Business advice comes in all forms. It can come from those who are simply in the business of giving advice professionally, masquerading as someone with wealth, who always seem to have a course and a PDF to sell you. It can come from hired consultants who may have a vague job description but could engage with systematic processes of your operational configuration, and help improve it. It could also come from websites like ours, where different topics are tackled on a daily basis.

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Of course, in among all these sources (and more we haven’t mentioned), advice isn’t always going to match your situation perfectly. But it’s even worse when platitudes are given with the semblance of good advice, yet with no real grounding to them. This is most often found in the world of design, where between necessary parameters, much taste-based guidance is given on a subjective basis and nothing more.

So, we intend to help you puncture those branding platitudes that may be holding your businesses back. Let’s consider three of them, below:

“Short-Form Video Content Is All You Need”

Short-form content is great for grabbing attention, but it’s not always the best at holding it. If you’re trying to build a brand with substance, you’ll need something deeper than a string of 15-second clips. People still watch long-form videos, read blog posts, and engage with well-thought-out content, as any excellent video production agency will tell you. So, it’s not a bad idea to use a mix, such as implementing short-form to pull people in, but giving something to stick around for from there, be that a well-produced explainer video, a deep-dive blog post, or a podcast. Short-form is the hook, but it shouldn’t be the whole strategy.

“AI Is Good Enough”

AI is good for some tasks, and not for others. We can often find that unless carefully created, AI-written copy, AI-generated images, and currently AI-powered customer service can seem bland or limit the substance of your firm, at least for now. Instead, let it refine your ideas, or even speed up production, but the final product should still have a human touch. Don’t cede your entire creative potential to AI when your brand could offer so much more to begin with, especially as you’re finding an identity.

“You Just Need Well-Formatted Social Media Banners”

This is often repeated ad nauseam when it comes to design, and while the intention is fine, any modern branding tool or graphics suite will have the option to save an image in the right proportions for social media. It’s much more important to think about what that branding image holds, be that information or carefully selected complementary colors to catch the eye. It’s more than just the right size, even if that does matter.

With this advice, we hope you can feel a little more confident going your own way without relying on many of the platitudes out there. It’s okay to discount some of the advice that comes your way, and only using the best that rises to the top, so to speak.

About the Author: Garlak Theodorakis

My name is Garlak Theodorakis, I am graphic designer with almost 10 year experience in the field. Founded Tooft.com in january 2010 with idea to share my knowledge with the world.