Designing Brand Identity

60 MINUTES

Table of Contents
Basics Definitions

Brand Basics

Brand Identity Ideals

Brand Identity Elements

Basic Definitions

What is a Brand ?
A Brands 3 primary Functions: Navigation Reassurance Engagement

Brand Touch Points

Brand Touch points: are opportunities to increase awareness and build customer loyalty

Branding
Branding is about seizing every opportunity to express why people should choose one brand over the other. Branding is the process used to build awareness and extend customer loyalty through the brand touch points. Types of Branding: 1. Co-Branding 2. Digital Branding 3. Personal Branding 4. Cause Branding 5. Country Branding

Co-Branding

Digital Branding

Personal Branding

Cause Branding

Country Branding

What is Brand identity ?

Brand Identity is tangible and appeals to the senses

One eye sees. The Other feels

Paul Klee

Brand Stakeholders
Employees Customer prospects

Media Board of directors

Brand

Suppliers Government Regulations

Brand is not what you say it is. Its what they say it is
Marty Neumeier

Competitors Shareholders

Brand Basics

Brand Strategy
An effective brand strategy provides a central unifying idea around which all behavior, actions, and communications are aligned. Easy to talk about whether you are the CEO or an employee.

Vision

Actions

Expression

Experience

Positioning
Internal (what you can control) Vision Mission and Values Personality, voice, style Product, process, culture
Positioning

External (What you cannot control) Customer Competition Marketplace External forces and trends

Brand essence

Brand Story

Names
The right name is timeless, tireless, easy to say and remember. It stands for something and facilitates brand extensions. It should look great in a text, an email, and in a logo. A brand name is an essential brand asset.

Types of names
Founder Ralph Lauren Metaphor Nike Descriptive Toys R Us Acronym CNN , IBM Fabricated Kodak Magic spell Cingular Combinations of the above CitiBank

Brand Architecture
Refers to the hierarchy of brands within a single company. it is the interrelationship of the parent company, subsidiaries, products, and services, and should mirror the marketing strategy.

Types of Brand Architecture

Monolithic Google+ Google Maps Endorsed Ipod+ Apple Pluralistic The RitzCarlton(Marriott)

Taglines
A Tagline is a slogan, clarifier, mantra, company statement, or guiding principle that describes, synopsizes, or helps create interest Debra Koontz A tagline influences customer buying behavior by evoking an emotional response.

Types Taglines
Imperative
Just do it Nike

Descriptive
Sense and Sensibility Philips

Superlative
There is no better way to fly Lufthansa

Provocative
where are you going today? Microsoft

Specific
The worlds local bank HSBC

Cross-Cultures
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. The best brands pay attention to cultural differences. Diversity no negative connotations to ethnics or religions Color taking care of the unique heritage of each country Market niche understand the target market and its languages Naming unintended connotations in different languages Change and Contradictions negative association in one country
could be positive in another country

6. Symbols taking care of the iconography. a symbol with positive

connotation in one culture could have the opposite connotation in another culture

Brand Identity Ideals

Value

Flexibility Commitment
Differentiation Durability Coherence

Meaning Authenticity

Vision

Vision
Vision requires courage. Big ideas, enterprises, products and services are sustained. Behind every successful brand is a passionate individual who inspires others to see the future in a new way

Design advocates the future

Bill stumpf

Meaning
The best brands stand for something; a big idea, a strategic position a defined set of values, a voice that stands a part. Meaning is rarely immediate and evolves over time. Meaning drives creativity Evolves over time Builds consencus

Authenticity
Organizations who know who they are, and what they stand for, start the identity process from a position of strength. They create brands that are sustainable and genuine.
Logo

Look and feel Targeted messages Core messages

We know who we are

Know thyself Plato

Differentiation
Brands need to demonstrate their difference and make it easy for customers to understand that difference.

If your brand suddenly did not exist, would anyone miss it ? A really good brand leaves a big gap
Juan paulo Ramirez

Durability
Durability is achieved through a commitment to the equity of a central idea over time and the capacity to transcend change.

Did you know that The oldest brand ever is Lowenbrau? since 1383

Coherence
Coherence is the quality that ensures that all pieces hold together in a away that feels seamless to the customer. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. How to achieve coherence? Unified voice, dynamic central idea Look and feel One company strategy Uniform quality Every touch point Clarity and simplicity

Flexibility
Innovation requires brands to be flexible. Brands that are open to change need to have flexible brand identity systems in place to quickly seize new opportunities in the market place. How to get ready for the future? 1. Have marketing flexibility 2. Have a good brand architecture 3. Be fresh, relevant and recognizable.

Commitment
A brand is an asset that needs to be protected and preserved. Building, protecting and enhancing the brand requires great desire and disciplined approach to insure its integrity and relevance.

Value
Creating value is indispensable goal of most organizations. A brand is an intangible asset-brand identity, which includes all tangible expression from packaging to websites, upholds that value.

Brands Identity Elements

Brandmarks
Brandmarks are designed with almost infinite variety of shapes and personalities.
Signature

Logotype
Brand mark

Tagline

Sequence of Cognition
Is the science of how each individual recognizes the visual identity that triggers perceptions and unlock associations with the brand. The brain acknowledges and remembers shapes first.

Shape

Color

Form
H&R BLOCK

Wordmarks
Wordmark is a freestanding acronym company name or product that is designed to convey a brand positioning

Letterform marks
Is a unique design using one or more letterforms that act as a mnemonic device for a company name.

Pictorial marks
Is an immediate recognizable literal image that has been simplified and stylized.

Abstract marks
A symbol that conveys a big idea, and often embodies strategic vagueness.

Emblems
A mark in which the company name is connected to the pictorial element.

Look and feel

The look and feel is the visual language that makes a brand immediately recognizable. It also expresses a brands point of view 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Look and feel basics: Design Image Sensory Colors Typography.

Thank You

References
(Designing brand identity, Alina Wheeler,2009)