Information from the Design Council suggests ‘branding can help you stand out from your competitors, add
value to your offer and engage with your customers’. Employees can also rally around the brand, feel attached to it and
being part of the company.
Over time, with continuous and most importantly consistent use, the
brand can build, gain recognition and raise its profile to further reflect the
attributes and values inherent in that business.
Ultimately a brand
design can be hugely subjective, but a clear core brand identity can define the personality
of the business.
Everything that the business does, everything it communicates, and
everything it produces or provides should project the same clear idea of what
it is and what its aims are.
Think of it in this way: all that is delivered in the name of the
business should be in the spirit of the brand – all of which help to shape the
perceptions of all stakeholders.
Brand identity is the visual and emotional expression of the brand. It
is comprised of the logos, ‘look and feel’, colour, fonts, graphics and words
all designed to resonate with customers and employees alike.
We’ve all got brands that we identify with; brands that we are loyal to;
want to own or indeed be part of. For me, the most successful brands are those
that are also the simplest.
As someone who is slightly obsessed with sport, I’ve always loved the
strong, but very simple brand design of Nike. Here at Label Media, I’d say we
were very brand loyal to Apple. The now instantly recognisable ‘apple with halo’ logo for
Innocent Smoothies was first sketched on a napkin in felt tip pen.
Logos are a key element of the brand, but must not be considered as the
only element. A logo is there to inspire trust, recognition, aspiration,
connection and admiration. To be effective, the logo must:
Be simple allowing quick and easy recognition, which enables it
to be versatile and memorable.
Be memorable simplicity often leads to a logo being memorable
(again, think Nike, Apple and Innocent). It is interesting to note that in my
last blog, Twitter has simplified its own brand by dropping the text from its
identity.
Be timeless logos must be able to stand the test of time; it is no
good if the logo quickly ages and becomes ineffective after five, 10 or 15
years.
Be versatile effective logos have the ability to be used across a
wide variety of mediums and applications. Probably one of the best examples of
this is Coca Cola: not only is the name and logo instantly recongnisable, but
the glass bottle the drink comes in is also iconic.
Be appropriate logo design must be appropriate for its intended use
and type of organisation.
