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Episode Two of Overflow, a Fluid Media Podcast, is about developing a brand from a graphical perspective. Using our own site called Baseballisms.com as a point of reference, we discuss the key elements that must be incorporated into developing a strong, sustainable brand.
It should be clearly stated that we are not just discussing the often confused terminology of Logo in place of the word Brand. Clients often come to us to discuss a brand project, however they are in reality specifically talking about a logo. It is a considerable difference, a logo does not a brand make.
A brand is inclusive of a logo, but also contains fonts, graphic application and usage standards, color palettes, images, a tag line, and most importantly emotions. Tying all of these elements together and connecting emotionally to the target audience is what gives a brand it’s “equity”.
When kicking off a brand development project, the first aspects that must be agreed upon are the core emotions and overall feeling that is trying to be conveyed to the audience. Figuring out who the target audience is, and what they may respond to is essential to keeping all parties, from brand owner to graphic designer, on the same page. As is detailed, many times clients tend to insert personal preferences and subjective rationales that are not precise representations of the message trying to be communicated.
Cameron indicates that over the many years of designing logos he has followed the design practice of ensuring icons and logo types can be used on materials together or apart. This provides the flexibility of presenting them in various formats without losing the integrity of the brand.
When designing a brand, a common mistake is to forget the various application formats that may be used to deliver the message including digital, print, broadcast, even these days very commonly on apparel and merchandise. If the brand cannot be reproduced in any of these formats, there is a failure to maintain continuity. Common mistakes are including elements such as shadows, textures, or fine serifs in fonts that can’t be reduced in scale.
In the age of rich media where distribution of video content can be widespread across many platforms such as YouTube, Blip.tv, or even ITunes … it is good practice to insert a brand element or a “bug” in a video that will ensure the viewer understands content ownership, as well as where they may be able to access more of the content.
Keeping the design interesting and visually pleasing is an important challenge for any designer, and using color gradation and dimensional presentations can ensure that the eye is drawn towards the element that is intended to be the focal point.
This multi-sensory age has required that a discussion about a brand is not complete without the inclusion of an audio tag. This element quickly becomes a strong brand signature that creates a mood and communicates the emotion the brand is trying to convey. This aspect of branding should get more attention that it currently does. (NOTE: Look at how well Intel, NBC, and AOL have been able to insert audio into your conscious brand recognition)
In the end, no matter what you are creating you must always ask the question “does this represent the brand?”. If the answer is that it passes the test, then you have done a good job of ensuring brand integrity and continuity. Otherwise you should go back to the drawing board or face the consequences of confusion in the marketplace and the cost of re-educating your audience.
Comments? Please let us know what you think about branding.
