Any of you guys ever branded anything?

[Weekapaug]

Been working on a side project for a couple of years and while I've been in r&d I've also had the damndest time coming up with a label for my product. Hasn't been a problem so far but I'm getting to a point where I need to start thinking seriously about getting a website up, social networking, etc, not to mention having a logo made.

Didn't think it would be that big of a deal but after reading a couple of basic books on branding my head spins with it even more than it did. A buddy does branding for a living and we met a few times...we clashed a bit. Lol. Talked to another friend who did a website startup a few years ago and he said not to worry about clashing with my buddy because he went thru 3 sets of these guys before he found one he could work with. Apparently the general modus operandi with those guys is to try to get you to conform to their particular formula rather than the other way around. Which is what my buddy was doing and is why we clashed.

There is an older segment of gamers here and gamers tend to come from wide and varied professions so I thought I would ask here while I was thinking about it. This area of business is new to me. How do you navigate this on a limited budget without going insane?

[Swish]

Branding can be way overthought I think. Just watching the UK "The Apprentice" shows me people are clueless when it comes to keeping it simple sometimes.

What's the product? :p

Try not to go with the "something animal" formula if you want to be taken seriously (Stray Duck, Purple Cat, etc). Those are the potential names for failed t-shirt companies/local bands :p

[Peatree]

Brand it "Rant & Flames"

RnF

[Ahldagor]

what are you trying to brand? i came in here thinking of body mods

[Shannacore]

You're thinking about it a lot more seriously than I did!

I came up with a name that I thought was catchy, and was also a little punny. The pun part was okay because my business is a bit more whimsical - does not work in all situations.

I told a friend of mine the company name and desired color scheme, and he created me a logo for $100.

Registering the business in the NM Dept of Tax was easy and free, as was registering it as an LLC.

Which part are you getting caught up on? The brainstorming part?

[Lojik]

From what you posted sounds like you're on the right track. Just be careful of working with people who tell you everything you want to hear as well. Stick to a general vision that still allows for some aspects to change.