But first, my two cents. I think that creating great visual identity takes 5 essential components:
- talent
- inspiration
- passion
- luck
- hard work
These components, of course, are the keys to success in other things as well. But referring to brands, which were created like hundred years ago - how was it done? These 5 components, I believe are like wings that take the brand through time and space.
Trying to apply Tony Robbins' advice about learning, I came up with an analogy: let's say, Madonna is a brand, and even more - a global one. I don't aspire to analyze her career here, her ups and downs, I just say that she invented and reinvented herself continuously in order to be up-to-date. She changed her image million times, yet she always stayed true to her core identity. She knows her target audience, her fans and she keeps her nose in the wind. How does she do it? All 5 components (in different proportions) are present, aren't they?
The source I liked and would recommend is a book by Neil Gains "Brand esSense. Using sense, symbol and story to design brand identity."
Learning objective 1:
Developing visual brand identity
· Translating brand identity into something visual
· Important factors and elements in creating a visual brand identity
· How to keep your visual brand identity consistent in relation with time and place?
http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/strong-brand-voice-social-media
Great visuals on social media are important because the human brain is wired to read and understand images better and faster than words. Plus, visual content increases social engagement: Did you know that, according to a study by Socialbakers, images on Facebook constitute 93% of the most engaging posts compared with status updates, links, and even video?
Four key ingredients of social media success -- consistent colors, fonts, imagery, and layouts.
1) A consistent color palette.
Choose two to four colors to use consistently throughout all of your social media posts and marketing. Using the same colors over and over again will help consumers become familiar with your brand.
Understanding color psychology can also help you reflect the feelings you want to evoke from your customers. For example, many tech companies -- like Facebook, Twitter, Dell, IBM, and HP -- use blue to symbolize trust, intelligence and progress. Virgin's vibrant red color scheme gives off bold and confident vibes, mirroring Richard Branson's own, distinct business methods.
The colors you choose should reflect your brand's. If you have a youthful brand, you might like to use bright colors, like the ones located on the outside of the color wheel. On the other hand, pastel colors work great for brands who want to be seen as welcoming and gentle.
2) Font pairings that match your brand’s personality
You should consider choosing three fonts for your brand and using them consistently throughout all of your materials: a font for your title/heading, a font for your subtitles, and a font for your body text.
Your title/heading font should be the largest font in your design and is where you can display the most personality. If you want to use a script font or a handwritten font, your heading is the place to do it. In contrast, your Subtitle font and your Body Font should be easy to read.
3) Appropriate imagery and filters.
Pick imagery that has a consistent theme.
4) Social media templates to speed up the design process.
Keep in mind that each social media platform has different ideal image dimensions, so make sure you cater your graphics to these dimensions. But keep your branding – the placement of your logo, colors and fonts – consistent across your designs.
The creation of the brand identity can be divided into phases:
Phase 1 includes: research (marketing analysis and consumer research), vision (vision, goals and brand personlaity) and design (logo, identity and design) brief.
Questions to be answered:
- How is the brand perceived against competitors in the market?
- What is the positioning statement of your brand?
- Who is your audience?
- What values and beliefs should the brand have about the business?
- What benefits do you want your customers to associate with your brand?
The design brief should contain summaries from the research phase, such as: target audiences, messaging objectives, values and mission of the brand, and the brand's products/services offered.
Phase 2 : logo concept and design, identity system, style guidelines.
After the logo is complete, starts the identity system - systematic visual language around the logo. The style guidelines contain and prescribe the logo usage rules, typeface system, color palette, layout guidelines, and more - for creation of collateral and marketing materials.
Phase 3: monitoring and rebranding.
The main challenge of rebranding is to maintain familiarity and consistency so that your customers will remember you.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03V5D2hS-h8
Over time, if the target audience shifts, the market evolves, or the brand's products and services change, it may be time for a rebranding.
· Important factors and elements in creating a visual brand identity
1. Make it coherent, not consistent.
2. Do more than a logo.
3. Brand without badging
4. The big idea is not the big idea.
5. Own moments
6. Remove the fear.
7. Weird works
8. Make it people-centric
9. Create assets not costs
10. Chase the opportunity.
How to keep your visual brand identity consistent in relation with time and place
Characteristics of a successful and durable logo from a graphic designer:
1. Clarity - easy to understand and read
2. Suitability - evokes the nature of the product or service
3. Memorability - visual hook or distinct form
4. Functionability - easy to reproduce in different sizes, colour, has to work in any medium (digital, film), flexiable
Source: How to think about a brand's visual identity video
Learning objective 2:
Touchpoints & consistency
· How to keep the brand identity consistent over different touchpoints?
· Related case studies
The identity or ‘image’ of a company is made up of many visual devices:
- A Logo (The symbol of the entire identity & brand)
- Stationery (Letterhead + business card + envelopes, etc.)
- Marketing Collateral (Flyers, brochures, books, websites, etc.)
- Products & Packaging (Products sold and the packaging in which they come in)
- Apparel Design (Tangible clothing items that are worn by employees)
- Signage (Interior & exterior design)
- Messages & Actions (Messages conveyed via indirect or direct modes of communication)
- Other Communication (Audio, smell, touch, etc.)
- Anything visual that represents the business.
A logo is for… identification.
A logo identifies a company or product via the use of a mark, flag, symbol or signature. A logo does not sell the company directly nor rarely does it describe a business. Logo’s derive their meaning from the quality of the thing it symbolises, not the other way around – logos are there to identity, not to explain. In a nutshell, what a logo means is more important than what it looks like.
To illustrate this concept, think of logos like people. We prefer to be called by our names – James, Dorothy, John – rather than by the confusing and forgettable description of ourselves such as “the guy who always wears pink and has blonde hair”. In this same way, a logo should not literally describe what the business does but rather, identify the business in a way that is recognisable and memorable.
It is also important to note that only after a logo becomes familiar, does it function the way it is intended to do much alike how we much must learn people’s names to identify them.
The logo identifies a business or product in its simplest form.
Source: http://justcreative.com/2010/04/06/branding-identity-logo-design-explained/
BRAND IDENTITY TOOLKIT
Read more here
Learning objective 3:
How does the visual brand identity affect the relation to your audience?
· How does the public respond to the visual brand identity?
· Case studies
Coca-cola case study: http://www.bloomberg.com/ss/08/08/0825_coke/5.htm
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