What Your Customers Notice (That You Don’t)

You know that feeling when you walk into a store and something feels... off? Maybe the lighting doesn't match the vibe, or the music doesn't fit the products, or the staff seems disconnected from what the business is trying to be. You can't quite put your finger on it, but you notice.

Your customers are having that same experience with your brand. They're picking up on things you've become blind to—inconsistencies that make your business feel less professional, less trustworthy, or plain confusing.

When everything works together, you don't need to shout about your brand—it speaks for itself.

Things Customers Notice (But Rarely Tell You)

Your Colours Don’t Actually Match

You think you're using the same blue everywhere, but your website blue, your business card blue, and your social media blue are three different shades. Your customers see this immediately. It makes your brand feel unfinished, like you're not quite sure what you want to be.

Same colours, same impact—every time your customers see them.

Your Voice Changes Personality

Your website copy sounds corporate and formal, but your social media posts are casual and fun. Your email newsletters split the difference with something in between. Customers can't get a read on who you actually are, so they struggle to connect with your brand.

Your Logo Gets Treated Like a Suggestion

Sometimes it's big, sometimes it's small. Sometimes it's got a white background, sometimes it's transparent. Sometimes someone stretched it to fit a space. Your customers notice when your own logo looks different every time they see it—it makes your business feel inconsistent.

Slack’s brand guide makes sure everything feels like it comes from the same brain.

Everything Looks Like It Was Made at Different Times

Your business card design is from 2019, your website got updated last year, and your latest flyer looks completely different from both. Customers can tell when pieces of your brand don't go together and they might question whether you're the same reliable business they thought they knew.

Cornish Orchards nails it with flavors and designs that stand out but still feel like part of the same crew.

Why Close Enough Doesn't Work for Customers

Paul Rand once said that design is 'the silent ambassador of your brand.' Your customers aren't thinking about fonts and colour palettes—they're forming gut reactions about whether your business is professional, whether you pay attention to details, and whether they can trust you with their money.

When your brand feels scattered, customers make assumptions:

• 'They probably don't pay attention to details in their work either'

• 'This feels like a side business, not their main thing'

• 'I'm not sure if they're serious about what they do'

These aren't fair judgments, but they're human ones. And they happen in the first few seconds of someone encountering your brand.

In 1981 Paul Rand was asked by IBM to design a poster to support its new “THINK” motto. His response was the now iconic Eye-Bee-M rebus where images of an eye and bee stand in for the I and B, with the 13-bar M clearly linking it back to the company and logotype. This continues to be used today in modified versions for use in black and white and at different scales.

Why You Can't See What Your Customers See

As business owners, we become immune to our own inconsistencies. We know our logo works fine when it's squished into that weird rectangle. We don't notice that our Instagram posts look nothing like our website. We're so close to our own brand that we stop seeing it the way our customers do.

But here's the thing: customers are forming opinions about your business based on these visual cues whether you're paying attention to them or not.

How to Actually Fix What's Broken

The solution isn't complicated, but it does require some honesty about what your customers are actually seeing.

Do a Customer's-Eye-View Audit

Look at your website, your social media, your marketing materials, and your physical presence (if you have one) as if you're seeing them for the first time. Do they feel like they belong to the same business? If a customer encountered each piece separately, would they recognize your brand?

Pick Your Lane and Stay In It

Choose colours that actually work together and use them consistently. Pick a voice that fits your business and stick with it. Decide how your logo should look and make sure it always looks that way. Simple choices, followed consistently, make a bigger impact than complicated ones used randomly.

Make It Easy to Get Right

Set up systems that make consistency the default. Create templates for the things you use most. Write down your brand guidelines, even if it's just one page. Make it harder to accidentally mess up your brand than to keep it consistent.

What Happens When You Get It Right

When your brand finally feels cohesive, customers notice that too. They start to see your business as more professional, more established, and more trustworthy. They remember you more easily. They refer you more confidently.

The difference between a scattered brand and a consistent one isn't aesthetic—it's about the trust and credibility your customers feel when they interact with your business.

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Want to see your brand the way your customers do? I help businesses identify and fix the inconsistencies that are undermining their credibility.

Let's talk about what your customers are really noticing.