5 Tips for Creating Brand Identity Through Clothing

Brand recognition, awareness, and corporate identity make up the top reasons companies invest in promotional clothing. They are also frequently used to motivate and influence specific behaviors or to introduce new lines of products. This makes clothing a key touchpoint for infusing brand identity, particularly if it is a product such as gloves that will be more noticeable. 

Building brand identity through clothing can be explored in a vast array of ways. Promotional clothing options and customizations are expanding, giving companies more opportunities to expose customers to their brand. Read on for five tips to integrate brand identity into clothing.

1. Establish Authority and Trust with Familiar Branding on Corporate Gloves and Clothing

Imagine this: You walk into an office, retail store, or event in search of something specific. Upon spotting a person in a branded polo you can trust they will be able to lead you in the right direction. Why? Because they are marked by the brand as an employee. 

Now imagine that there are no employees wearing branded clothing. How do you track them down?

Simple. You don’t. Or you spend quite a bit of time asking random passersby for assistance.

With branded clothing, your customers will be able to easily spot employees wearing your brand colors and easily distinguishable logo. They will also be more inclined to trust what that individual is relaying to them.

2. Clearly Displayed Logos Advertise Your Business

A promotional product, such as gloves with a logo emblazoned across it, is a bit like a moving billboard. When designing your corporate clothing, ensure that your logo is highly visible. You want it to catch the attention of a customer or a potential prospect.

You have likely picked colors for your gloves that are on brand for your company. But logo positioning matters too. Without a clearly visible logo, prospects and customers may not make the promotional clothing color association to your brand.

Normal Logo Placements on Gloves Include:

• On the back of the hand
• On the wrist strap
• On the palm (less popular)
• On a finger or thumb

If you haven’t yet solidified the logo for your business or need the help of a brand specialist to better represent your company through renovated branding you can approach the situation with a few tactics. The four most important takeaways are to make a logo memorable, eye-catching, easily recognizable, and to give it a message.

3. Consistent Design Builds Brand Identity Through Clothing and Branded Gloves

As with building trust and authority for your brand, promotional gloves can also foster a stronger brand identity through consistency. You can compare it to fashion designers for consumer wear. Often times people who are familiar with a designer can pick their outfits out of a lineup.

Your branded gloves should have the same effect on customers familiar with your brand. Consistency is key. If your brand colors are blue and gold, don’t come out with gloves that are yellow and green. 

If your website has a particular, recognizable design, consider using it on the gloves as it will boost recognition by customers. Different mediums can carry over the same messaging and branding for familiar feel customers will be more inclined to engage with. This promotes an overall brand strategy that is working as a whole instead of individual, moving parts.

Be consistent to see results with building brand recognition and identity. Once you have honed in on how your branded gloves will appear, you need to integrate it into your marketing strategy. Branded gloves should stay consistent to boost familiarity, trust, and recognition over a long stretch of time.

4. Provide the Right Promotional Clothing for the Right Audience

According to the Advertising Specialty Institute, promotional items are kept for an average of eight months. This time varies for corporate clothing provided for employees and certain useful products such as umbrellas. This makes promotional clothing invaluable for building brand recognition over an extended period of time.

But, if you provide clothing that does not fit or isn’t right for the situation then you are investing money into products that are doing little more than being tossed aside and forgotten. Consider that men and women need different styles of clothing for a comfortable and flattering fit. People are more inclined to wear clothing they feel good in.

When placing an order, consider what and who the promotional clothing is far beyond gender. Are these t-shirts to giveaway, clothing for office workers, or accessories for people who work outside in the elements? Determine the level of quality and durability appropriate for the future owners of your promo products.

Here are a Few Considerations When Placing a Promotional Gloves Order:

• Durability of material
• Gender of wearer
• Where gloves are being given
• How casual the event will be
• What type of conditions gloves will be worn in

It’s pointless to design, produce, and distribute clothing that either doesn’t properly fit or doesn’t hold up in the conditions of the wearer. By considering the circumstances and adapting your order to suit them, you are saving your company both money and the hassle of storing or disposing of promo items that are essentially useless.

5. Give the Appearance that Your Brand is Strong

Coordinating staff sends a message to customers, and it isn’t that your company is falling apart. Give the appearance of strength and cohesion by providing a set of branded corporate clothing to wear. 

These can be clothes that reinforce a specific type of dress style within the office, as with shirts for casual Fridays. Or they can simply be used to make your employees look like a team at a glance, not just a hodge-podge collection of people.

Other Factors to Keep in Mind When Designing Promotional Gloves are:

• Pick the right fabric types
• Hire on a professional designer or brand specialist
• Create a design that is clear and distinct
• Select a font that is easy to read at a glance 

Customers gravitate to strong, recognizable branding. You’ll see results in the long run when pulling together your team with brand identity that extends beyond a landing page or pen branded with your logo.

Brand Identity is in the Details

Clothing can be a mere second thought when building a cohesive identity that represents your brand and builds trust with your customers. But it shouldn’t be. The way you present your company to your customers matters. Not to mention, the free advertisement, be it on a hoodie or custom printed gloves, can draw in unexpected prospects.

Check out our blog for more information on building brand identity through clothing and promotional material.