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B R A N D...
- HISTORY
- GOALS
- NICHE
- DEMOGRAPHIC
- REACH
- PERCEPTION
- COMPETITION
- LANGUAGE
- IDENTITY
- MESSAGING
what you need to know BEFORE YOU EVEN HIRE SOMEONE TO DESIGN YOUR LOGO!
A SHORT THREAD ON BRANDING FROM A DESIGNER’S PERSPECTIVE!
kindly RT!
a lot of us, when we hear the word brand/branding immediately assume that this is just a logo or a product- and fact is that it’s nowhere near that. these are components of; but do not comprise the whole story.
IT’S NOT ENOUGH for you to approach a designer and say for instance, l knit and l want a logo. well, you can. BUT if you’re looking to build a sustainable, memorable & impactful brand, you need to establish & hence DISCOVER a few more things about what that actually entails.
1. WHAT IS A BRAND?
A brand is NOT a logo or a product. If Chido bakes cakes, cakes are NOT her brand. her brand, instead, is how her customers FEEL about her product, service or company. it is essentially how her customer base perceives what she is offering them.
A brand is NOT a logo or a product. If Chido bakes cakes, cakes are NOT her brand. her brand, instead, is how her customers FEEL about her product, service or company. it is essentially how her customer base perceives what she is offering them.
2. SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
it means that your brand is your REPUTATION. it’s a compilation of what l personally call micro brands i.e. all the opinions and feelings and perceptions of the different individuals who engage with your product, service, or company.
it means that your brand is your REPUTATION. it’s a compilation of what l personally call micro brands i.e. all the opinions and feelings and perceptions of the different individuals who engage with your product, service, or company.
3. AND BRANDING IS...
the actions you take to BUILD that reputation. the aim is to ensure that you achieve something. here the product that you’re putting out, the design of it, the look and feel, the visual messaging, culture of the brand, employees etc. come into play
the actions you take to BUILD that reputation. the aim is to ensure that you achieve something. here the product that you’re putting out, the design of it, the look and feel, the visual messaging, culture of the brand, employees etc. come into play
4. SO HOW DO YOU BUILD A BRAND?
there are 2 classes of factors.
1. intrinsic - based on a gut feeling of what you believe and what you think will work and you sell it HARD.
2. non-intrinsic - these may be check list items including establishing a brand identity.
there are 2 classes of factors.
1. intrinsic - based on a gut feeling of what you believe and what you think will work and you sell it HARD.
2. non-intrinsic - these may be check list items including establishing a brand identity.
5. WHAT IS A BRAND IDENTITY?
a brand identity is the collection of the tangible brand elements that come together to create a visual identity of the brand. this comprises now, of elements like colour, logos and overall design that identify and distingush the brand.
a brand identity is the collection of the tangible brand elements that come together to create a visual identity of the brand. this comprises now, of elements like colour, logos and overall design that identify and distingush the brand.
6 i) BEFORE YOU DEVELOP YOUR BRAND IDENTITY...
you have to get your story in line. why is it necessary for you to do this? is there a gap? what value are you bringing/adding, if any? what makes you different or essential? what are your goals? what is your mission statement?
you have to get your story in line. why is it necessary for you to do this? is there a gap? what value are you bringing/adding, if any? what makes you different or essential? what are your goals? what is your mission statement?
6 ii) BEFORE YOU DEVELOP YOUR BRAND IDENTITY CONT...
who is your target demographic? what do they do? what do they like? where do they hang out? how can you cater to those interests to amplify your business? these are some of the questions that you need to research & answer.
who is your target demographic? what do they do? what do they like? where do they hang out? how can you cater to those interests to amplify your business? these are some of the questions that you need to research & answer.
7. RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH!
as stated above, research is important. who is your competition? what space are they currently taking up? what methods are they using? what does their brand identity look like? how can you DIFFERENTIATE your reputation from theirs?
as stated above, research is important. who is your competition? what space are they currently taking up? what methods are they using? what does their brand identity look like? how can you DIFFERENTIATE your reputation from theirs?
8. NOW, YOU’RE READY TO DEVELOP YOUR BRAND IDENTITY. HMM NOT QUITE.
what is the DESIGN LANGUAGE of your brand? what is your intended visual messaging? e.g. traditional vs contemporary, serious vs. fun.
what about iconography?
type?
colour psychology also comes into play.
what is the DESIGN LANGUAGE of your brand? what is your intended visual messaging? e.g. traditional vs contemporary, serious vs. fun.
what about iconography?
type?
colour psychology also comes into play.
9. A DESIGN LANGUAGE...
can be established through the use of various media i.e. Pinterest boards, magazine cut outs, real life scenes etc. the idea is to establish what best represents your brand and how to translate it into something your ideal customer can easily digest.
can be established through the use of various media i.e. Pinterest boards, magazine cut outs, real life scenes etc. the idea is to establish what best represents your brand and how to translate it into something your ideal customer can easily digest.
10. NOW YOU ARE READY!
what l am trying to drive home is that you should have a proposal in place before you even start adding flesh to bones. know the why, the who, the what and the when of everything that concerns your business/start up/side hustle.
what l am trying to drive home is that you should have a proposal in place before you even start adding flesh to bones. know the why, the who, the what and the when of everything that concerns your business/start up/side hustle.
11. THEN;
it becomes easier to clearly articulate your vision and to engage professionals who can help you resolve how to ensure that vision is accurately represented on a visual, design and feel scale AND carries the appropriate messaging.
it becomes easier to clearly articulate your vision and to engage professionals who can help you resolve how to ensure that vision is accurately represented on a visual, design and feel scale AND carries the appropriate messaging.
12. AND;
with a good marketing strategy, consistency in execution, delivery, and customer satisfaction, hard work and determination (just to name a few factors) - this hopefully should translate into sales, repeat business and more referrals.
with a good marketing strategy, consistency in execution, delivery, and customer satisfaction, hard work and determination (just to name a few factors) - this hopefully should translate into sales, repeat business and more referrals.
13. TO CONCLUDE...
the take home is to be very clear; know what you’re working towards and have a plan. l hope there is value in this. my aim is to share what l have learnt and continue to learn and l hope it helps as you push to establish your own brand.
the take home is to be very clear; know what you’re working towards and have a plan. l hope there is value in this. my aim is to share what l have learnt and continue to learn and l hope it helps as you push to establish your own brand.
