The heart of your brand is what makes you unique and allows you to stand out in a crowded market. If your brand is clearly defined and communicated, all marketing activities, from websites to social media to personnel marketing, become so much more effective, sustainable and targeted. This is why we include a basic branding consultation with every major order of a new customer.
Everyone in Germany associates something positive – but often also negative things – with the Deutsche Bahn brand.
Why is the Process of Branding so Crucial?
Whether you present yourself and your services on website and social media, sell your products or look for employees, marketing is always communication. As a sender of information, you are linked to a receiver who must perceive and understand this information. And as everyone knows from personal experience, communication does not always work smoothly.
EXAMPLE: FINDING QUALIFIED EMPLOYEES
A company struggles to find suitable employees. This could be be due to using the wrong platforms, but also due to inconsistencies between the company's ad, website and social media, or to a defective consideration of the claims and wishes of the target group. All these aspects have to do with the company's branding.
Technical problems are avoided by resilient web design with a focus on accessibility and performance. But all the problems of understanding have their origin in unclear branding. Either the target group has not been properly defined, or the core of the brand – and thus the entire communication – is unclear and diffuse.
In the process of branding, we work with our customers to develop the core of their brand and think about how to communicate this core clearly through logo, typography, colours, wording, etc.
How Exactly Does One Find the Core of a Brand?
A brand is much more than just a logo or product. It represents the overall picture of an organization or product in the minds of consumers. A brand includes the values, personality, identity and promises that an organization, company, authority or person gives to their clients.
The core of a brand is the intersection between
what the world and your own target group need most urgently,
your the own values and
your own abilities.
We express this core in one sentence, the mission. This sentence can then be supplemented by a narrative. The narrative is basically the story of the brand, which is told in a coherent and appealing way to convey the identity and purpose of the brand.
Target Group Analysis
Customers who understand and feel understood and identify with the values of a company buy more often and remain loyal to the company for longer. A target group analysis is therefore a decisive step in the branding and marketing strategy, in which one identifies, understands and segments the potential customers of a brand or product. The aim is to gain a deep knowledge of the needs, preferences, behaviours and demographic characteristics of the target group. Various factors play a role here:
Demographics: These include age, gender, income, educational level, marital status and residence. This information helps to understand the basic structures of the target group.
Socio-economic background: Information about occupation, income and social stratification is important in order to better understand the purchasing behaviour and needs of the target group.
Behaviour patterns and preferences: Analysis of attitudes, behaviors, interests, hobbies, purchasing habits and brand preferences. This helps to understand the behavior and decision-making processes of the target group.
Psychographic factors: Lifestyle, values, opinions and personality traits play a role in identifying target persons and adapting marketing messages.
Technological affinity: We investigate the use of technologies, social media and digital platforms to identify suitable channels for addressing the target group.
A comprehensive target group analysis enables companies to better position their marketing strategies, better position their products and communicate relevant messages in order to effectively meet the needs and requirements of their potential customers.
“Identity is the cause, the brand is the effect - and the strength of the former influences the strength of the latter.”
Larry Ackerman – Expert on personal and corporate identities and author of „Identity is Destiny“ and „The Identity Code“.
Creating A Brand Identity
A brand identity includes a variety of elements that together form the overall picture and personality of a brand. These elements help to make the brand unique, recognizable and authentic. Some aspects of the brand identity, such as the products and the customer experience, can only be influenced indirectly at best. For other areas we are happy to advise you and accompany you on the way to a coherent brand identity:
The brand name is at the core of a brand's identity. It often serves as a distinguishing mark for the brand.
Finding a suitable brand name is often not easy. But there are best practices that can release creativity in a structured way and thus help in finding a fitting brand name. It is worth investing effort and time in this process and incorporating several feedback rounds, because a brand name often accompanies you for a very long time. We will be happy to lead you in this process or give you independent feedback on your existing ideas. We will also help you to find out whether a possible brand name has already been protected by others or registered as a domain.
If a suitable brand name is found, you can develop a logo from it. A logo can consist exclusively of the text mark or contain an additional figurative mark. During logo development, attention must be paid to several factors:
Uniqueness and individuality
Simplicity
Meaning of the presentation
Psychologically suitable color scheme
Good interaction with the rest of the typography
Review of already trademarked logos
A good logo is simple and easy to recognize. And it already subconsciously conveys elements of the brand core to the viewer by either evoking certain appropriate feelings or by matching the content of the brand core in its representation.
EXAMPLE: MITSUBISHI
The Mitsubishi logo is an iconic triple diamond design, known as the “Diamond Logo” or “Triangle Mark”. It consists of three rhombus-shaped, overlapping diamonds, which together form a uniform picture. This symbol has several interpretations that represent the values and history of the company:
Three diamonds: The three overlapping diamonds stand for the company's three areas of responsibility: towards society, customers and employees. They also symbolise the unity and commitment of Mitsubishi's three founding companies.
Family coat of arms: The design is also based on the family coat of arms of the company's founder, Yataro Iwasaki. The diamonds represent the three diamonds of the Iwasaki family and the three oak leaves of the Yamanouchi family, which also participated in the company.
The name of the Mitsubishi company refers to the company logo and represents a combination of words with su (three) and hishi (rhombus). The word hishi actually means “water chestnut”, but also gained the meaning "diamond" due to the form of the water chestnut.
The choice of colors and fonts plays an important role in the visual representation of the brand. Consistent colours and fonts contribute to recognizability. It is particularly important to pay attention to the respective psychological effects of writings and colours on the viewer. Colours in particular immediately evoke deep subconscious associations in the viewer, which can also differ from culture to culture. You have to pay particular attention to these points when choosing font and colours:
Fonts
Reading: The selected font should be legible, both in printed materials and digital content.
Brand identity: The typeface should match the personality and values of the brand. A playful typeface, for example, can be suitable for a brand that wants to convey youthfulness and creativity, while a sans-serif typeface could stand for a modern and professional image.
Versatility: It is important to choose a font that is versatile enough to be used in different contexts, from logos to web pages to printed materials.
Colours
Brand identity: The color palette should reflect the values, personality and style of the brand. For example, a warm color scheme can convey coziness and closeness, while cool colors can signal professionalism and tranquility.
Recognizability: Consistency in color use is crucial to building a strong visual identity. The selection should be based on some main colors that best represent the brand.
Color psychology: We also investigate how different colours can influence emotions and reactions. For example, blue is often associated with confidence and calm, while red can convey energy and passion.
Contrast and accessibility: We ensure that the colours harmonise well with each other and have an appropriate contrast ratio in order to be aesthetically pleasing as well as barrier-free.
Additional design elements such as graphics, symbols or patterns can complement and enhance the visual appearance of a brand.
EXAMPLE: BURBERRY
A good example of additional visual design elements in a brand identity are Burberry's iconic patterns. The classic check pattern of the company, known as “Burberry Check”, serves as an additional design element next to the logo. This checkered pattern has been used on various products such as clothing, accessories and packaging and has become a recognizable trademark.
When choosing additional visual design elements for a brand, it is crucial that these elements reflect the identity and message of the brand. They should be seamlessly integrated into the existing visual identity to ensure consistency and underline the uniqueness of the brand. These elements must not only be conspicuous and striking, but also adaptable and versatile to be used in different contexts and on different platforms.
The way a brand communicates is crucial. The tone of voice, language and the type of communication influence the perception of the brand. Tonality and vocabulary should definitely fit the values of the brand and the target group.
EXAMPLE: MOZILLA
On this page, the Mozilla Foundation describes the brand voice for their products, including the Firefox browser, very clearly and with good examples: https://mozilla.design/firefox/#personality
Build your brand together now
Building strong brands is at the centre of everything we do. Sounds interesting to you too? We look forward to seeing what we can achieve with you!
