Menu
If you’re in the process of building or completely revamping your company’s image, there is a very good chance you have heard the terms “website design” and “website branding” at least a few times. In fact, you may even hear them used (or use them yourself) interchangeably. The truth is that there is a great deal of difference between website design and branding and understanding the difference between the two can help put you on the path to success.
Think about taking a trip to the market for ingredients to cook a gourmet meal at home. You can buy the most expensive cheese on the market, but if you do not know how to make an alfredo sauce, it will probably be mediocre, at best. However, if you know how to make the sauce, then buying the very best ingredients is sure to make that sauce even better.
The very same principle applies to website design and website branding. Think of design like the ingredients and the branding like the finished product. You can have an excellent design, but that does not necessarily mean the branding is as excellent as it could be. Along those same lines, wherever you see excellent branding, there’s likely amazing design behind it.
Many website designers are incredibly talented people. They can start with a blank canvas and use their knowledge to create a unique site that is easy to use and pleasing to the eye. However, one thing that many designers skip is branding. Your company’s brand is more than just it’s website. A brand encompasses everything that associated with your company in every imaginable location.
For example, while your website is important to your brand, it is only one facet. Other important parts of a brand may include things like product packaging, shipping labels, social media posts, blogs, press releases, community contributions, conferences, mailers, flyers, and other things that help to create (and make known) a very real personality behind your business. When the very sight of your logo or the mention of your name elicits an emotion, that emotion is the very basis of your company’s brand.
When it comes to choosing an agency to help you with website design and branding, it’s important that you choose a company that focuses on the branding side of things. Think of it like hiring a contractor to build a house where your website represents your house and your brand represents the entire property. If you hire a company that focuses only on your house, it may look amazing, and your visitors might be impressed, if only for a while.
Without the branding behind it, there is no foundation, no landscaping, no driveway – nothing else at all on the property that supports your house. That is the importance of your brand. It is the foundation of your company and the property upon which everything else is built. Developing it well and maintaining it will keep everything else running smoothly throughout the years.
Statistics have shown that consistent brand presentation across multiple platforms – including a website – can increase revenue by up to 23%. What’s more, according to the same source, 64% of consumers reported that shared values are important to them when it comes to building trust with a brand and company. Keep these things in mind when hiring a company to design or redesign your website. Your brand is how your company makes consumers feel, and that feeling should be a positive one.
