We like to think of “branding” as the personality of a business. A brand has a character, a look, a tone of voice and a way of behaving. Your company's brand is what people base first impressions on and should depict your company's values. An unmistakable logo and consistent branding across all of your stationery and communication collateral speaks volumes about how professionally you are approaching your business, and depending on your target market, this has untold value to your business success. It is therefore crucial to ensure that every touchpoint with your company is consistent so that you present a clear and unvarying sense of what you're all about.

Influenced by Leon Festinger’s work in cognitive dissonance in the late 1950’s, it has been widely reported that on average, before a customer purchases a product, they need to have been exposed to the brand 17 times. With enough repetition, people encode the brands identity, usually not as words, but as a recognised look, shape and feel. Festinger also suggested that we often associate those who are consistent with having personal and intellectual strengths. Some brand professionals have extended this thinking by pointing out that brands are relationships – A good brand reinforces trust with clients and customers and assists with standing out from competitors.

For a strong identity, it is a must that all of your brand elements are consistent throughout. If your brand elements (e.g. fonts, colours etc.) end up changing from those used in your original brand identity, potential clients will receive conflicting messages, getting the impression that your company is disorganised. For this reason, it is often useful when starting a new business, to go with a multi-disciplined design agency who can deal with all sides of your design, from your branding to your website. A common complication is when a separate web designers takes on the design of your website after a different company has already created your identity. Problems occur when the second agency does not have the correct brand elements such as brand fonts etc. to design your website, resulting in a site which looks different to the rest of the company's identity, which in-turn will convey mixed messages and portray a sense of disparity to potential clients.