Looking the part
I went out for dinner with a friend last week to one of my favourite restaurants in Tooting. It was a largely positive experience: the restaurant was buzzing, the main course went down a treat and the service was warm and friendly.
Unfortunately the evening was let down by the desert. Instead of receiving a cleanly-sliced segment of apple pie, I was served an indistinguishable mush topped with ice cream. My friend said it looked ‘homely’. I couldn’t have disagreed more.
For me, visual presentation is everything. As public relations professionals, we are trained to recognise the importance of reputation management and visual communication can play a significant role in the way an organisation is perceived. Taking the time to build a strong visual identity for your firm can speak just as loudly as any of the products and services you offer.
A consistent, well-planned visual identity can help to engage and build trust with customers and clients – often before they’ve had any direct interaction with your company. It also conveys a sense of professionalism that will resonate with internal and external stakeholders.
Your firm may walk the talk, but does it look the part? You may want to consider the following:
- Develop a house style. Do include recommended typefaces, colours and templates
- Create a set of branding guidelines, to maintain consistency in-house
- Source good quality, high-resolution images for use in documents and presentations
- Enhance your online presence by unifying the look of your websites and networks
- Do consider a refresh of your branding. Careful revaluation is key to maintaining relevancy
- Develop a visual style that works for you, communicates your brand effectively and then stick with it – tweaking and amending where necessary
If you’re looking for a new way to enhance your reputation, putting these suggestions into practice should be a great starting point. A firm that can offer a quality product, deliver a professional service – and look good whilst doing so – certainly has its fingers in all the right pies.