A Website is Not a Business

I’m sure there was a time when clients went to designers and said, “I just need a logo,” thinking that business cards and letterhead didn’t really need to be designed. That logo, though, made you all sorts of professional looking. It was like a seal of legitimacy. Well now it seems this seal has been passed on to the website. Suddenly a web presence is all that is needed to say to the world that you are a professional business swimming in success.

If my sarcasm wasn’t clear from the above paragraph, let me just be blunt; a nicely designed website will only give you just that, a nicely designed website. If your logo looks as current as the Flock of Seagulls hairstyles, your sales materials were “designed” using Microsoft Publisher, and your store’s interior is reminiscent of a garage, a pretty and professional website will only serve to confuse your customers with inconsistent branding.

The Website Only approach is really only appropriate to those companies who have great branding, but a site built on old technology. This does not require a redesign, but a refresh. If this applies to you, by all means, seek a web designer and nothing more. But if the words “We’ll update the identity/packaging/brochures/etc later,” cross your lips, you may be hurting your brand more than you’re helping it. Inconsistency can be the death of a powerful brand.