I recently came across an infographic that demonstrates the importance of color, font and size, and how those choices communicate things about your company. It reminded me of how much thought and care is put into logo development.
Each element can be agonized over, with the goal of developing an identity that reflects your company and brand. Which is why it’s no surprise that most of our customers love their logo and passionately protect its size and placement on uniforms. After all, it’s the physical representation of their company mission, hard work and sacrifice.
But, I’ve learned over the years: not everyone feels the same way about your logo. For your customers, logos serve multiple roles. They are functional ‒ a way to quickly identify a company. They are a reminder – of how your brand makes them feel.
Not-so-uniform uniforms
A few years ago, we got tired of being asked to just slap a logo on a shirt. And apron. And cap. We asked ourselves, what if a uniform could do more? What if it could go beyond the logo? One of our national customers has a fun, relaxed vibe to their stores, so we took their energetic and emotion-inspiring phrases and turned them into shirts. The response was fantastic. The employees and owners could choose a shirt that resonated with them as an individual, personifying the brand in their unique way.
Now, when customers walk in, they see enthusiastic employees wearing a design or phrase that speaks to them and communicates the brand. The logo still shows up, but usually on the back or sleeve..
Diversity and unity, in harmony
We’ve now worked with this customer for over 15 years and the playful phrases and taglines have not relented. We regularly get submissions of shirt ideas from the owner community. They like the variety, and to show that in diversity you can still have unity. We mix it up with different colors, different styles of garments, and an ever-evolving slate of messages in a brand-centric design. It keeps the look fresh and interesting.
Consider this: When a customer walks into your restaurant they already know where they are. The garment should reinforce the values and the brand by telling the patron something new. And not just a sales-y message about promoted products. Your employees want to represent well, and they want to look good doing it. Give them a taste of self-expression with relevance for your brand.
If you are interested in creating your own brand-centric uniform design or would like to get more information, please contact us. We are happy to chat about all the ways you can mix things up to give your uniforms a fresh new look.
