4 Basics of Maize Meal Branding

Your maize meal might taste just right, and look just right, but is your unique brand working hard enough to attract more customers?

When done well, branding creates personal, even emotional ties with your customers, not to mention differentiating you from your competitors. Here are 4 basics of maize meal branding to keep in mind:

01. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

First, who is your ideal customer, and what matters to them? Knowing who you want to have an impact on is important to developing a logo and brand for your maize meal.

Second, what do you want your logo to communicate or say? This goes deeper than what product you provide. What makes your maize meal different or better and why would someone choose your brand over another? Incorporate your brand’s values into your message, and make sure it also reflects what’s important to your customer.

Important: Always be aware and respectful of the cultural and regional sensitivities of your customers in a specific area – so your brand doesn’t get misunderstood or offends.

02. KEEP YOUR LOGO SIMPLE

When approaching logo design, simplicity should always be top-of-mind. It’s easy to try and incorporate all your great ideas into one design, but simple will always be better.

Overly complex logos do not convey professionalism or confidence, and they often leave the customer feeling confused. A simple and streamlined logo communicates strength, provides assurance to the customer, and is more memorable.

Tip: To save on printing and packaging costs, consider a one- or two-colour logo for your maize.

03. USE STRONG COLOUR

When you’re looking at colours to use in your logo design and branding, consider what your competitors are doing, the meaning behind each colour, and how these tie into your brand personality.

Colours used in maize meal packaging should be appetising, but also be economical to reproduce.

A few colours commonly used in food packaging and what they represent include:

• Red and yellow are the chief food colours, evoking the tastebuds and stimulating the appetite. Both red and yellow are also effective at grabbing attention. The fast food industry has claimed this combination for a good reason, because it’s effective!
• Orange, a blend of red and yellow, is another appetising colour.
• Green says eco-friendliness, health (think veggies), but be careful as green can also be unappetising.
• Blue and purple are cool tones, and can be unappetising if not done correctly. Cool tones don’t stimulate the appetite as much, so must be used with care.
• White says clean and pure, but it can also look stark, plain and sterile.
• Black signifies elegant, sleek and high-end. For food packaging, the colour brown often takes the place of black as a more appetising colour.
• Browns and earth tones are warm, appetising, wholesome and natural.

04. PRODUCT PACKAGING MATTERS

Your choice of packaging material is important. Not only should it look appealing once the maize meal is on the shelf, but whatever material is used should also keep the product inside fresh, and make it easy to transport and store.

For example, some of the durable and practical materials used to make large maize meal packs, are not always the most ‘print friendly'.

As such, this will impact how your logo looks once it’s printed – something you should consider when you decide on a logo – and another reason a simple, less intricate logo will always work better.

We trust these pointers will come in handy when you decide on branding for your maize meal. For more articles, tips and advice for entrepreneurs, follow our social media platforms or visit roff.co.za.

Sources:
https://www.logomaker.com/blog/2017/10/03/the-5-fundamental-branding-elements-of-logo-design/

https://99designs.co.uk/blog/logo-branding/food-branding/

https://eat-marketing.co.uk/4-key-things-to-consider-when-creating-your-brand-logo-design/

https://jenndavid.com/colors-that-influence-food-sales-infographic/