that make 'it big' do their market research into what is working and how they can design and produce something to make it better, they have a distinctive look about their brand, and they give the customer more than another brand is currently, this will set themselves above the rest.
If you need guidance in this area, Hilken Design can offer help developing a brand, designing a logo or just steer you in the right direction for targeting your brand audience. We have lots of experience working with small start ups. We're here to help you build a strong brand.
