Traditional Advertising Firms versus Cognent’s Startup Branding Service
Traditional branding agencies are focused on working with established companies that have the budget necessary to undertake brand development involving teams working together towards building a brand. The larger the team the more expensive it becomes for the company.
Cognent fills the branding void between mom-and-pop logos designed by the next-door neighbor or an aspiring graphics designer and the full-fledged design agency. We do this by adopting an assembly line approach to branding and technology. Over our thirty-years of business experience on the U.S.-México border we have adopted many of the techniques used by the maquila industry.
An assembly line approach to branding combines creative and unique designs with the years of experience in understanding that branding has proven universal design elements that work in most instances. Unlike traditional advertising agencies that leverage teams to studying the market, holding A/B testing scenarios and getting feedback from focus groups, we look to fill the intermediate need for a professional brand by identifying the design that identifies the product or service to the target audience and applying traditional time-tested elements to the proposed brand.
Our process includes designing several, at least three, black-and-white logo designs from where to choose from as the design basis for the brand. From your selection we will make tweaks to the design until we reach consensus with you. From there we apply a color pallet and finalize your brand style guide providing you the final logo in color, monochrome, an avatar/icon version and your color pallet for a consistent brand as you continue through your startup phase.
Ultimately the difference is the number of resources in designers, exploration and experimentation that is applied to your brand. We focus on providing a service with limited resources, resulting in lower costs, while a traditional advertising agency applies the required resources to arrive at your brand.
Most iconic brands rebrand over the years, and many of them started out with simple branding. Years ago, because of the limited reach of communications, branding was not as important as it is today because the target consumers were local or regional. With the advent of the Internet, the competition is global although a startup may believe their market is local. Competitors are now a mouse-click away making the branding of your startup an important element of your company.
A good brand imparts professionalism in the startup which is essential to attracting clients and investors in a crowded field. But a professional brand should not put a strain on your budget. Much of your budget should be focused on achieving your goal of making your product or service competitive for your target audience.
Our startup branding service provides you with the professional brand you require to achieve your business goals until you are ready for the traditional advertising firm.