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During the beginnings of launching your new venture, your logo and branding concepts are possibly the most important things to be thinking about. If you haven't considered them yet, take a step back and refocus. You have to consider not only the foundation and strength of the brand, but a parade of other factors including website design, online marketing, graphics, printed pieces and planning for future marketing strategies and goals. Depending on your business type, you may even start to think about getting in on the mobile party too. It's a lot to consider at once, but there are a few things you can do to prepare yourself and help during the process.

We always recommend that new business owners spend at least a few days brainstorming ideas and concepts before landing on something. The first idea is not necessarily always the best. These brainstorming sessions may include ideas for domain names, logo styles, marks and color combinations. Consider asking yourself this question: "What do I want to portray with my branding?". There is no correct answer, but the answer will help guide you in the right direction.

• Gather Inspiration Everywhere!

  Without that spark of inspiration, there won't be much brainstorming. In fact, use that spark of inspiration that got you to start the company and harness it when dreaming up your brand identity. Inevitably there are some companies that you admire and wish to model yourself off of. Be careful when doing this though, as some consider this plagiarism. Although there is a huge difference between obvious copying and gaining inspiration from it, be careful not to tread the line too closely.

• Look at Design Blogs

  Look at this one even! We've got several examples of branding and logo design for your inspiration needs. Look at what you're attracted to and see if your Chicago Logo Designer can use this in their inspirations as well.

• Consider Your Marketing Goals

  How will your brand identity help make your marketing goals a reality? A good way to identify your own goals may be to research similar start-ups. For example, to launch a graphic designer critique community you may look to the steps of Graphic Design Blog in the previous years. You may also be looking to build a solid community of members through marketing tactics.

• Think About First Impressions

  Show your brand concepts and logo concepts to your clients and see how they react. Good? Bad? Let them describe their likes and dislikes and try to get an answer that your designers can work with. Does the logo mark make them uncomfortable or restless? This can make or break your identity.

Remember, there is no perfect logo design or brand identity. There are brands that do very well in the market. Creating a brand for your business requires a lot of time and energy, though with a mash-up of creative brains it can be a smooth process. Along with these tips, and a healthy dose of creativity, you'll be on your way towards a great brand identity. Questions or comments? Ask us below!