The DL on Design: Dare to Be Different

Bianca Sawyer

Lead Designer, Identity Marketing

The real estate industry is crowded and competitive, which is why it’s critical that every decision made regarding branding is well thought out. The way a brand looks and behaves needs to be well fleshed out otherwise it’s likely to get ‘lost in the mix’, and as a real estate experienced graphic designer, I’m here to tell you that this is the one mistake that causes agencies to undo all their hard work.

We live in a digital age and as a result, gone are the days of original thinking and creativity (Ok, I’m starting off this paragraph a little heavy). What I mean to convey is that each and every day we have unprecedented access to influences that subconsciously alter our decision making. How does this relate to branding? Those influences come in the form of successful brands such as White Fox, Harris, Mat Steinwede and John McGrath. I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard ‘we want to look like them’ or ‘I want it to have the same feel’. As brilliant as those types of agencies (and their branding) are, they are all successful because they are unique and having a brand that is unique to you is the key to being successful in a crowded and competitive market place.

Albert Einstein once said – “The person who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The person who walks alone is likely to find themselves in places no one has ever been before”. So find yourself a graphic designer that asks the hard-hitting questions about you and what you stand for because they’re a keeper. They will be the ones to use you as the inspiration for your brand which as we know, is the key to being different. No two people are the same and everyone has a unique point of view, you just have to find yours and capitalise on it.

Once you have your difference, your brand can visually represent that. Copying someone who is successful may seem like the right (easy) path forward, be it’s a detrimental path. The unknown is scary, but we promise you, with a little thought and a great graphic designer, it’s going to pay off.