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

by Catharine Slade-Brooking

Some of the key questions that guide market sector analysis are: • What value would a new product bring to a prospective buyer? • What price would they consider reasonable? • What reasons might they have for not buying? • What elements of the established ‘design language’ for this market influence the consumer’s choice? Commonly used market sector analysis techniques include: • Being your own customer. By imagining yourself as your own customer, you can experience a product or brand from the consumer’s point of view. • Mystery shoppers

Developing a successful brand strategy depends on gaining as many insights into the competition as possible. This is not only vital at the early stages of the design process, but can also be used as a tool to measure the success of the final design. Key questions used to guide this research process are: • Who is the competition? • Who is their target consumer/audience? • What market do they serve – luxury, economy or niche? • What is their price point? What is their market share? How popular are they? • What does their brand stand for? What is their key message? • What is their USP? • What are their strengths? • How do they position themselves? • What are their strategies across all consumer touchpoints (see page 97)? • What does their brand look like? • What emotional message does it communicate? • What is the brand’s tone of voice?

Exploring how a competitor brand communicates to its consumers involves looking into all the design aspects of that brand’s identity, including online, advertising, packaging and promotion. This process aims to unpick the hidden meaning behind all the elements of the design, as was demonstrated with the semiotic deconstruction of the Milka brand in Chapter 2 (see page 51). The key factors to explore are: • The tone of voice. Who is it addressing? • The look and feel. What visual message is it communicating? What emotion is it expressing? • The typeface. What characteristics does it have and why? • The colour palette. How does this add to the feel and message? • The brand icon/logo. What is it and why does it use it? • Any additional elements used in the advertising, copywriting and promotion of the brand. How these are used to amplify the brand message?

Conducting a simple competitor brand analysis 1. Start by choosing a brand to research. You can search the Internet for products and brands, or look through product catalogues or trade magazines. 2. Identify five main competitors for your research. It is useful to ask somebody else to review your list of competitor brands to ensure that the most important competitor brands are represented. 3. Compare all of the competing brands to discover the strengths and weaknesses of each one. Use the key questions listed above to guide this analysis. 4. Add to this list one company that you consider to be the best example of a brand. This one does not necessarily need to be a direct competitor, but if it is more relevant to your chosen brand this will help you to build useful data. This will be your benchmark example of who you think is doing a good job of positioning themselves. 5. Write up a short summary detailing all of the competing brands and their overall market position. 6. Finally, add one more business – not necessarily a competitor, but one in your brand’s industry – that you think is not doing a great job at positioning themselves. This will help you see what not to do with your brand design. 7. If you want to carry this exercise further you can simply create a longer list by searching for other brands to add to it. Doing this will also have the benefit of showing you who else is out there, and what they are saying.

However, if a brand is to have longevity, the design team also needs to have an understanding of any future influences that may affect it. This information is based on a form of research and analysis known as ‘future forecasting’ or ‘trend forecasting’.

Developing a good written brief is an art in itself. Using a variety of headings or trigger questions will ensure that all the information collected during the research phase is integrated into the document. Key points to include are: Background. Any information related to the project, including information about the product or service to be branded, what it does, why it does it and how it does it. Aims and objectives. The problem the client wishes the team to solve and any challenges that have been identified. All the key creative elements that will need to be addressed, such as brand creation, extensions, methods of communication and so on. Target audience. All the information gathered on the intended consumer, for instance age range, gender, social status, lifestyle, needs and aspirations. Tone of voice. The style that has been identified as being the most appropriate for communicating the brand message to the audience. USP. The unique selling point and how it will be used to develop a clear communication strategy. What will be the benefits of this brand for the consumer? Why will they buy it rather than competitor brands? Creative outcomes. All the creative elements, such as brand identity, strapline (slogan), website, advertising, promotion, packaging etc. Budget and delivery schedule. Sticking to the deadline is vital. The client needs to know that the brand can be released onto the market on schedule. All costings should be defined and detailed so that the client ca...

Great design is defined as imaginative, daring, individualistic and innovative, but where do these ideas come from and how can you nurture them?

Creating and maintaining a personal design journal or sketchbook is also essential for documenting research and capturing ideas, reflections and concepts.

Value mistakes – they too can be inspiring. Fear can shut down creativity, as can the pressure to impress, so take risks and do what scares you. Embrace new challenges. When we are stretched we tend to be more creative.

Teamwork is not only a creative way of working, it is also much more fun than working alone. Collaborative concept generation also frequently results in a greater range and number of ideas than individuals by themselves.

And if you get stuck… • Daydream. Give yourself time and permission to do nothing. Bus and train journeys are great opportunities to just sit. Turn your phone off! Hard work is not always productive; the brain needs periods of inactivity to rest and process previous thoughts and ideas. • Always carry a notebook and something to draw or write with; you never know when an idea may strike! A pencil in the hand not only captures an idea, it also helps the mind focus and aids thinking. What is seen in the mind is ephemeral; the validity and success of an idea can only be explored in reality through drawing. • Mobile phone cameras and digital cameras are also a great way to record inspirational images immediately. • Doing can also be highly inspirational. You do not have to wait for a good idea to come. Start by realizing an average idea – no one has to see it! • Try to remove any ego from the process, as it can get in the way of gaining new insights and identifying new ways of working.

TIPS & TRICKS Routine is really important. However late you went to bed the night before, get up at the same time each day and get on with it. If an idea over-excites you, take a break and come back to it later. It is good to develop a critical eye. Creativity is like a muscle: if you do not use it, it becomes flabby and unfit. Use a creative journal to capture and keep ideas, and as a way of collecting and analyzing inspiration. Be constantly curious about everything. Always ask why. Everyone has that small voice that tells us we are rubbish – learn when to silence it. Genius is 1 per cent inspiration, 99 per cent perspiration. Be motivated, work hard and relish all opportunities.

A big idea feels like, or is built on, an authentic impulse. It usually strikes an emotional chord although it has a rational appeal, is powerful and has the ability to communicate to its target audience in a meaningful way. It must be distinctive and may represent a totally new way of thinking, acting or feeling. How will you know if your big idea is also the right idea? Does it turn heads and demand attention? Are people compelled to discuss it and share their thoughts and feelings about it? Does it push the brand in positive new ways that do not strain its authenticity or believability? Is the idea universal? Will it allow the brand to transcend cultural and geographical boundaries to speak to people at a fundamentally human level that cuts across class and ethnicity?

Within a professional design team these judgements are made on a daily basis, as the designers have to respond to tight commercial deadlines. In many cases it is the lead designer or senior creative who has the last word on which of the ideas should be moved forward to the next phase of development.

Once the concepts have been checked against the assessment criteria, a shortlist of the three strongest ideas should be chosen. It is imperative that these concepts demonstrate a range of thoughts and approaches, and they should define three distinct and unique identities. The selection of these may often be based on a ‘mild to wild’ or ‘evolutionary to revolutionary’ scale

The following points will help to ensure the professional quality of a visual presentation: • Keep the design of the boards simple, whether they are physical prints or a digital presentation. Do not add any additional elements such as decorative borders or backgrounds – these will only be a distraction. • Do not be afraid of negative space. This helps give the images space to communicate. • Give each board a clear strategy: what is being communicated and why? This can be communicated through titles for each board. • Use a grid system to provide a layout theme that will link any separate boards. • Use a limited colour palette, ensuring that it aids rather than fights the designs being communicated. If in doubt use neutral colours such as grey, black and white. • Any images should be high resolution (at least 250 dpi) to avoid pixellation. • Do not use any poor-quality photos or clip art, as this will detract from the professional quality of the presentation. • Any type added as ‘dialogue’ on the boards must be kept minimal. It needs to be legible but must not overpower the design elements. Remember that text for digital presentations may need to be larger than for printed communication boards. • Use the same typeface throughout, and one that does not conflict with the brand or branded elements being presented. Never use the brand typeface for any other elements on the boards. • Check for grammatical errors, spelling mistakes and typos. • Make sure every element on the board...

Finally, you might want to provide the client with something to take away at the end of the meeting to remind them of the key aspects of the agency’s presentation. This could be in digital form (stored on a CD or other media) or a beautifully designed printed artefact, such as a brochure or book.

It takes time and experience to develop professional presentation skills, but good preparation will ensure you have the best chance possible of things going well. There are some basic approaches that will ensure the smooth management and delivery of the meeting: • Practice in advance • Organize any ‘leave behind’ materials for your client to take away • Ensure that any question can be answered – on brand strategy, market research or design • Develop an agreed agenda with the client to be circulated in advance, creating clear and agreed expectations • Arrive early to organize the meeting room, to put both you and the client at ease • Test all presentation equipment, lighting and ventilation before the meeting starts • Stay focused, keep to the agenda and keep the meeting moving and on time

Meeting strategies Considering things from the client’s position is key in developing a successful strategy for conducting the presentation. Here are some key points for ensuring clear and effective communication: • Provide an overview of how the presentation will be organized, and in what order the information will be delivered. This will help to provide a clear overview and put the client at ease. • Define the aims of the project, providing a review of the decisions made and clarification of the target audience, market sector and USP. • Present each of the design solutions in turn. It is important that the client appreciates the unique qualities of each identity – what and how it communicates to the consumer, and why. • Ensure that each of the solutions is provided with a real-life context to show its effectiveness in reality, such as on-pack or online advertising. • Be ready to answer questions. Do not become trapped in a situation where the design needs to be defended – always have a clear, nonemotional answer to any question that highlights the strategy underpinning each design. Avoid becoming trapped in discussions of aesthetics; return to the original strategy to define market and consumer appropriateness and appeal. • Be convincing. This is difficult if there is no personal conviction, though – if the designer does not believe in the solution it is likely that this will be communicated to the client. • Have a strategy for the next step. Always offer the client more...

A legally registered trademark is identified by the small ® symbol next to it, and enjoys several benefits: • A trademark makes it easier to take legal action against anyone who uses the brand without permission • Trading Standards officers or the police can bring criminal charges against counterfeiters if they use the brand • The brand becomes the property of the holder of the trademark, which means it can be legally sold, franchised or licensed to allow others to use it Applying for a trademark is a reasonably cheap and generally uncomplicated process. For more information on how to apply for a trademark in the UK go online to the UK Intellectual Property Office at www.ipo.gov.uk. In the US contact the United States Patent and Trademark Office (www.uspto.gov).