A brand is what people remember about a business after they have seen it once: the name, the logo, the colors, the way it talks, and whether all of that feels the same on the storefront, the van, the website and the Google listing. A branding agency helps a business decide those things and then apply them everywhere. For a local Chicago business, the goal is not a clever campaign. It is being recognized and remembered the second time someone sees you.
Marketing Company Chicago is an independent referral service, not a marketing agency. When you send the form, your details go to an independent marketing agency that prepares any proposal and does any work.
What branding work includes
| Part | What you get |
|---|---|
| Name | A name that is easy to say, spell and search, and free to use |
| Logo | A mark that works small on a phone and large on a sign, in color and in one color |
| Colors and type | A short set used the same way everywhere |
| Voice | How the business talks: plain, warm, technical, playful |
| Guidelines | A short document so anyone making a sign, post or page gets it right |
| Application | The brand put onto the website, profiles, signs, vehicles and print |
Your name on Google must be your real name
Branding meets search in one place more than any other: your business name on Google. Google says your name should reflect your business’s real-world name, as used consistently on your storefront, website and stationery, and as known to customers. Extra details such as your service area or category belong in the other fields of the profile, not in the name, and keywords do not belong in the name or the address lines.
That gives a branding project a practical rule: decide the name once, use it the same way on the storefront, the website, the license and the profile, and do not stretch it with keywords. In Chicago, the City’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection handles business licenses, so the name on your license is part of the same set.
Changing your name?
If a rebrand changes the business name, plan the switch everywhere at once: the sign, the site, the Google profile, the license and every listing. Mismatched names leave customers and Google unsure which one is real.
Brand on a phone first
Many people will meet your brand on a phone: a small logo in a map listing, a profile picture on social, a header on a narrow screen. Ask any designer to show the logo at those sizes before you approve it. A detailed mark that looks beautiful on a poster can turn into a smudge at the size of a fingertip.
Branding and honesty
A brand promises something, and the promise has to be true. The FTC’s Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule bans fake reviews and buying fake followers or views for a commercial purpose, and it bars a business from misrepresenting that a website it controls provides independent reviews or opinions about a category of businesses. A brand built on borrowed credibility can cost far more than it earns. Build it on what the business actually is.
What a branding proposal should include
- What is delivered: name work, logo, colors, type, voice, guidelines.
- How many concepts you see and how many rounds of changes are included.
- The files you receive, in which formats, and that you own them.
- Whether applying the brand to the site, profiles and signs is included or separate.
- Who does the design work, and examples of previous work for local businesses.
Questions to ask a Chicago branding agency
- Can you show me examples of your previous work, used in the real world rather than mockups?
- Will I own the logo and all the source files?
- How will the logo look at the size of a map pin or a profile picture?
- Do you check that a name is free to use, or should I ask a lawyer?
- Will you put the brand onto my website and Google profile, or hand that to someone else?
Planning a new name, logo or look? Tell us what you need and an independent marketing agency sends a proposal.
Once the brand is set, the website is where it lives; see Chicago web design. For the name and details on your Google listing, see local SEO Chicago.
Questions people ask
Should I add ‘Chicago’ to my business name on Google?
Only if it is part of your real-world name. Google says the name on your profile should match the name on your storefront, website and stationery, without extra keywords.
Do I own my logo after a branding project?
You should. Ask for ownership and every source file in writing before the work starts.
How do I check whether a name is free to use?
Ask a lawyer. This site does not give legal advice, and a branding agency may or may not include name checks.
Do I need a branding agency or just a logo?
If you only need a mark, a designer may be enough. If the name, look and voice all need work and must be applied everywhere, a branding agency fits better.
How long does a branding project take?
It depends on how much is included and how quickly decisions are made. Name work and several rounds of logo changes take longer than a refresh of an existing look. Ask for a schedule in writing, with the points where you approve each stage.