When people talk about brand design they are often referring to the visual identity of the brand. By that I mean the logo, colour scheme, font choices, and other materials that are used to design the brand’s promotional materials. A brand is much more that those assets, though. A brand is the sum of how you present the business or organization and the ideas that the public have about it. At its heart, creating a strong brand is build through careful design, public relations, and communication strategy. Let’s take a look at the key elements of a strong brand.
Brand values
Is the brand formal or casual? Modern or classic? Fun or practical? Taking time to establish the values and emotions that you want your audience to associate with your brand will help you keep your messaging and visual design in alignment with those brand values.
Goals and vision
Where do you want your business to be in 5 years, 10 years, or even 20? And how do you want people’s perception of your business to grow as the business does? When you’re establishing your brand it helps to be clear on where you want to go so you can lay the groundwork for future brand growth.
Audience segments
Who are your customers? How well do you know their demographic (age, income, location, etc.) and psychographic (beliefs, expectations, worldview, etc.) makeup? Can you break your audience into clear groups who come to you for different reasons or with different needs or expectations? Clearly defining your audience segments helps you understand how to connect with them, server them as they want to be served, and build loyal customers.
Brand positioning
Who are your competitors and how does your offering differ from theirs? What factors cause customers to choose you over your competitors? What factors make them choose the competition over you? You need to intimately understand your unique position in the market to design a brand that strengthens that position.
Key messages
What are the most important things that your customers (or potential customers) need to know about your business? Are those messages different for different audience segments? What messages do you need to communicate to your audiences for your brand to thrive?
Visual identity
Having clearly defined information for all the above elements sets the foundation for designing a strong visual identity. The design of the logo, the choice of fonts, and the colours used need to support those elements. They need to appeal to your specific audience, reflect your brand values and positioning, leave room for future growth, and support your key messages. Any good designer can design a logo, but it takes strategic insight and careful planning to design a strong brand.
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My name is Mark Garrison and I’m a graphic designer in Victoria, British Columbia. I have more than 20 years of experience producing creative work in a variety of media and using strategic thinking to build and grow projects.