Co-branding your way to obscurity
The problem with co-branding is that the more recognizable company always has an advantage.
Events or sponsorships come to mind. The larger company often gets to dictate the hierarchy.
Unifying acquisitions, or showing relationships, is a second instance. These logos fight with one another.
But there is an additional instance where the stakes are higher.
We work with financial service companies that have relationships with larger companies to provide back-office support: marketing, staffing, regulatory controls, technology, or access to management tools or opportunities not available to the public. Those larger companies stipulate how and where their logos appear.
What begins with significant business reasons to co-brand can come with a heavy brand price. You might gain legitimacy and support from the association with a broker-dealer like Raymond James, but if done incorrectly, the larger company will overshadow you.
Here are three things we think about when designing identities sharing real estate
Balance
We make the first basic decisions based on the larger company's identity. If the existing logo is center-aligned, we won’t pair it with a left-aligned logo. The pairing wouldn’t align with anything else on the page.
Spacing
The next decision is how the logos should relate to one another. They should be close enough to feel connected, far enough apart to feel like two separate entities. If they are too close, the potential client will remember the more familiar name, and it won’t be yours. Also, sometimes we add a line or other graphic to provide the illusion of more space.
Hierarchy
If the larger company doesn’t dictate it, we want your logo at the top or on the left. That signifies that you are in the lead even if the other name is more recognizable, giving you the best shot at recall.
If you think you are overshadowed by your business partners. Give us a call. We can sort out the details so you can get back to the relationships that make your business valuable.
