Branding is still a controversial marketing practice. Many people are under the impression that branding is a purely visual endeavor, and that it only has to do with colors and logos. While this is true to an extent, collectively, branding is a process that involves all the interactions that your customers have with your company. This includes your advertisements, but also the employees that interact with your customers. Your staff are the ambassadors of your brand, and there are many ways in which you can use them to define your brand’s identity. The first step, is to create some efficient and visually pleasing uniforms, that will inspire trust and professionalism.
Branding fundamentals
A brand’s image needs to be unique, and it needs a key element that differentiates a company from its competitors. Before you design your staff’s uniforms, make sure that you are satisfied with your existing branding elements, from the logo, to the slogan, and the overall company mission and core values.
Choose efficiency before anything else
Branding the uniforms is but the final touch of creating your staff uniforms. First of all, you must pick some comfortable designs that allow your employees to perform their tasks with ease and which satisfy the basic requirements of your industry. If you work in the food industry or the health care industry, you will have to pick quality materials, which can be sanitized with ease.
Consult your employees
Your staff will give you the best feedback regarding the types of workwear that will allow them to perform their work comfortably. After all, you don’t want to force them to wear something uncomfortable or distasteful. For example, in an office environment, people might not appreciate a full uniform, but they probably wouldn’t have any problems wearing small branded elements like custom scarves or ties. If your employees are comfortable wearing the work uniforms, chances are they will come to work already dressed in them, which means that they will be out in the world promoting your brand’s identity.
Align your internal and external brand identity
A branded uniform can have a very simple design, featuring only the company name and logo. However, you can maximize its efficiency, by using it as a tool for aligning the internal and the external brand identity. The external brand identity is the message that you consciously send out in to the world through advertisements. The internal identity is defined by your employees and their roles within your corporation. You can align these two identities by ordering custom uniforms for your employees, with messages that highlight why your employees love working for your company, or the value that they bring to your company.
Carefully consider your color palette
Assuming that you have already picked your company’s colors, you probably think that they are your best choice for the uniform. However, you might want to reconsider this, as some colors are not really suitable for uniforms. For example, McDonald’s has a great branding strategy from a visual point of view. However, you don’t see the McDonald’s employees dressed in bright yellow from head to toe. On the contrary, most of their uniforms are gray or black and only feature small yellow elements like ties or caps. If your brand uses bright colors, you will want to use those colors in small proportions, and choose complementary colors for the rest of the uniform.
Don’t compromise on quality
First of all, avoid synthetic fabrics, especially if your staff works in a warm environment, they move around a lot of they perform intense physical work. So, choose quality fabrics, that allow the skin to breathe. Moreover, opt for durable uniforms, so that you don’t have to replace them in the near future. Make sure the uniforms can be cleaned with ease, and if you have a lot of employers, hire a laundry service provider.
