{"id":30104,"date":"2022-01-20T08:00:06","date_gmt":"2022-01-20T13:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/?p=30104"},"modified":"2025-11-05T09:03:47","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T14:03:47","slug":"brand-design-for-the-professional-services-firm-the-ultimate-guide-for-marketers-and-executives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/brand-design-for-the-professional-services-firm-the-ultimate-guide-for-marketers-and-executives","title":{"rendered":"Brand Design for the Professional Services Firm: The Ultimate Guide for Marketers and Executives"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you are about to rebrand your firm, an exciting opportunity lies ahead to change the way prospective clients think about your organization. And the process that takes you from here to there is called <\/span>brand design.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

But many people don\u2019t fully understand what brand design is, how it works and what it can achieve. In this guide, we provide the fundamentals you need to dive into a rebranding program with your eyes wide open to its marvelous possibilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Download The Brand Building Guide<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Who Is this Guide For?<\/h2>\n

We developed this guide to help any professional services marketing director, firm principal or stakeholder understand the value of brand design and how you can use it to attract better prospects, improve engagement and start building loyalty at the earliest stages of the <\/span>buyer journey<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Is Brand Design?<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s begin with a simple definition. Brand design is the deliberate process of changing the way a firm is perceived in the marketplace. This process has both <\/span>strategic<\/span><\/i> outcomes<\/span><\/i>, such as <\/span>positioning<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>messaging<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>visual<\/span><\/i> outcomes<\/span><\/i>, such as a firm\u2019s new <\/span>logo<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>color palette<\/span><\/a> and marketing collateral.<\/span><\/p>\n

While many people associate the term \u201cbrand design\u201d solely with a brand\u2019s visual components \u2014 its \u201cbrand identity\u201d \u2014 that definition is incomplete. There is much more to designing a brand than manipulating color, type and imagery. Without a strong strategic foundation, a firm\u2019s brand identity will lack purpose and emotional power. To pull off a fully realized, coherent brand design requires a broad range of skills, from <\/span>research<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>strategy<\/span><\/a> to writing and graphic design. <\/span><\/p>\n

How Brand Design Differs from Brand and Branding<\/span><\/h2>\n

The language used in branding can be confusing. How is brand design different from branding or, for that matter, a brand? In fact, these three concepts are closely related.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you boil away all the hype, a <\/span>brand<\/b> is nothing more than a <\/span>perception.<\/i><\/b> It\u2019s the way clients and the outside world perceive a firm. It is how people think about and experience it. When people talk to others about your firm \u2014 the way they feel and what they say about you \u2014 <\/span>that\u2019s<\/span><\/i> your brand. You can express this perception as an equation with two variables:<\/span><\/p>\n

Reputation\u00a0 x Visibility<\/b><\/p>\n

Put simply, a strong brand is both well regarded and widely known.<\/span><\/p>\n

Branding<\/b>, on the other hand, is a <\/span>deliberate program<\/i><\/b> to produce a desirable brand. When a firm undergoes rebranding, it assembles a team \u2014 usually a combination of internal and external resources \u2014 to change the way their business is perceived in the marketplace. An effective branding program will address both reputation and visibility.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, <\/span>brand design<\/b> is the <\/span>process<\/i><\/b> of building that brand, using brand strategy and positioning as guiding principles. The strategy can then be communicated through messaging and visuals. When people talk about the branding process, they are talking about brand design.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Brand Design Matters<\/h2>\n

A lot of firm executives believe that the value their firms deliver is a direct function of their expertise. Here\u2019s how they think: if providing outstanding professional service is all about the people, is investing in an expensive brand identity even worth it? What good does a fancy new logo, a <\/span>sweeet<\/span><\/i> set of business cards or a $70,000 website do you, anyway? We\u2019re in the expertise business, not selling a fantasy or pushing a product.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sadly, these leaders are mistaken. Expertise has no inherent value at all. Until, that is, people are <\/span>persuaded<\/span><\/i> it has value.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brand design is a powerful tool marketers use to persuade people that a firm delivers exceptional value \u2014 even if the firm charges higher fees than their competitors. It delivers the rationale for selecting your firm over your competitors, and it supports that idea with clear messaging and an appealing visual framework that inspires confidence and trust.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Strategic Foundations of Brand Design<\/h2>\n

Effective brand design addresses both a buyer\u2019s conscious (rational) and unconscious (irrational) mind. But this doesn\u2019t happen by accident. It requires an <\/span>underlying strategy<\/span><\/a>, one that distinguishes the firm from similar competitors and is designed to convince a certain segment of buyers that the firm is a perfect match for them. Four components go into a successful brand strategy:<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Research<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

Studies have shown<\/span><\/a> that the gap between how firms <\/span>think<\/span><\/i> they are perceived and how they <\/span>actually are<\/span><\/i> perceived is shockingly wide. The only way you can find out what clients really think about you \u2014 what they love and what drives them bonkers \u2014 is to engage an independent research professional or firm to <\/span>interview your clients and prospects<\/span><\/a>. You see, it\u2019s devilishly difficult to get honest answers from clients when you ask them the tough questions yourself. Most of your clients don\u2019t want to hurt your feelings or risk damaging the relationship. However, when interviewed by an impartial third party promising them anonymity, clients feel freer to open up and volunteer useful, sometimes sensitive information. These honest findings are almost always eye-opening, and they provide the crucial ingredients for a powerful differentiation strategy.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Differentiation<\/span><\/h4>\n

Buyers often struggle to tell professional service providers apart. It\u2019s not unusual for multiple competing service providers to offer more or less the same set of services and use similar language to describe what they do. <\/span>Differentiation<\/span><\/a> is the first step toward solving that problem. Once you have conducted brand research, you\u2019ll have many of the raw materials to begin drawing up a list of differentiators \u2014 those characteristics of your firm that clients and potential buyers value about your firm. You may be able to supplement these findings with other defining characteristics that you know to be true about your firm, such as an industry or service specialty.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Figure 1.<\/b> A narrow focus can be an effective way to differentiate your firm.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Strategy & Positioning<\/span><\/h4>\n

Using your differentiators as a starting place, you can develop a strategy to position your firm against key competitors and encourage a segment of the market to favor you over the others. Your strategy needs to achieve two things: 1) separate you from similar firms, and 2) establish a reason buyers will choose you. Using your differentiators, strategy and other key features of your firm, you can craft a compact and compelling <\/span>positioning statement<\/span><\/a> that lays out your unique place in the marketplace. Think of your positioning statement as the storyline that hooks your audience and pulls them in \u2014 a narrative you can return to again and again as you develop marketing messages.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Messaging<\/span><\/h4>\n

Your positioning isn\u2019t worth much if you can\u2019t articulate it to your prospects. That\u2019s why messaging is an essential step in building a persuasive brand. Many teams that go through a firm rebranding discover that, for the first time ever, they are able to explain, simply and clearly, how their firm is different. It\u2019s a magical moment! This messaging comes in many guises, from your <\/span>elevator pitch<\/span><\/a> to the headlines on your website. Some firms also <\/span>develop a tagline<\/span><\/a> specifically to support their positioning.<\/span><\/p>\n\"\"\n

Figure 2.<\/b> Personality infuses the messaging on this law firm\u2019s website.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Visual Elements of Brand Design<\/h2>\n

\u201cDesign is the silent ambassador of your brand\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/cite><\/p>\n

\u2014Paul Rand<\/span><\/p>\n

When most people hear the word \u201cbranding,\u201d they think of a company\u2019s logo, signage, collateral, advertising, maybe even its great-looking website. That\u2019s no accident. We are visual beings, and every day we use our eyes to make sense of the things around us \u2014 including the businesses we interact with and buy from.<\/span><\/p>\n

Psychologists have found that we process visual information more quickly and efficiently than other types, and <\/span>colors<\/span><\/a>, shapes and <\/span>pictures<\/span><\/a> can irrationally affect the way we feel about the things we see. That means the appearance of a firm\u2019s marketing materials can influence what we think about a firm, even before we interact with it. When people encounter a clean, scrupulously organized brand identity, they tend to project some of their impressions of the design onto the firm itself \u2014 for instance, <\/span>attention to detail<\/span><\/i> or <\/span>sophistication<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s why some firms invest substantial time and money in their brand identity. The result \u2014 a tidy system of well-designed components \u2014 can evoke positive feelings and emotions. Visual impressions matter, and having a high-credibility brand identity can make it easier to turn prospects into clients. Conversely, a low-credibility brand can do a great deal of harm.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brand identity covers a wide spectrum of materials. Which ones a firm chooses to develop depends on how it attracts and nurtures prospective clients. Below, I describe a few of the more common visual brand design elements and materials:<\/span><\/p>\n

Logo<\/span><\/i> \u2013 It\u2019s said that many businesses confuse their logo for their brand. Whether or not that\u2019s true, the <\/span>logo is one of the most visible components of a brand<\/span><\/a>, so its outsized reputation has some merit. Your logo is a visual proxy for your firm. As a result, it provides an opportunity to make a statement about your firm, differentiate you visually from competitors and set a compass point for the rest of your brand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Figure 3.<\/b> Nablis\u2019 logo applied to business cards.<\/span><\/p>\n

Website<\/span><\/i> \u2013 Apart from your logo, your website is probably the most visible expression of your brand identity. It is a rich visual medium that can include motion graphics, engaging<\/span> user interactivity and multimedia elements \u2014 so it offers a terrific opportunity to impress your audience. It is also a complex platform that must look great on devices large and small. If it is not designed and built with skill, a lot can go wrong.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s be honest. Websites are expensive, and <\/span>great<\/span><\/i> websites can be very expensive. But because virtually every prospect will check out your website, it is one of the most important brand design investments you can make. According to our research, about <\/span>a third of professional services buyers reject a firm on the basis of its website alone<\/span><\/a>. So be sure to put your marketing budget where your buyers are.<\/span><\/p>\n\"\"\n

Figure 4.<\/b> Grimm + Parker Architects\u2019 website is visually dynamic.<\/span><\/p>\n

Marketing Collateral<\/span><\/i> \u2013 This is a general term for any outward-facing printed or digital materials that you might supply to a prospective client or job candidate. In these materials \u2014 whether a firm brochure, sales sheets or research report \u2014 you can explore the full range of your visual brand. From colors and photography to typography and layout, collateral is where designers can strut their stuff and push the creativity of your brand identity.<\/span><\/p>\n\"\"\n

Figure 5.<\/b> EDG2\u2019s firm brochure casts the firm as sophisticated and energetic.<\/span>
\nStationery<\/span><\/i> \u2013 In today\u2019s electronic business environment where PDFs, Word docs and email have replaced couriers, snail mail and overnight delivery services, there is less and less need for traditional printed letterhead and envelopes. In fact, some firms have abandoned the paper versions entirely. And while business cards are still common, they are no longer essential equipment at some businesses. Whether or not you have embraced the all-digital workplace, you still need to make a good impression at every touch point with a prospect. Every time you send a letter electronically or on paper, and whenever you hand a prospect your business card, you are delivering visual signals about your credibility and professionalism. High-credibility firms are associated with crisp, elegant design, and making the right impression is especially important on these early-stage, front-line materials.<\/span><\/p>\n\"\"\n

Figure 6.<\/b> Darnall Sykes Wealth Partners\u2019 stationery suite is rich and confident \u2014 exactly what a wealth management firm should be.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other Elements<\/span><\/i> \u2013 Of course, a firm\u2019s visual design can be applied to anything people outside or inside the firm might encounter. Here are a few examples:<\/span><\/p>\n