“<NAME>? Is that YOU?”

Our appearance is a big part of who we are, or at least of who people perceive us to be. And for organizations, even more than for individuals, consistency is the key to instant recognition.

• If someone keys in your URL from the program from your latest event, she’d better be convinced, when she gets to your web homepage, that she’s still with the same organization that sponsored the event and gave her this handsome program.
• If you garnered email addresses at a street fair or from a postcard mailing, your email needs to look a lot like your street-fair banner or the postcard you sent.
• If staff members or volunteers make presentations or give training programs, attendees should immediately associate the handouts and slideshows with the print materials they get from your organization – before they read a word.

It’s only a foolish consistency that is the hobgoblin of little minds.  When it comes to keeping your brand and your organization recognizable, it’s hard to see how consistency can be foolish. Consistency is the key to instant recognition.

(Oh, yes, and repetition. Consistent repetition is the key to instant recognition. Repetitive consistency is the key to instant recognition.)

What you should do about this need for consistency depends on whether your organization has a brand identity manual.

The brand identity manual is the document that comes with your logotype from your branding consultant or graphic designer. It specifies things like what colors and fonts you can use and where the logo can and cannot be placed.

Larger organizations tend to have brand identity manuals. The trick is getting everyone – at least, everyone who ever touches a keyboard or answers the phone – to follow its guidelines. That means training, including regular refreshers and some system for getting new employees up to speed. People need to understand not only what they are supposed to do but why they are supposed to do it. Feel free to contact me for ideas about how to structure this training – or to use the examples above!

Maybe you don’t have a brand identity manual. Maybe you don’t even have a proper logo. Maybe you personally, dear reader, are the one and only person in the entire organization who is responsible for any and all communications, from event brochures, the website, and emails to tweets and the Facebook page.

The good news is, if you’re the only person, you have only to institute a few rules and then follow them.

• Pick a color. One color. You can choose a second complementary color for accents if you need it.
  (A graphic designer might give you a palette of colors from which to choose. These are professional drivers on a closed course. Amateurs should stick to a maximum of two complementary colors.)
• If you have a graphic logo, use it on every communication – and always in the same color. That includes informal media such as emails, slide presentations, and handouts.
  (If you don’t like your logo – if, say, it’s time for a redesign but you don’t have the funds for it just now – stick the logo in, say, the lower right-hand corner. Let the color you choose do the work of consistent repetition.)
• If you don’t have a graphic logo, make your organization name your logo. Choose a distinctive font, put it in the color you chose, and use it in every communication. Resist the urge to dress it up with a piece of clip art.

If other people also send emails or design postcards, bring them into the loop. Have a little committee meeting. Get everyone on board with the need for consistent repetition.

All this is a down-and-dirty substitute for a proper branding process. Even the smallest organization can benefit from such a process, but I certainly understand if you can’t afford it just now. I’d be happy to offer whatever free advice I can in a quick email exchange or phone call.

The bottom line is, when people get any communication from your organization, electronic or print, you want them to know at a glance, before they read, who you are. You want them to say:
“Oh, hello, <NAME>, it’s YOU!”