DESIGN: Brand Strategy

The design is an iterative process that seeks to integrate meaning with form.

Elements of a Brief:

1. Review of Process to Date
2. Industry Trends
3. Key Stakeholders
4. Internal Audit
5. Competitive Audit
6. Interview findings
7. Research findings
8. Brand Architecture
9. Brand Attributes
10. Brand Strategy
11. Goals
12. Closure and next steps

The Naming process is a complex, creative, and iterative process that requires experience in linguistics, marketing, research, and trademark law.

Revisit positioning–>Get organized–>Create naming criteria–>Brainstorming–>Initial screening–>Contextual targeting–>Testing–>Final legal screen

In order to design a symbol, you must examine the meaning, attributes, acronyms, inspiration, history, form, counter form, abstract, pictorial, letterform, wordmark, combination, time, space, light, still, motion transition, perspective, reality, fantasy, straight, curve, intersection and patterns.

Did you know that 60% of the decision to buy a product is based on color?  Brand color should be assigned to a symbol, secondary color assigned to logotype, a business descriptor, or tagline.  Make sure that you have positive connotations in Latin America, China, U.S., etc, as color symbols can vary internationally.  Refer to Color Theory with warm, cool, values, news, tints, shades, and complementary colors.

Typography needs to be flexible, easy to use, have clarity, and be legible.  Examine serif, sans-serif, size, weight, curves, rhythm, descenders, supports information hierarchy, ascenders, capitalization, headlines, subheads, text, callouts, captions, bulleted lists, leading, line length, letter spacing, numerals, symbols, quotation marks

Identity Design Process

A Brand, in essence, is a promise, big idea, the reputation and expectations that reside in each customer’s mind about a product or a company.  Every Brand has touchpoints too:

• Services                    Speeches                        Presentations         Word of mouth
• Products                   Networking                   Telephone               Tradeshows
• Employees                Proposals                      E-mails                    Voicemails
• Direct mail               Affinity marketing       Civic marketing      Advertising
• Public relations       Sales promotion           Newsletters            Ephemera
• Public affairs           Publications                  Web banners           Letterheads
• Business forms        Signage                           Packaging               Exhibits
• Websites                  Business cards               Publicity

Brand Identity that supports, expresses, communicates, synthesizes, and visualizes brand are impressive.  A brand identity needs to be mnemonic as a device such as the pattern of letters, ideas, or associations that assists in remembering something.

The sequence of Cognition:

Shapes

Content

Color

Brand Identity has the ideals of vision, meaning, coherence, sustainability, value, commitment, flexibility, authenticity, and differentiation.

Examples:

• • Nike Abstract Swoosh
  • Mitsubishi: 3 Corporate responsibility to society, integrity and fairness, and international understanding through trade
  • CBS Eye

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wB63odkphhg&w=420&h=315]

Brand Architecture

Hierarchy of brands within a single company and mirror of marketing strategy.

1. Monolithic Brand Architecture
2. Sub-brand/Subsidiary Brand Architecture
3. Endorsed Brand Architecture
4. Pluralistic Brand Architecture

Brand Attributes Examples

World-class, intelligent, prestigious, proud, individualistic, smart, congenial but competitive, resourceful, rigorous, innovative, analytical, passionate, ambitious, having tradition.

Taglines

Be short and differentiated from competitors by being unique.  Taglines can capture brand essence and positioning.  It must be easy to say and remember to have no negative connotations.  It is typically displayed in small font as well as should be protected and trademarked.  A tagline evokes an emotional response and it’s difficult to create.  Types of taglines include Imperative, Descriptive, Superlative, Provocative, and Specific.

Brand Identity Process

Brand identity assets include names, symbols, logotypes, taglines, slogans, packaging and product design, color, and sound.  Skills required for changing brand identity are branding, public relations, communications, identity design, production, and organizational management.  Branding guides, Online branding, marketing, and sales toolkits, thought books, identity standards manuals. Branding guides are used to announce the compelling reasons for a new identity and to build awareness of the company brand, and its importance to the future and success of the company.

1. Research and Analysis: Clarify vision, strategies, goals, and values.  Research stakeholders’ needs and perceptions.  Conduct an internal, competitive, technology, and legal audit.  Interview key management.  Evaluate existing brands and brand architecture.
2. Brand Strategy: Synthesize learning.  Clarify brand strategy, develop a positioning platform.  Co-create brand attributes, present brand brief, and create a naming strategy.
3. Design Concept: Visualize the future, design brand identity, finalize brand architecture, examine applicability, and present visual strategy.
4. Brand Expression: Finalize design solution, initiate trademark protection, prioritizes and design applications, design identity program, and apply brand architecture.
5. Managing Brand assets: Build synergy around the new brand, develop launch strategy and plan, launch internally first, launch externally, develop standards and guidelines, and nurture brand champions.  Have a deployment or internal launch; communicating with employees about the new brand identity.  Then release Standards and Guidelines book for all employees to read.  Finally, launch the new brand identity externally to key stakeholders.