Anybody can put a name or a logo to a product or service and call it a brand, but there are only few who can actually build a ‘great brand’—that is strong, long-lasting and can stand out from rough patches that fierce market competition of today brings. So, which one are you? Or perhaps, which one would you want to be?
Why is great branding important and how do we achieve it?
The marketplace is saturated, with products and services that perhaps are identical to what you offer. This is why great branding is crucial: it sets you apart from the competition.
A strong, well-defined brand gives you the opportunity to emphasize your USP (Unique Selling Proposition) or a chance to create an image to your ideal customers that you are the best choice among the crowd.
There’s a sweet surprise about branding that most of us usually forget. Great branding does not only allow us to attract clients but most importantly, it enables us to keep them. And what’s better opportunity than this when we create a solid relationship with our customers? When they become our brand ambassadors and bring in new customers in the process. It’s one of every brand’s goal, right?
This is why if you are looking for a long-term ROI, never forget your branding measures on your budget and to-do list.
So, how is design related to your branding strategy?
Whether you are banking on the strengths of traditional or digital media, how you visually present your brand plays a major factor in determining your brand’s ability to attract customers. Although the logo is a good asset to start with, there’s more to the scope of branding than you actually imagine. Moreover, everything that they see and experience—from your product packaging, ads, social media posts, website to letterhead and logo can contribute to customers’ decision-making process if your brand is worth their bucks. The question is, ‘Is your brand compelling enough?’
When deciding on all the tangible things in creating a face and character of a brand, there can be a lot that comes into play—logo design, font, color, style elements, the list could go on.
However, this set of efforts is actually the second step and merely just a piece of the whole pie. What you want to do first is to look inward and know your brand thoroughly.
Decadence Design has helped a lot of brands create a strong corporate identity that reflects the brand’s essence and core message.
There are 3 core ingredients that are essential to achieving a fool-proof branding and design strategy:
Brand Promise
Brand promise is your core message to your target consumers. It tells about what they can expect from you. It can be a word or a simple phrase that sums up your values, strengths as well as your vision.
Here are some examples:
“To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world” – Nike
“Think Different.” – Apple
“To inspire moments of optimism and uplift”– Coca-Cola
Just make sure it is specific and clear. Clearly think about how you, as a brand can add value to people’s lives through your products and services.
A well-defined brand promise allows you to stick to specific attributes which will make any design process easier.
Brand Tone and Voice
What a lot of entrepreneurs fail to realize is that they are not just selling a product or a service, but they have the opportunity to tap into the consumers at an emotional level.
When consumers see your product, ad or any marketing collateral, the attributes that make up the material send signals that create an overall impression about your brand.
The nightmare you definitely want to avoid, though, is when you give wrong signals or convey the wrong message.
This is why aside from your brand’s essence, you should also take the time to fine tune your brand’s voice.
Just like how you perceive a person’s character or personality through his or her word choice, the manner of delivery or even the pitch when speaking, you can take cues and clues of a brand’s personality through the word choice of your copies, website, social media messaging, packaging, etc.
Let a character to surface out from this process by listing all the characteristics that you want to be associated with. Here are some examples:
Upscale
Prestigious
Reliable
Fast
Innovative
Timeless
For instance, brands such as in the banking, investment and business news industries keep a ‘formal’ tone in its messaging, even in social media. You will unlikely to find colloquial or slang words in its newsletter or even in its Twitter page. The same thing applies in their approach to colors, these brands are more confined in the darker spectrum than the lighter one.
For brands who are more casual, friendly, warm and cheerful, colors used are on the warmer side of the spectrum. If you are still not a hundred percent sure on your color scheme, you can check out the psychology of colors as your guide.
Source: Business Insider UK
Consistency
Your brand’s visual representation can take on many forms. However, it should stick to only one single idea.
Here’s why, for your strategy to be effective, you must ensure consistency:
All your efforts are like putting a face and character to the brand. You project a particular image, impression, and perception.
When you follow a specific strategy and keep all your efforts scream the same messaging, it increases the likelihood of stronger and faster consumer recall.
Moreover, consistency makes you more trustworthy and dependable—that’s an added plus points to your investors as well.
For this branding and positioning project, Decadence helped the company realign itself and create a fresh new look. To view our portfolio, click here.
Think about the colors, composition or harmony of your design. Make sure it streamlines the right narrative about your brand. It can’t be said enough, confusion is the last thing you want to have.
Since image, perception, and impression are the foundation as to who you are as a brand, a design strategy, among others, is one of the most important assets we need to focus on. Here at Decadence Design, we believe in the limitless potential of a compelling brand identity. Talk to us. Make your brand stand out!
