Many business owners underestimate the importance of branding. Whether you own a landscaping company, or a retail storefront, branding helps you make the most out of your marketing budget. Consistency is key, and keeping your brand aligned across all platforms helps your business stand out from your competition. Refined Impact had the privilege of working on a complete re-branding effort last month that highlights the importance of branding for a small business.
Fix City is a retail store in Orlando, Florida that sells cell phones, wireless plans, and offers computer and cell phone repairs. Previously, Fix City was known under two different brands. One brand, FMC Wireless, encompassed the cell phone and wireless sales aspects of the business. The other brand, Smart Guys Repairs, covered all the repair services. Unifying these segments of his business under one brand, owner Jamie Cardenas can now focus his marketing efforts on one single name. Having this one brand eliminates confusion, and also saves valuable time and marketing dollars.
The first step we took was to create a logo. The Fix City logo has several different aspects that tie into the roots of the business. First, the name. “Fix” represents the problem solving and repair services offered, and “City” represents home and community while providing the urban feel of downtown Orlando. We dotted the “i” in city with the universal symbol for Wireless/WiFi to connect the logo the nature of the products and services offered. Since the business was founded and is located in Orlando, the skyline seen in the logo is actually based off buildings you’ll see in Orlando. Finally, there’s a light trace of circuitry running over the skyline to tie in all the different types of computers and cellular devices.
The Importance of Branding Consistency
One thing that’s often overlooked by many business owners is keeping their branding consistent across all mediums. If you’re using a logo on your website, it should be the same everywhere. If you have shirts, cards, letterheads, vehicle decals, signs, or advertising they should all have the same branding and consistent message. This helps tie your different mediums together, creating your brand!
Once the Fix City logo was completed, along with alternate versions for use in different applications, we designed t-shirts and business cards that aligned with this new brand. Now, whenever someone sees a card or t-shirt it triggers the mental link between every other place they’ve seen the Fix City name. Whether it’s on a billboard, or an advertisement on the internet.
The Finishing Touches
The last step in this transformation was to make sure the storefront matched the new brand. We designed some new signage and worked with Fix City to have it printed and installed on the building. We also picked out some new paint colors that would help the building stand out from the rest of the stores in the shopping center. It also helps to catch the attention of drivers passing by on busy East Colonial Drive. Now that all these other elements are completed, we’re working on a TV commercial for Fix City which should be released soon and will help promote this new brand!
When it comes to the importance of branding, none of these different factors can be neglected. Not only do all these things keep the brand consistent, they also are essential parts of marketing!
It was a pleasure working with Jamie on the Fix City brand, and we couldn’t be prouder of the end result. Check out the new Fix City website at FixCityRepairs.com!
