It happens again and again: Companies resort to "homemade" design components, often from internal "wannabe" designers or cheap run-of-the-mill designers who rely on free templates from the Internet. The result? Inconsistent and amateurish designs that not only harm the company but cause embarrassing errors. This not only leads to internal friction and constant rework, but also to a growing image problem. You probably know companies that are perceived as backwards, even though they preach innovation to the outside world. The gap between expectations and reality leads to a company's credibility declining - and with it its reputation, which is put at risk. And that's just the beginning. Why a corporate design manual is crucial for branding A crucial element that many lack: documentation. A professional branding or design system relies on clear, uniform guidelines that are accessible and understandable to everyone involved. Without such a system, not only are the necessary foundations missing to ensure consistent designs, but you are also dependent on individuals or agencies. This dependency can lead to a dead end - without clearly defined design guidelines, a brand remains weak and unable to grow. Investing in a branding pays off Professional branding or a well-thought-out design system is not an expensive expense, but a long-term investment in the future of a brand. It not only prevents costly mistakes and embarrassments, but also creates a solid foundation on which you can build in the long term. Dangerous: unsafe web platforms However, design is only one piece of the puzzle. Some website platforms can torpedo your entire branding. WordPress is a common example - often unnecessarily complicated, with constant plugin updates and security vulnerabilities. An entrepreneur friend of mine experienced exactly that: her WordPress site was hacked five times in just one year. The result? Her website has been offline ever since, and her digital existence has been virtually wiped out - a disaster for any company. A website must offer the freedom to fully display the branding visually, without constantly being subject to technical limitations and security gaps. A stable, secure platform without constant headaches is essential. Branding as a holistic system Think of branding like a human body: the logo is the heart, but it is the interaction of all elements - from the website to print materials - that keeps a brand alive and makes it unique. A brand needs a clear personality, a well-thought-out positioning and an emotional system that builds trust. It's about creating a consistent experience across all channels - online and offline. That's what turns companies into brands and brands into absolute top brands . The traditional approach of doing only the bare minimum has long since ceased to work. Companies that settle for half-hearted measures risk falling behind. Instead, what is needed is a comprehensive design system that is applied to all of the brand's materials and touchpoints - right from the start. "The gap between expectations and reality leads to a company's credibility decreasing. This is where professional branding including a corporate design manual comes into play." A corporate design manual is a game changer. It ensures 100% independence: any professional designer can work with it and you are no longer tied to a specific agency or designer. Conclusion: If you do not invest in your branding, you risk failure A lack of a design system costs more than you think - not just money, but also credibility, security and, above all, growth. Companies that rely on half-hearted solutions pay the price in time, stress and a damaged reputation. The decision is yours: do you stick with old, half-hearted solutions or invest in a design system that will transform your brand and make it a top brand ?

The challenge for entrepreneurs when working with designers is that they often feel like they are buying a pig in a poke. After all, they are spending (apparently a lot of) money on something that does not yet exist but has to be developed first (assuming the design is not stolen) . This raises the question – understandably – “What if I don’t like the branding?”. Of course, there are some clues as to what distinguishes a good designer from a not so good one . Nevertheless, a slight feeling of unease remains, especially if, as an entrepreneur, you have already had bad experiences with run-of-the-mill designers. What branding must be able to do First of all, one thing needs to be made clear: the purpose of branding is not to please the boss . The purpose of branding is to perfectly address the target group, to engage them emotionally and to convert them into paying customers. This is not about ego, but about business success. Setting the right course We work conceptually and iteratively and ensure from the outset that the journey goes where it is actually supposed to go; in line with the company's goals and for maximum business success without ego-fuss. On the one hand, this is initiated with a detailed briefing and questions about positioning at the beginning of the collaboration. On the other hand, we work with so-called "stylescapes" . You can see three examples from our practice here: A stylescape shows a rough draft of all the design assets of the future top brand, compressed into the smallest possible space for a rough overview. This gives our customers a feel for the "look and feel" of a brand early enough - before everything is worked out in detail and unnecessary costs arise. Even if this is not yet the final branding , our customers get a feeling for "is the direction right or not" - early enough in the development of a branding into a top brand .

Imagine you are building a house. You already have a picture of the living room flooded with sunlight, a beautiful terrace, perhaps an elegant spiral staircase leading from the ground floor up to the bedroom and a beautiful fireplace in the living room. Question: When do you hire the architect and when do you hire the construction company? You will probably say: Of course, first the architect and then the construction company. Yes, that is the only way it makes sense. Let's transfer this to the business context: There are still companies that do it the other way round; that is, they build the house first and only then consider how it would actually meet the needs, make sense and be effective. The expensive late realization Now imagine that the house is built, you have invested a lot of money and time... and now you have to do a lot of remodeling (or in the worst case, tear everything down and start again from scratch) because you realize: This is not what you need. Again, you invest a lot of time and money. The solution: First an architect, then a house builder. First branding, then getting the business off the ground. The problem with “just a logo and website” that many people realize too late You have a logo and a website? Do you also have a coherent design system ? No? So you had the construction company build a house, but you forgot about the architect beforehand. Then you have a real problem, because you are inflexible in the design of new products and services, which hinders your business growth and means you cannot survive in today's cross-media world. In today's world, it is crucial to be able to act quickly and flexibly. Without a branding system, introducing new products and services is too slow, too expensive and quite inefficient. In addition, a new product or service must benefit from the reputation of the umbrella brand (very important!) . That is the job of a branding. Branding as a flexible design system When branding is professionally developed as a design system and is delivered with practical documentation or a corporate design manual , design is no longer a handbrake. This means you finally have a design system that is flexible and modular and can grow with the company. A new social media platform will pop up tomorrow that you want to use? Thanks to well-thought-out branding, this is no longer a problem for external representation. This is exactly what we do for our customers. It is branding that combines the highest quality with maximum flexibility and is documented in a practical way. This makes a business a top brand and capable of surviving across all media.

The Beauty Palace in Austria's largest shopping center (Shopping City Süd, SCS) asked us for help. They were struggling with design problems and technical issues on their website. People were leaving the website far too quickly and the external impression was negative. The website was self-made, the existing "branding light" was not implemented on the website. die alte Website von Beauty Palace Afterwards, an SEO agency was hired to hopefully increase the website's Google ranking. Various SEO agencies are known to be well-versed in all aspects of getting customers. We took care of the complete relaunch of the website . All technical and visual problems on the website were resolved, the "branding light" was visibly implemented and expanded with meaningful design elements. The user interface was taken to a new level. SEO and design blend harmoniously together. Design success in numbers The numbers speak for themselves: Just one week after going live, the bounce rate of visitors was 25% lower. People stayed on the website much longer than before our design update. Finally! In terms of SEO and Google ranking, the website received more unique visitors than a whopping 92% of comparable websites in the industry after the design update. What a result! With an average of 4 minutes and 21 seconds, people stayed on the website significantly longer than 74% of the competition. A clear advantage in the tough competition among beauty salons. The new website that we implemented for this client ranks better in organic (!) search than 70% of comparable competitor websites. This is once again a classic example of how SEO optimization alone does not optimize Google rankings. It is primarily the design and optimal user guidance that keeps people on the website for a long time and thus has a strong influence on Google rankings. The new web design has been proven to keep visitors on the website longer and people therefore feel comfortable not only in the Beauty Palace, but also on the associated homepage.

In the dynamic world of web design, it's crucial to stay one step ahead, so we're excited to announce that we're now officially certified as Wix Studio Designers. This marks a significant milestone for us and opens up new possibilities for our clients' digital presence. Why web design with Wix Studio? Wix Studio is Wix's latest cutting-edge platform, which stands out for its technological innovations and maximum design freedom. This platform is not just a tool, but a kind of secret weapon that helps us transform our clients' vision into a clean, attractive and functional website. 1. Highest technological standard: With advanced features and seamless integration, Wix Studio offers everything modern websites need. From optimized loading speed to robust security features - so a website not only looks good, but also functions smoothly. 2. Maximum design freedom: Wix Studio focuses on creativity and individuality. It gives us the tools to perfectly reflect a brand identity - from unique layouts to customized interactions. Every design idea can be implemented precisely and without compromise. 3. Perfect implementation of branding: A strong brand deserves a strong online presence. With Wix Studio we can ensure that a corporate identity is presented consistently and effectively on a website. After all, a brand must shine in every detail. What does this mean for our clients? As certified Wix Studio designers, we are not only experts in using this advanced platform, but also well-equipped to put our clients in the best light. We have undergone extensive training and proven that we can meet the highest standards in web design. For our customers this means: - Tailor-made solutions: Every company is unique, and a website must reflect that. No ifs, ands or buts. With our expertise in Wix Studio, we create tailor-made designs that perfectly meet the individual needs of our demanding customers. - Efficient implementation: Thanks to Wix Studio's powerful tools and features, we can complete projects faster and more efficiently without compromising on quality. - Future-proof websites: The continuous development of Wix Studio ensures that our customers' websites are always up to date with the latest technology and adapt to growing requirements. The success of our clients is also our success Our commitment to excellence in design means we always strive to provide the best solutions for our clients. Becoming certified as a Wix Studio Designer is another step in our mission to help our clients strengthen their digital presence and achieve their business goals. Conclusion At a time when the online experience is often critical to business success, our Wix Studio Designer certification provides the advantage and security that many entrepreneurs want from design agencies.

A pack of tea bags costs between 1.50 and 4 euros - depending on the quality and brand. But what makes people spend a whopping 15 euros (or more) on a pack of tea bags? Yes, you read that right. 15 euros for 20 tea bags. The traditional house of Harrods manages to turn tea into a true experience. An experience that begins as soon as you see the beautiful packaging. Of course, Harrods stands for quality. The brand is committed to this promise of quality and must always be kept. People with high standards when it comes to enjoying tea will immediately feel addressed and emotionally engaged. The brand raises high expectations and satisfies them in a perfect way – not only in terms of product quality, but also in terms of product experience! And that's exactly what it's about: turning a product into a real experience. Branding raises expectations and the target group is willing to spend more money to fulfill their high expectations of the product experience. The Harrods branding manages to turn a tea bag packaging into a true work of art. Harmonious color schemes, elegant typography and a coherent design language that skilfully holds the entire tea range together: this is branding as it should be. This is branding that ensures that a pack of tea bags sells for 15 euros. And honestly, who wouldn't want to have a whole collection of these chic little art objects at home?

As we all know, there are many ways to Rome. So how do you get to where you want to go – not to Rome, but out of the swamp of mediocrity and into becoming an absolute top brand? Option 1: You create the branding yourself It costs you a lot of time, energy, nerves and (resulting in) money to set up a holistic branding on your own; not to mention the implementation on all analog and digital touchpoints and the continuous use on all communication channels. Aside from that, you most likely lack the expertise and experience to objectively assess design excellence and actually develop professional branding. In addition, you lose a lot of valuable time that you could otherwise use for your day-to-day business. The likelihood of you transforming into a top brand is extremely small. Option 2: You hire agencies Many agencies, especially well-known ones, are extremely overpriced due to inflated organizational structures, sales-promoting workshops and expensive PR measures. You, as the customer, naturally have to co-finance these expensive PR measures and gimmicky campaigns. For some agencies, just picking up the phone costs money. Speed, agility, flexibility and, unfortunately, sometimes even face-to-face contact with the customer - none of that. Most agencies work with an unnecessarily complicated website CMS that continually eats up time and money just to function. This generates high costs for customers and is passed on with corresponding surcharges. Another problem is the high employee turnover in the agency industry - despite the constant effort to entertain employees (with the resulting costs, which you of course have to co-finance). This means that valuable knowledge and important information is easily lost and you constantly have changing contacts. The likelihood of you transforming into a top brand is there, but at a disproportionately high price (if you haven't been financially eaten up beforehand). Option 3: You hire a new run-of-the-mill designer Many run-of-the-mill designers do not have the necessary expertise to create a holistic branding. After a “pretty” logo (which is often neither functional nor future-proof) and a website, there is not much more. The holistic branding approach and the flexible and modular design system that will guide your company safely into the future are completely missing. You are once again spending money on something so that you have something “pretty” that is not viable in today’s cross-media world. Furthermore, the lack of a design system means that you are dependent on the “back-and-forth designer”. If he is on vacation, you have a problem. If he is sick, you have a problem. If he is busy with another job, you have a problem. The likelihood that you will transform into a top brand is low. Because you will go around in circles and end up where you started: in the swamp of mediocrity. Option 4: You invest in learning material and online courses You invest a lot of time (and sometimes money) in various learning materials in order to learn how to develop a professional branding and implement it on all cross-media touchpoints. This of course keeps you from your day-to-day business, your sales shrink and you cut off the branch you are sitting on. You are also confronted with so much information that you end up not being able to see the forest for the trees. The probability that you will transform into a top brand is also extremely small. Option 5: You hire HCG corporate designs Or you can work with branding experts like HCG corporate designs . My team and I will support your transformation into a top brand with branding that makes complex things much more appealing. With the HCG method, we help service providers to communicate complex services clearly and understandably. We ensure that you successfully transform into a top brand in such a way that your customers, your business partners and your competitors are left speechless. So you save a lot of time, energy and nerves and get excellent expertise and no (!) drop in sales in your day-to-day business.

During a recent review of our branding archive, we came across one of our previous branding projects that unfortunately did not make it to the client's shortlist. Nevertheless, we think: Even if the design was never finalized, it is simply great and must be shown. Copyright: Helene Clara Gamper | HCG corporate designs Unique logo design for a plumbing business The customer’s wish was clear: "We are a plumbing company with heart. We are known locally as 'Readl-Biaga'." “Readl-Biaga” is Tyrolean for pipe bender, fitting for the profession of plumber. Passion for the job should play a central role in the branding. This gave rise to the idea of designing a pipe with a flange in the shape of a heart. A new idea that had not yet existed (at the time). Qualitative logo design starts with a pencil sketch on paper By the way, the idea for a logo design does not come from a computer or artificial "intelligence". No, for us a logo design comes from the heart, the brain, listening to the customer and is of course created by hand. For maximum creative output and the highest quality in the development of a brand, we rely on pencil and paper and initially work with sketches. You can find out more about how we work with sketches for a logo design in a specially produced video. Copyright: Helene Clara Gamper | HCG corporate designs Why wasn't this beautiful branding put into practice? The customer threw out the briefing and requirements and the positioning was supposed to be less emotional and pointed (contrary to the initial requirement) and more geared towards "classic" plumbing businesses. Even though the courage was lacking here, a new, beautiful branding was developed, which you can see in our portfolio.

Entrepreneurs are often told a lie. They are made to believe that all they need is a logo design and a website to get their great product (or their fancy service) out to the people. Or just a website should be enough. Others suggest to entrepreneurs that they first have to spend 6,000, 7,000 or even 8,000 euros on a workshop to even find out that they need professional branding to transform into a top brand. This is how companies' budgets are played with and some agencies get their own sales tactics refinanced by the customer. The real problem: a lacking branding A new logo and a new website alone cannot handle the mammoth task of appearing as a top brand, but they still cost a lot of money. "Run-by-the-mill" designers like to sell it as if a new logo and a new website are enough. You are an expert in your field, in your service, and of course you cannot know how crucial branding really is. How could you? In addition, there are many ready-made templates that you can find cheaply on the Internet or Photoshop buddies that can only take a company a small step further. In plain language, that means you remain stuck in the swamp of mediocrity. This is not about a small start-up run by students or someone who is just starting out on their own to earn a little extra money. A logo and a website are enough to start with. However, we are talking about the transformation from the swamp of mediocrity to an absolute top brand that people can't ignore. The thing is: You need branding , i.e. a coherent, holistic design system, because only then can you convey a consistent brand message across all touchpoints (both analogue and digital) now and in the future. And we think that this can be done without an overpriced workshop. A consistent brand message as the key to the heart of your target group Why is a consistent brand message so important? Quite simply: continuity creates trust. And that is what turns people into paying customers. We have specialized in tackling this problem at its root and solving it – by establishing a recognized and practical branding system (we carry the quality seal of the “initiative corporate design” from “Design Austria”). With our systematic design approach, we help scaleups win more customers in just three months. This ensures clear and understandable communication and a trustworthy continuity that turns people into paying customers.

Redesigning a logo is always a tricky matter. As a brand designer, you feel like you can't please everyone. But: It is not the goal of a designer to please everyone! Causing controversy, standing out from the crowd and taking a stand - that's what professional branding has to do. A logo design doesn't have to please everyone , but it has to give people a certain feeling. Is the branding color copied from Austria's ÖVP? Based in Austria, the CDU turquoise reminded us very much of a dull version of the ÖVP turquoise. The ÖVP is basically the Austrian sister party of the CDU . Under the once celebrated political star Sebastian Kurz , the ÖVP was given a new, more dynamic image; with new branding and the signal color turquoise. Copyright: CDU It is noticeable that the CDU, with its new turquoise, wants to copy the success of the ÖVP's relaunch at the time and is relying on the same color (albeit in a somewhat duller version). Whether this is a smart move in times of allegations of perjury against Sebastian Kurz remains to be seen. Stock exchange or ski jump? As a non-Austrian, the bar chart in the German flag colors probably catches your eye. It is reminiscent of stock market speculation and rising prices. On the other hand, the bars also resemble a ski jump that is arranged in reverse. Intentional? Coincidence? The idea was probably to let the momentum flow into the capital letter "C" in "CDU". Well, you can interpret a lot into a logo. However, our first impression is a watered-down compromise of different elements. Italic party letters do not exactly represent stability and power, which is certainly what the CDU wants to convey. It looks as if too many cooks have spoiled the broth. As if everyone has thrown their own spices into the soup pot and the end result is something that is supposed to look like an upswing but is lagging behind in its value imparting. Unique or a copy? It is common knowledge that a logo design should be unique and recognizable. However, the CDU's new logo design does not have any significant recognition value. The similarity to an everyday bar chart, the logo of the Bridge Street Development Corporation or OVB Vermögensberatung is too great. Our blog article “When a lawyer comes instead of new customers” covers how problematic this can be. In our branding process with the HCG method, a plagiarism check is always included. This means that it is not the lawyer who comes, but new customers.

The last four months have been incredibly intense. With the support of Wix Studio, we produced our first masterclass with the promising title "The Ultimate Masterclass for Branding & Web Design" . Big words, followed by big impact. Because: 15 years of experience in branding, web design and entrepreneurship as well as seven years of experience in quality and process management have gone into this project. This concentrated know-how is now no longer only accessible to our clients, but also to the general public, which is why the masterclass is only available in English for the time being. The result: 5 hours of video material in 4K quality, 5 modules and 38 chapters full of aha moments and insights – not only in terms of branding and web design, but also in terms of project management, client communication, time management and productivity. Overview of the modules in the masterclass Module 1: Project structure, billing, client communication, the perfect briefing Module 2: Branding from A to Z Module 3: Web design from A to Z (including responsiveness and accessibility) Module 4: Online marketing in Wix Studio Module 5: Time management, organization and productivity Further details about the modules can be found in the content overview. A big thank you goes to Guy, Amanda, Almog, Matan, Marcus and Noah from the Wix Studio team as well as to Dominik from Peakmedia. Agency owners can also use this masterclass perfectly as employee training. Please contact us for agency licenses for your team.

2020 is over, 2021 is still in its infancy. A good opportunity to reflect on the past year, to appreciate the beautiful moments and to focus on a positive outlook for 2021. In September 2020, I went on a great multi-day hiking trip in the Italian Dolomites, one of the most impressive and beautiful mountain ranges that I have ever seen (and I say that as a Tyrolean!). The tour was organized and hosted by my dear friend Karrie Gregson from Alpenboxx , whom I know from my Hot Yoga Studio Yogahealth . We were a small, nice group of different nationalities, all living in Innsbruck: Karrie from Canada, Olli from Bavaria (Germany), Nolwenn from France, her husband Marek from Poland and I, the only Austrian. The starting point was the Passo Sella Resort - a fantastic resort in an equally fantastic location. High up in the mountains you have a wonderful view. A lot is put into perspective when you change your perspective - what a lovely play on words ;-) ! A different point of view is always positive and also promotes creativity - so especially for me as a designer, hiking in the mountains is a great thing. In the Dolomites I had some time to relax and to reflect on ten years of HCG corporate designs #10yearsHCG . Many doubts plagued me when I started my own business. Because: I started my graphic design business at the beginning of 2010, in the midst of the financial crisis, with just one customer. Not exactly the best conditions. Today I run my one-person company in the 6-digit sales range, as a woman, in an industry with a lot of competition and dumping price providers. Okay, the one-person company status will change ;-). What I have learned over the years - and I would like to pass this on to you as a blog reader: There are always people and companies who need good products and services and are willing to pay for them. The better your product or service, the more professional you are perceived (your brand design makes a significant contribution to this), the more your competitors will be left behind you. So if you're wondering why you should invest: Because you are investing in your future. And that's the best investment you can ever make. The investment in this hiking holiday in the Dolomites was, too, one that I definitely wouldn't want to miss. I spent wonderful days in a beautiful landscape with wonderful people. Thanks at this point to Karrie, Olli, Nolwenn and Marek. And of course we must not forget about Lilli - Karrie and Olli's dog, who entertained us very well with her daring attempts to chase the marmots in the Dolomites. (Video by Karrie Gregson / Alpenboxx ) Thanks to Karrie, Olli, Lilli, Nolwenn, Marek, Peter and all the others of the hiking group for this wonderful time together! After a great 2020, I am now looking forward to 2021, in which many wonderful, creative design projects are waiting for me - and maybe another hike in the Dolomites. And of course I'm also looking forward to a generally more positive mood in the world out there, which will certainly come after all the turbulence of the past year. I am very certain about that.