15 Small Business Branding Examples That Will Inspire You

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• 15 Inspiring Small Business Branding Examples
• Key Takeaways
• FAQs
• Conclusion

Small businesses often face several brand challenges. They have to build a brand on a small budget and at lightspeed. Larger businesses have in-house teams to deal with business branding and marketing, which small business branding lacks. However, there are a few important assets that a small business possesses that even the larger organizations lack.

A global brand can never have the personal connection of a friend and family with connections. Furthermore, the emotional connection, personal dialogue, and the bond of trust built by small businesses help them in the longer run. These small business branding examples we’ve listed below will provide you with an insight into a brand strategy for small businesses.

15 Inspiring Small Business Branding Examples

1. Made with Local

This meal service provider buys supplies from local farmers and collaborates with an organization that assists people with developmental disabilities find work. They also have some of the most beautiful culinary photography we’ve ever seen. Apart from being a people’s brand, “Made with Local” portrays a good small business branding and marketing strategy.

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2. Ricola Cough Drops

You might think that cough drops can only be packaged in a certain way. Think again! Ricola’s Unwrap your voice packaging of cough drops changed how cough drops are marketed. The twisted packaging of the cough drops was meant to resemble the sour throat. It featured cartoon heads whose necks descended in the wrappers only to be relieved while opening the cough drops. 

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3. Death Wish Coffee

Death Wish, branded as “The World’s Strongest Coffee,” plays up the “death” angle quite literally. The excellent branding and positioning of Death Wish result from extensive audience research. Death Wish discovered a new part of the coffee market that doesn’t care about taste; they simply want to feel awake. Their success has made them a classic marketing example, and they even had a Super Bowl commercial.

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4. Folklorious

Quim Marin, a designer based in Barcelona, created this lovely branding for the online accessories retailer Folklorious. Marin combined classic artwork, illustrated design, and photography with contemporary graphic elements and typography. As a consequence, the brand identity is varied, sophisticated, and one-of-a-kind.

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5. Eat My Shorts

Inspired by the famous Simpson’s line- Eat My Shorts brand offers gender-neutral clothing designed by Malena Blas. Tomás Salazar, a Mexico-based graphic designer, created a modern brand identity and product packaging. This campaign was a hit and increased their sales. 

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6. And Union

AND UNION changed the way beers are sold. They transformed the traditionally-looking boring beer cans into fresh-looking cans that resemble soda cans. This change in the packaging was received well, and many youngsters boasted these cans on their Instagram timelines. 

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7. Elo Soap

Elo is a brand that specializes in Greek Soap manufacturing. When the brand wanted to launch the Greek God soap series featuring olive-oil soaps, they approached Mike Karolos. The challenge was to create a product that stands out from all the usual greek gift store items. Mike created the design that had actual illustrations of the Greek Gods. It not only had the local connection but a unique appeal to it.

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8. Bony to Beastly

Bony to Beastly is an online business that assists people in gaining muscle. What makes Bony to Beastly such a great example of small business branding is that it conveys a vital benefit immediately. There weren’t many resources on this subject before Bony to Beastly struck the scene. Its creativity is straightforward, but it conveys a powerful message in a short amount of time.

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9. Qoñi

Qoñi is a small artisan community in Puno, a city in Peru. It’s known for creating hand-knitted scarves, socks, shawls, and gloves from alpaca fleece. The brand desired to present itself as a modern fashion brand to be recognized globally. 

Qoñi worked with Leo Burnett, a Canadian graphic design studio, to develop a brand new visual identity, right from the brand story to lookbook, and extending to retail tags and promotional material.

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10. Bombay Electric

Bombay Electric is a premium fashion select store in Mumbai, and Paris-based designer Michael Thorsby developed their vivid, kaleidoscopic new branding. The appeal of the kaleidoscopic packaging created a buzz among users.

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11. Vinome

Check out Vinome if you’re a wine enthusiast or simply seeking new wines to sample. The company examines your DNA to determine which flavors you are genetically prone to enjoy. Then it offers you wine depending on your preferences. Also, have a look at that fantastic logo design! The double helix DNA corkscrew is a great logo.

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12. Notel

This strikingly out-of-the-box hotel deserved some bold branding decisions and the agency Selftitled more than delivered. Notel comprises six refurbished Air Stream trailers parked on a roof, and Selftitled was tasked with providing creative direction and developing a compelling brand concept for the entire enterprise.

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13. Tentsile

Tentsile is a firm that makes a lightweight tent that hangs like a hammock off the ground. The product’s logo simply explains how it works (suspended between three trees). 

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14. Sneaky Veg

This food blog aims to incorporate more veggies and fruits into children’s diets through simple, enjoyable dishes. Mandy Mazliah, the site’s founder, also offers vegetarian and vegan options. Even though it is aimed at children, the Sneaky Veg website has a rather adult air to it.

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15. Finfolk Productions

We’ll tell you what Finfolk Productions makes if you couldn’t tell from the name. Mermaid attire! Mermaid tails, flip-flops, and mermaid scale leggings are available for youngsters and adults. They don’t go crazy in the design department, unlike what you’d think. Their website features a lovely pink color scheme that runs throughout.

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Key Takeaways

If you observe the above examples keenly, you will notice the following important requirements of effective Small Business Branding:

Visual appeal

The visual appeal of the campaign or the design stays longer in the user’s mind. The content must have some unique visual appeal for the users.

Emotional appeal

Storytelling is the longest and the most effective way of marketing used by brands. If the user connects with the brand emotionally, he will stay connected as a loyal customer. 

Crisp and quirky

Any direct sign or a quirky appeal of the brand hits the right node. Quirk is the new trend in marketing. 

Simplicity at its best

Some brand names speak for themselves. Adding too much might spoil the brand’s value. It is better to allow simplicity to attract more eyes towards the brand.

Identifying the viewer

Before you begin marketing your goods, you must first identify your target audience. Who are your target audiences, and what do they do?

For example, if you offer baby products, your target audience would primarily be pregnant women or new mothers.

When developing a brand, it is critical to understand who you are attempting to reach. This will allow you to personalize your mission and marketing plan better. It will assist you in determining the lifestyle and behavior of your customers. You will be able to position your goods more effectively in the market.

Unique brand identity

Creating a logo and tagline for your brand is important in brand creation. This is critical because your logo will appear on everything related to your business. This includes the packaging, marketing collateral, business cards, and more.

A business logo serves as a visual representation of your brand’s identity. That is why you should invest time and money in creating something that speaks to your company’s goal.

Conclusion

Taking up a branding project for a small business can be a good opportunity for agencies and freelancers to experiment with creative work without the heavy pressures and constraints of larger accounts.

Large corporations may have several decision-makers with specific concepts and requirements to keep their existing brands constant. However, smaller businesses are usually more open to exploring new creative approaches and can move faster to apply them.

We hope these small business branding examples we’ve listed will help you find some branding inspiration for your small business.

FAQs