Why do interior designers need branding and a great logo for a refined look?
Designing dreams, not just homes! Oh, I think I just coined an impressive slogan there, no? Will it make you want to explore more about my interior design brand?
My point? Branding isn’t an option, it’s a necessity. As an interior designer or interior designing brand, the question might often corrupt your thoughts:
“Why do I need to spend such a large chunk of my savings on branding anyways?”
This question will probably answer the first one.
Why do you spend money on a Rolex watch or Nike sneakers, why not just buy a regular watch or shoes?
Because you want people to build a perception about your personality. Hmm….well, how about investing on the personality of the brand that’ll add to all that bling? Know what I mean?
Allow me to ask another one. Do you say “I feel like having a burger” or “I feel like having Mcdonalds today”? I’m sure it’s the latter for most people unless of course you’re a Burger King fan.
All sarcasm and puns aside, branding is what decorates your brand, giving people a reason to choose you over all others. You can go around asking thousands of people “what is branding” and you’ll get more answers than you can make sense of.
But, all of us stand united on one answer: you cannot avoid it!
Branding is quite similar to your own field of work actually. The only difference is, while as an interior designer you give homes a distinct look, interior design branding adorns your brand enabling it to communicate the persona YOU want it to convey.
Of course the same holds true for interior design logos. They are the true face of your brand – or at least the one you’d like your customers to see (insert smirking smiley).
That is what branding truly is: how you want your customers to see your brand. Simple!
Easier said than done I agree, but with the right direction and a set of inspiration, you can furnish your brand just the way you want people to see it.
Brand Identity – who are you and what do you offer?
That’s an easy one: “My name is ……….. and I offer interior design services.
If you were the only brand of your kind operating in a niche market, sure! It would’ve been really simple – actually no. Even then, your customers will demand more than just a name and your services.
They need value for money and they seek it within your brand identity.
What do you have to say that sets you apart? Please don’t tell me you were thinking about going with the usual “We offer luxury with elegance” or “We make homes better”.
A big NO!
You need to break the clutter and tell customers why you’re different? What is it that makes you so special that other interior designers get blended in the background while you stand out?
All of this falls underneath the Branding Umbrella!
In a nut shell you need to put words into your audience’s mouths instead of relying on their own descriptions about your brand and they won’t paint a pretty picture unless you give them a “script” to read out loud. I’m being completely metaphoric here.
It is your responsibility as your brand’s birth mom to see that it grows up to be well-perceived in the eyes of your clients.
Here’s how you can land on the right identity for your brand.
An important read for you: 9 professional logo design benefits you hardly know about
Identify your target clients
Everyone? I hope not! You’re going to end up in a real mess if you start marketing to every single person in need for a redesign or home refresh. You need to really separate your demographics from the pile.
Pick a key point such as income or age group. Your interior design branding needs to communicate exactly who should come up to your office and get what they expect? Do you cater to residential houses or commercial areas? Do you have a contemporary style or are you more of the vintage furnisher?
Thus you need to answer a basic question while you are drafting the perfect branding strategy: who are my target clients?
Lilly Bunn for instance, is an interior designer with her own brand and a fashion background. She has developed an image of fashioning houses, making them look more perked up and stylish. Magazines such as Vogue have enlisted her as one of the 5 young interior designers on the rise. They mostly tell you about all the high-end homes she has revamped and that says it all!
If you’re someone who is looking for a simple and budget-friendly home decorator she is definitely not your go-to person.
See how simple that was to gauge?
Don’t be vague about what do you?
I’m not talking about stating “the obvious” here. Yes, they all know you’re an interior designer or interior design brand but, what’s your forte?
There’s a large field to play here. You could be a stage decorator or someone who refreshes homes using existing pieces of furniture. Perhaps your firm specializes in redesigning kitchens or even bathrooms! There’s a lot you can offer but you need to be specific about what customers need to expect from you?
Guide the right ones towards you. For a complete makeover of your interior design brand you can contact me and we can discuss how to adorn your brand with perfection.
What makes you so special?
If your selling point is “designing a better lifestyle”, well isn’t that what the entire block is doing? You need to bring something new to the table.
Identify the niche. What’s missing from the area where your core target market exists? Maybe, there are no interior designers for kids’ rooms or there’s a desperate need for a firm who specializes in office ambiance.
If you’re offering redesigns in a budget, highlight it! Maybe your firm has a grip on creating a vintage look with old-style furniture – talk about it in your brochures, your slogan or website.
Interior design branding is not just about defining your brand with a catchy slogan or declaring your unique selling points in your brochures though. It’s the complete mix. The human mind is conditioned to be skeptical. Your customers might want to see what you’re talking about and therein comes visual branding, so they can see it to believe it!
Interior Design branding – the visual wing
Since your brand is all about giving places the best aesthetics, this is perhaps the most important part of your interior design branding journey.
I’ve got an entire list prepared so brace yourselves. Your visual interior design branding is a puzzle made up of all these pieces:
I’m not covering everything here. Let’s leave some for another blog, another day but there are a few that I just can’t skip.
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A set of inspiration – Interior Design logos
Yes, we’re back to logos. There’s no separating that from your branding mix.
What will represent your brand better than a logo that clearly speaks about what you do – visually.
It’s all about what you do and what your customers need to expect from you. Speaking generically, all of your clients will want transformations – giving their living spaces or commercial spots a refined look.
Nevertheless an interior design logo should be an illustration of your brand identity.
It’s all about the brand experience you intend to provide. If your firm promises a luxurious, outstanding ambiance for bungalows and villas, your logo needs to be equally high-end. If your designs tilt more towards the artistic end where uniqueness and an artsy feel is your expertise, your logo must sync with the vision.
There’s that usual advice I’d like to add here: make sure your interior design logo has the ability to adapt .i.e. look equally fabulous on your website, a billboard and your business card. That’s where professional designers need to be sought out instead of trying your own hand on the job.
There’s a reason after all that people hire interior designers or interior design brands to work some magic at their homes or offices, right? Branding and logo design are no different – let the experts do what they do best!
The contemporary set – modern interior design logos
If there’s one thing that’s never much of a risk, it’s going completely modern with your interior design logo aesthetics. That of course won’t work if you’re someone who deals with antiques or specializes in vintage décor.
Nevertheless, if your interior design branding revolves around modern set ups then that’s what your logo needs to depict.
Contemporary logos will mostly have sharp edges, line work, sans-serif fonts a lot of black (usually).
You have got to admire this logo! I mean, no compulsion but it’s the perfect example of a modern interior design logo. The black beauty above belongs to Menashe Designs and it stands out due to the cunning use of “M”.
Looks like a box, doesn’t it? It looks 3D but really it’s just an illusion! The black and gold colors convey sophistication and the combination says it out loud: “we cater to high-end clients”.
Here’s another modern masterpiece to inspire your interior logo designs. The Rafaela Noll logo uses the initial only approach but in quite a creative way. It’s a single monogram where both initials co-exist. Additionally it looks like a “switch on” button indicating that Rafaela Noll is always at hard at work, crafting new designs and she’s always “active”.
Working out-of-the-box – unique interior design logos
Your work is art in itself – agreed. However there are some interior designers or interior designing firms who look at someone’s living space like a canvas. Their expertise lies in injecting an artistic appeal to people’s favorite spots. Have you ever seen an advertising agency with all those funky chairs, walls with doodles and colorful images?
You think the agency had enough time to actually plan that on their own? Of course not!
If you belong to this niche, your interior design branding and hence logo needs to say so – or rather show so.
The same stands true for those of you who don’t want to restrict themselves to a single style. If you want to increase your customers’ options, better go with a logo that doesn’t create boundaries – I don’t mean that literally.
See now that’s exactly what you need to convey when you’re climbing onto the top-notch areas. Your target market needs to be sure that they actually are investing in the best – since they’ll be investing a lot.
Invest in the best – luxurious interior design logos
So, your logo should be as high-end as your clients and everything from the visual to the typeface should exude a deluxe appeal.
An interior design logo can be quite unconventional when it comes to luxury appearances. You could get a bit ostentatious here without being tacky. Think Versace or Starbucks – both these logos are quite out of the ordinary yet their TG (target market) loves them!
When stepping into the lavish pool, you’ll want to think classy, all-caps, a touch of gold or silver and a stunning font that speaks for your brand. One glance at your logo and your dart should hit the target – or targets.
Colors – painting the right picture for your brand
Your interior design logo will be the guiding light here but those aren’t the only colors that your interior design branding will require. Get your brand a color palette and roll with it. Don’t divert your attention elsewhere otherwise your clients won’t be able to focus on you much.
So, even if you’ve got an all gold logo or a bronze one, you’ll need a couple of contrasting colors to paint the perfect picture for your brand. Where will you use these colors?
Everywhere!
From you website, brochures, social media posts to your stationery and even the interior design of your own office, these will be the colors that clients will see and know “this is YOU”.
Who should know which color goes where better than you? When someone’s looking for a balanced, well-composed living space you’re the one they reach out to. I hope you’re following me so far.
Those are all the right reasons as to why your brand identity should reflect your own coloring skills. If your website or business card doesn’t reflect your own aesthetic sense, customers might think twice before giving you a call.
Typography – It’s not what you write, it’s how you write it
You could go with all nudes but insert a black or blue somewhere when you need to highlight something like a CTA button or perhaps a special offer. There will be a lot that you like but it might not always sync with your brand’s image. If your preferences and brand personality can coexist, I suppose it’s an unbreakable match. However, try not to add irrelevant colors because “you liked it”.
In a world where there is an uprising about how “looks shouldn’t matter” even the looks of your words matter! Talk about irony.
The good part is, you’ll just need a couple of fonts or typefaces to make your point. Again, you can’t just pick what you think may look good. We’re crafting a brand identity here, not designing a personalized card for Grandma.
You’ll want to use something simple and readable, especially for descriptions. The typography of your brand’s website, logo and even a greeting card to customers will depend entirely on the personality you want to depict for your brand.
Soft reminder: do not go for very curvy fonts just because your brand caters mostly to females or those at the top of the food-chain. Readability is what will get you your client, not a fancy font.
Three. That’s the limit you need to set or rather ask your designer to establish for the number of fonts. Any more than that will just perplex your clients and throw your visual consistency off balance.
You should also read: Branding guidelines work as a guiding light. A detailed analysis
Final words: no one knows your brand better than you, branding is what makes your customers know it too!
Whether you’ve just started your interior design business or are looking for a revamp, you can simply contact me for all your branding solutions.
Originally Published at Fullstop360.com/blog.