BRANDS IDENTITY IDEAS

Ideas are essential to a responsible creative process regardless of the size of a company or the nature of a business. 

These ideas hold true weather the brand identity engagement is launching an entrepreneurial venture, creating a new product or service, repositioning a brand, working on a merger , or creating a retail presence.

The best identities advance a brand and under listed are the following functional criteria:

1. Bold, memorable and appropriate 

2. Immediately recognisable 

3. Provides a consistent image of the company

4. Clearly communicates the company's persona

4. Legally protectable 

5. Has enduring value

6. Works well across media and scale

7. Works both in black and white and in color.

Vision

A compelling vision by an effective articulate, and passionate leader is the foundation and inspiration for the best brands

Meaning

The best brands stand for something- a big idea, a strategic position, a define set of values, a voice that stands apart.

Authenticity

Authenticity is not possible without an organisation having clarity about its market, position, value preposition, and competitive difference.

Differentiation 

Brands always compete with each other within their business category and at some level, compete with all brands that want our attention, our loyalty and our money.

Durability

Durability is the ability to have 

Longitivity in a world in constant flux, characterised by future permutations that one  can't predict.

Coherence

Whenever a customer experiences a brand, it must feel similar and have the desired effect. Consistency does not need to be rigid or limiting in order to feel like one company.

Flexibility

An effective brand identity positions a company for change and growth in the future.

It supports an evolving marketing strategy.

Value

Build awareness, increasing recognition, communicating uniqueness and quality, and expressing a competitive difference create measurable results.

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

It is essential for the branding team to look up from the desktop and see the world through the eyes of the consumers

Shopping has become a subset to being entertained and engaged.

The next disciplinary seismic shift in branding is customer experience:

1. BUILDING LOYALTY

2. LIFELONG RELATIONSHIPS AT EACH POINT OF CONTACT.

The vast amount of purchasing choices is inspiring companies to enhance the brand experience to lure and keep customers. Every customer contact provides an opportunity to enhance an emotional connection. A good experience generates positive buzz; a bad experience becomes a lost opportunity sabotaging the brand.

EVEN THE MOST MUNDANE TRANSACTIONS CAN BE TURNED INTO A MEMORABLE EXPERIENCES.

Donovan/Green identified moments of truth for a hotel guest that ranged from sighting the hotel from the highway, walking into the front lobby, and glimpsing into the room. The firm viewed each touchpoint as an opportunity to create a memorable and positive experience to support the brand culture.

The art of being a retailer is to preserve the core while enhancing the experience. It is very hard to do and many people have lost their way.

Brands really need to push for reinvention and renewal and to extend things without diluting the core Essence of the brand.

Customers always achieve a sense of discovery when there is always something new to try.

That really is achievable if and only if brands engage their customers with a good yet memorable experience.

A BRANDS BIG IDEA

A BRANDS BIG IDEA

Big ideas are a springboard for responsible creative work( thinking, designing, naming) and a litmus test for measuring success.

The simplicity of language is deceptive because the process of getting there is difficult.

It requires extensive dialogue, patience and the courage to say less. 

A skilled facilitator, experienced in building consensus, is usually needed to ask the right questions and to achieve closure. The result of this work is a critical component in the realization of a compelling brand strategy and a differentiated brand identity.

A BRAND BECOMES STRONGER WHEN YOU NARROW THE FOCUS

The Essence of brand promise is a heart of strategy in commitment to delight guests by consistently delivering the right combination of innovation, design, and value in merchandising, in marketing, and in stores.

A big idea functions as an organizational totem pole around which strategy, behavior, actions and communications are aligned.

Consider some examples of brands that have become stronger as a result of narrowing the focus.

Apple

Think different

eBay

The world's online marker place

VOLVO

Safety

Unilever

Adding vitality to life

Coca-Cola

Happiness in a bottle

Disney

Make people happy

FedEx

The world on time

The above mentioned brands have become stronger because they have given more than the usual attention to the big idea pyramid.

UNDERSTANDING>> CLARIFYING>> POSITIONING>> BRAND ESSENCE>> BIG IDEA.

UNDERSTANDING

What to understand?

Vision, Values, Mission, Value proposition, Culture, Target market, Segments, Stakeholders perceptions, Services, Products, Infrastructure, Marketing strategy, Competition, Trends, Pricing, Distribution, Research, Environment, Economics, Sociopolitics, Strengths/weaknesses, Opportunities, Theats.

CLARIFYING

What must be clearified?

Competitive advantage, Brand strategy, Brand attrubutes, Core values.

POSITIONING

What? How? Who? Why?

Differentiation, Value proposition, Business Category.

BRAND ESSENCE

Where to narrow focus?

Key messages, Voice and tone, Unifying concept, Central idea.

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THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SALES AND MARKETING

The Difference between sales and marketing?

Sales focuses on product

Marketing focuses on consumers

The product is defined and finite, but in the minds of clients there are infinite possibilities.

Marketing penetrates into the psyches of customers.

The company that markets has its fingers on the pulse of consumers

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The importance of brand positioning

The importance of brand positioning

Positioning is a revolutionary branding concept developed by Al Ries and Jack Trout in 1981.

They define positioning as the scaffolding on which companies build their brands, strategize their planning, and extend their relationship with customers.

Positioning takes into account the mix of price, product, promotion, and place - the four dimensions that affect sales.

Positioning breaks through barriers of over saturated markets to create new opportunities.

Ries and Trout were convinced that each company must determine its position in the customers mind, considering the needs of the customer, the strength and weaknesses of the company, and the competitive landscape.

This concept continues to be a fundamental precept ( a general rule intended to regulate behavior or thought) in all marketing communications, branding, and advertising .

Positioning evolves to create openings in a market that is continually changing, a market in which consumers are saturated with products and messages. It also takes advantage of changes in demographics, technology, consumer trends, marketing cycles, and gaps in the market to find new ways of appealing to the public.

Positioning strategy drives planning, marketing , and sales thereby supporting every effective brand.

Factors to consider in the process of brand positioning:

POSITIONING >>BRAND ESSENCE >> BRAND STORY

To achieve the perfect positioning for a brand there are a few factors you can control internally and externally

Internally

What you can control

VISION >> MISSION AND VALUES >> PERSONALITY, VOICE, STYLE >> PRODUCT,  PROCESSES, CULTURE

Externally 

What you can control

CUSTOMER >> COMPETITION >> MARKETPLACE >> EXTERNAL FORCES AND TRENDS

If you can't say that you're the only, you need to fix your business, not your brand. 

Start with a solid platform to effectively articulate your brand's value.

Our next article will focus on the difference between sales and marketing.

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Who develops brand strategy?

Who develops brand strategy?

It is usually a team of people; no one does it alone. 

It is a result of an extended dialogue among the CEO, Marketing, Sales, Advertising, Public relations, Operations, and Distribution.

It often takes someone from the outside who is an experienced strategic and creative thinker to help a company articulate what is already there.

And that provides the reason why Global companies frequently bring in brand strategies: independent thinkers and authorities, strategic marketing firms, and brand consultants.

Sometimes though, a brand strategy is born at the inception of a company by a visionary.

While at other times it takes a visionary leader to redefine brand strategy.

Companies frequently survive and prosper because they have a clear brand strategy.

While others in turn Falter because they do not have one.

On our next article find answers to a questions as:

1. What is the importance of Brand positioning ?

2. What is the difference between Sales and Marketing?

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Who should understand brand strategy and the cost of building brand identity?

Who should understand brand strategy and the cost of building brand identity?

The importance of brand strategy and the cost of build brand identity should be understood at the highest levels of an organisation and across functional areas-nut just sales and marketing- but in legal, finance, operations, and human resources as well.

Every senior leader in an organisation must be focused and accountable for translating the brand strategy.

On our next article find answers to a questions:

Who develops brand strategy?

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What is the role of the consultant in developing Brand Steategy?

What is the role of the consultant in developing Brand strategy?

The role of the consultant in developing Brand Strategy is to facilitate the process.

This can be achieved by asking the right questions, providing relevant input and ideas, getting key issues to surface, and achieving resolution.

On our next article find answers to questions as:

1. Who should understand brand strategy and the cost of building brand identity?

2. Who develops brand strategy?

Please remember to visit

Http://learnfromgeorge.blogspot.com for answers to these questions. You can also subscribe to this blog for timely updates.

Thanks for visiting.

What is Brand strategy?

Brand strategy

Brand strategy builds on a vision, is aligned with business strategy, emerges from the company's culture and values, reflecting an in-depth understanding of the customers prescription and needs.

Brand strategy defines differentiation, competitive advantage, a unique value of proposition and positioning.

Brand strategy must resonate with all stakeholders: internal and external customers and the media.

Brand strategy serves as a road map that guides marketing, makes it easier for the sales force to sell more, provide clarity, context and inspiration to employees

Effective brand strategy provides a nucleus unifying ideas around which all behaviours, actions, and communications are aligned.

Brand strategy works across services and products and remains effective over time.

They are easy to talk about, weather you're the employee or CEO

The best brand strategies are so differentiated and powerful that they deflect the competition.

Aligning an organisations vision with its customer's experience is a goal of brand strategy

An effective brand strategy must strictly adhere to the under listed alignment :

VISION <> ACTION <> EXPRESSION <> EXPERIENCE 

Our next article will address:

1. Who develops brand strategy

2. The role of the consultant in developing brand strategy 

3. Who should understand the cost of building brand identity and the importance of brand strategy.

Keep it locked on http://learnfromgeorge.blogspot.com as we share our knowledge with the world.

50 Essential Design Dos and Don'ts

50 Essential Design Dos and Don'ts 

1. Must think of the idea before the visual

2. Must not turn to design annuals for creative inspiration

3. Must read books that are not about design

4. Must not rely solely on Google

5. Must not knowingly plagiarise

6. Must insist on a written brief for every project

7. Must ask clients questions in addition to the brief

8. Must confirm all deliverables in writing

9. Must agree on cost in writing before beginning each project

10. Must question a budget if it is clearly not enough to answer the brief

11. Must not try to do everything yourself at the expense of a project

12. Must accept that every project will preferably be more difficult than you expected

13. Must accept that every project will take longer than you expected

14. Must dress for work according to your client's or your employer's expectations

15. Must not present an option you don't want your client to choose become they'll choose it

16. Must be nice to colleagues working above and below you as things can change

17. Must not present teams of written research with a proposal just to impress the client

18. Must not present mood boards unless specifically asked - and even then, under protest 

19. Must not work for free

20. Must invoice regularly and on time

21. Must not accept assignments purely for money

22. Must take days off - especially if you're a freelancer 

23. Must learn the rules before you break them

24. Must acknowledge your mistakes rather than try to cover them up

25. Must not ask someone else to do what you can do yourself

26. Must find a design mentor and be prepared to be one in the future

27. Must remain humble in your work

28. Must respect  focus groups, but not at the expense of gut feeling

29. Must not qualify your creative abilities with software skills

30. Must rest your eyes periodically throughout the day

31. Must work with talented illustrators, writers and photographers

32. Must hire a good accountant and save more than you spend

33. Must build a team that complements, not duplicates, your abilities 

34. Must not be afraid to share ideas and collaborate

35. Must get client approval on s visual before racing to finish a project

36. Must not demonise another designer because you don't happen to like his or her work

37. Must not discuss a client's business with another

38. Must not criticise another designer in front of a client

39. Must not criticise work previously commissioned from another designer

40. Must never pretend you know more about a client's business than they do 

41. Must be available to your clients at all times, but in your terms

42. Must actually talk to your clients - real conversations build strong relationships

43. Must not discuss design with your client unless they express an interest.

44. Must count to ten when a client angers you before opening your mouth

45. Must not accept your client's word of gospel

46. Must not continue to work for a difficult client

47. Must stick to your side of the project's schedule regardless of your client's input

48. Must not procrastinate - ever

49. Must talk about design as an asset

50. Must keep it simple

50 Essentials Type and Typography on Design Dos and Don'ts

50 Essentials Type and Typography on Design Dos and Don'ts

1. Must use comic sans ironically

2. Must accept that Times New Roman has its uses

3. Must worship classic typefaces

4. Must learn about typographical classification

5. Must not choose the latest cool typeface for every new project you work on

6. Must learn that trendy typefaces do not always prevail 

7. Must accept that legibility and readability are more important than typographic styling

8. Must learn about the anatomy of letterforms

9. Must not use 'free' fonts unless you are sure they are of good quality

10. Must not design for print using system fonts

11. Must mix typeface choices to create typographic texture

12. Must not mix typefaces to create hierarchy 

13. Must not mix serif fonts in a layout

14. Must not use ultra thin typefaces for logo design

15. Must always choose a typeface with an acceptable range of weights for body text

16. Must not use any more typepfaces in one layout than is absolutely necessary 

17. Must not set a body copy using a script typeface 

18. Must manually kern script fonts

19. Must not set body copy in novelty typeface

20. Must not use display fonts for body copy

21. Must use real handwriting for convincing handwritten text

22. Must use ligatures in your choice of typeface accommodates them correctly

23. Must not slope a Roman font to create an italic font

24. Must not falsely embolden fonts to create bold weights

25. Must reward typefaces that work well as body copy with long-term commitments

26. Must buy into the twelve good typefaces theory

27. Must increase a serif font's italics by 1/2pt in body copy

28. Must optically adjust point sizes in mixed serif and sans-serif body copy

29. Must use old-style figures with U&L typography 

30. Must use aligning figures with all caps

31. Must not use horizontal or vertical scalings to distort fonts

32. Must not stroke your type so that it destroys the integrity of the letterforms

33. Must not ruin a typeface with a filter effect

34. Must learn how to customise type successfully

35. Must not reverse 6pt text out of a black background 

36. Must specify at least one plate as 100% tint for coloured type

37. Must not use excessive leading in body copy

38. Must not use CAPS for long passages of body copy

39. Must not have excessive amounts of reversed-out text

40. Must not over-style headings

41. Must not add two spaces after a full stop

42. Must apply an indent to the beginning of each new paragraph of body copy

43. Must not indent a paragraph that follows a heading or paragraph break 

44. Must not indent a paragraph that starts at the top of a column or page unless house style says otherwise

45. Must set the first few words of a sentence following a drop cap in small caps

46. Must not use tabs to create indents

47. Must hang lines of text from a tab in a bulleted list

48. Must learn the difference between a typeface and a font 

49. Must not confuse x-height with cap height 

50. Must consider a fonts x-height when specifying line feede

Reasons to invest in Brand Identity

Reasons to invest in brand identity

1. Makes it easy for customers to buy.

Compelling brand identity presents any company, any size, anywhere with an immediate recognisable, distinctive professional image that positions it for success.

An identity helps manage the perception of a company and differentiates standing out from its competitors.

A new product design  or enviroment can delight a customer and create loyalty.

A remarkable yet effective identity encompasses  such elements as a Name that is easy to remember or a distinctive package design for a product.

2. Makes it easy for the sales force to sell

Strategic branding identifies works across diverse audiences and cultures to build an awareness and understanding of a company and its strengths.

By making intelligence visible, effective identity seeks to clearly communicate a company's unique value preposition.

The coherence of communications across various media sends a strong signal to consumers about the laserlike focus of the company.

3. Makes it easy to build brand equity

A brand or a company's reputation is considered to be the most valuable asset of the company.

Small companies or SME's also need to build brand equity.

Their future success is dependent on building public awareness, preserving reputations, and upholding their value. A strong brand identity will help build  brand equity through increased recognition , awareness, and customer loyalty, which in turn would help a company to be more successful.

All who sieze every opportunity to communicate their company's brand value are building a precious asset.

Brands are a tangible assets and account for more then 70% of the value of a company.

Branding imperatives

1. Acknowledge we live in a branded world

2. Sieze every opportunity to position your company in your customers mind

3. Over and over again communicate a strong brand idea

4. Demonstrate a competitive advantage not just declaring it

5. Understand the customers.

Build on their dreams, lifestyle,values, perceptions and preferences.

6. Create sensory magnets to attract, attain and retain customers using brand identity.

7. Identify touchpoints. Know interface points of customers with the product or services.