Proper Branding Takes Time
All good things come to those who wait. Then why rush your branding process? In fact, when you give yourself time to enjoy it without being pinned down by impending deadlines, branding can be a blast! So how much time should you allow before this event to get you branding done? Is there such a thing as giving too much time?
The length of a branding project is proportional to the size of a studio and the size of the company being branded. The smaller the design studio, the longer the branding project will take, whereas a larger studio will take less time. This is because a large studio have the ability to put more manpower on a project and small studios have a limit to how much quality creativity they can churn out with just one or two designers.
The size of the company being branded has an effect as well. For instance, we would usually allot six months to brand a small food company with only a couple products, but a large company takes longer. I talked to a guy today that managed the rebranding of Boeing and he said it took about two years. That's because there are more company assets to consider and more decision makers at the table.
Giving too much time for a branding project can be dangerous as well. Why? Because minds change and businesses evolve constantly and at some point you have to put a stake in the sand and say "This is what our company is and this is how we want to represent it." Taking too much time also creates fertile ground for Seth Godin's famous 'lizard brain', which is how smart companies start making dumb mistakes and exhausted design firms let them happen.
We recommend that small companies give at least 6 months for a basic branding process including logos, stationery and a website. If you need items beyond that like food packaging or several printed items, add on a few more months. And when I say 6 months, that means you've signed a proposal six months out, not you start looking for a design company six months out. In fact, the process of selecting a designer can never happen too early, so start looking!
Photo credit :: Sharyn Morrow