Do you just want a logo? Better keep what you have or don’t bother at all!
Nowadays, Branding is one of those terms that can mean very different things to different people. The design of a logo has become more accessible. It could only take a small investment with a talented graphic designer online or even, for those with a good aesthetic eye, a short adventure with an AI design tool. This could be creating the misconception that designing a brand is an easy task, which involves designing an attractive logo. My colleague Jose Ramón Salgado, Director of Unlimited Brand, is often approached by clients who following this trend, simply request a logo design. The challenge is that a strong brand does not start with visuals. Even Jose, whose passion and mission is to build unique and memorable visual identities is a big advocate of this idea. Strong and consistent visuals are important, but they are never enough. A strong brand needs four obvious components, a strong product, as strong strategy and a strong visual identity and a strong delivery. And the order in this case is as important as having them all present. There are underlying conditions that are shared by these elements, like a strong understanding of customer needs and great execution and attention to details, but there is an order to the madness, or the greatness in this case.
A real product for a real need.
Brands were initially created to give a unique visual identity to a product. In today’s world, a visual identity on its own is not a unique brand. The product needs to be unique, relevant, meaningful. If there is not problem being solved, value being added, a well-designed brand can’t do any magic. It does not matter how appealing it is, good branding will not cover the value gaps of a poor offer, at least not for any longer than a first impression. Based on that, the branding effort could be counterproductive, as it will only create a false expectation that will be met with disappointment, or in other words a bad experience. And it has been well documented how a bad experiences can have a disproportionate effect on willingness to purchase a brand in the future.
For a product to be real it needs to be aligned with the customers needs and wants, here a very important underlying factor for all key elements of a great brand. Resonance is critical and this applies to the product in the first instance. So once again the classic golden rule applies, deep understanding of what our customers want, think and feel will lead to success.
A great brand needs a good strategy.
So, I have a great product, now, give me a great logo, is what Jose often hears. No! is what he would answer (a lot more polite than that). And this is my favourite part. You can’t create a logo without a strategy; without having clarity of what makes the brand unique, relevant, valuable; what is the promise, what is its personality, its tone of voice. The Strategy is not just about defining what we are but also what we are not. It is also, and very importantly, about defining what emotions we want to connect with. Attempting to draft a visual identity without this would be like picking an outfit after spinning a clothes rack blindfolded. It might be interesting, but not exactly intentional.
The brand strategy not only provides the north, defining what the new visual identity needs to convey. It guides the creative process and the evaluation of it. It is much easier to assess the pertinence of a design based on whether it represents a specific set of desired attributes than have a personal taste contest. This is particularly relevant when the deciding crowd is not the target audience. This does not invalidate the need for testing with the actual target audience, but at least ensures that the designs being tested resonate with the target audiences.
Of course, a memorable brand needs a distinctive.
Once we have a good product and we are clear of the value it offers and the emotional connections it seeks to have with its audience, we are ready to embark in the fascinating creative process of creating or re-designing a new identity. I am speaking about the logo, the graphic system around it, the look and feel that will accompany the brand communications, in the different channels. This is the photo style, the videos, all of it! Because here the key is consistency as well as visual impact, whatever the effect we are trying to cause. In this case it is not ‘it does what is says in the tin’, but it ‘looks like what I want it to do for me’ ‘what I want them to feel’.
The design in this stage could be merged with the language, from naming to key messages, tone of voice. The visual and the sounds get all together to create a representation of what the brand is or wanting to be recognised for. If we think about great brands, and we all have a favourite, we most likely will recognise this consistent play of various elements that time after time play together. It is the consistency among them and along the time that make them so easy to recognise.
And finally, for a brand to be truly awesome must be lived!
We used to speak about integrated communications and today it is all about experience. People does not buy because we tell them to. Not even our children do. People buy from great experiences they want to repeat. Consistent communications are just one part of the overall puzzle and the care for every contact, the value offered in every touch point, the delight we can deliver, is what makes the difference. The brand promise needs to be there in every interaction. In a simplistic example, if my brand stands for easy and smart, I can’t have people waiting long times in queues to purchase the product.
This is where Strategy meets execution. For customers to live our brand, everyone in the business and in every corner of the organisation need to be clear on what our brand stands for, so they can deliver that promise in the work they do. The good news is that strong brands excite its employees more easily and create pride among them. But the clarity needs to be there to foster the right behaviours. Here the game is the care of the details.
Are you ready to commit to building strong brands?
While a strong logo is important, it’s only one piece of a holistic brand identity. Focusing solely on the logo risks missing the bigger picture: understanding your target audience, defining your brand’s unique value proposition, and delivering a consistent experience across all touchpoints. Building a successful brand requires dedication. We would be delighted to support you in the journey. It will not be easy, there are no shortcuts. But it is more likely that it will lead to success.