Creating a Brand Identity: A Guide for Designers: (Graphic Design Books, Logo Design, Marketing)

by Catharine Slade-Brooking

1. When thinking about who you are, keep the brand’s promise front and centre in your mind. You need to be either better, different or cheaper. Challenge yourself to stay relevant, simple and compelling. 2. Keep challenging the status quo to maintain an experience that over-delivers the promise. Create a culture that attacks the brand’s weaknesses and fixes them before the competition can attack. With a beloved brand, the culture and brand become one. 3. Keep the brand story clear and simple, through great advertising in paid media, but also through earned media either in the mainstream press or through social media. 4. The most beloved brands have a freshness of innovation, staying one step ahead of their consumers. The idea of the brand helps, acting as an internal beacon to help frame research and development. Every new product has to back that idea. 5. Make focused strategic choices that start with being honest with yourself. Find a way to listen to your consumers and stay ahead of trends. Watch for dramatic shifts because they can really open a door for a competitor. It is easier said than done, but do not be afraid to attack yourself even if it means cannibalizing your current business. A good defence starts with a good offence.