In the early 1900’s Coca-Cola started bottling the beverage with little consideration for consistency among bottles and packaging. This proved to a problem when imitators started bottling soon after. As a response, the Coca-Cola company, created it’s signature curved bottle and classic branding that we still recognize today. Following this, in the late 70’s the brand created a strategy around the idea that Coke = Happiness. A message that still plays in their messages today.
The Coca-Cola company learned the hard way that a preemptive strategy, supported by a well-designed process was important to creating a brand that stands out. A brand discovery or exploration process can bring many different ideas to light.
And while we are sure you have heard many of these terms before, it’s important to understand the process and thought behind each step. Quoting these examples, lets examine the various aspects of branding. When creating a new brand or re-branding an existing brand, it is important that the steps you take are simple and logical.
A strong brand requires thought, strategy, research, and most importantly – planning. When you can identify who your company is, what you are trying to say, and who your target market is, you have done the groundwork for creating a successful brand.
The Main Aspect
Before you begin, ask yourself some key questions about the brand you want to create.
Most people think of branding as simply “the logo,” but a logo is just the beginning of a brand’s visual aspect (which also includes the website, marketing materials, and ad copy — which in turn includes tag lines, marketing/PR/sales copy, and advertisements).
The other side of the coin:
Here are ten tips to help you discern if a branding has what it takes to best represent your business.
1. Customer-focus
Your “likes” are not necessarily your customers.So it’s important to answer critical questions: Who are they? Does it speak to their interests or needs?
2. Relevancy
Does it reveal something about the nature of our company, service, or product? Is it descriptive?
3. Distinctiveness
It’s more important to be different within your competitors (industry, category, or geographic region) than the brand universe at large.
4. Memorability
Anything that engages a viewer’s brain and makes them think about it typically improves recall, as long as the “a-ha” is relatively accessible and relevant (see #2 above). This memorability will likely be a combination of the logo mark, the name, the typography, and the color scheme, rather than one single element.
5. Adaptability
Your logo should be easily adaptable. Keeping in mind these questions: Will it work in black-and-white (or screen printing, or embossing, or sand-blasting) as well as it does in color? Can it scale up effectively to billboard size? How about down to the side of a promotional pen?
6.Depth of Meaning
The ultimate goal is for a logo to have a common, clear, and unifying interpretation, but also additional layers of meaning or symbolism that emerge over time as people experience the brand or see repetition of the logo.
And now, why us - Anabytes?
We deal in a pattern language with logo symbolism, form, typography, and color where it’s nearly impossible to be “totally original,” though we constantly try to develop new takes on, and interpretations of, meaningful ideas.
In order to align your branding strategy with your organizational objectives, we devise future-looking strategies, execute various branding exercises, and regularly analyze performance through research and surveying.
If you are not located locally that is okay too. We are extremely confortable communicating via phone, email, im and through other virtual meeting technologies. We have a few global clients that this works very well for.
No matter were our clients are located, we offer a wide variety of services that include identity design, website design and development, Social Media Optimization (SMO) and search engine optimization (SEO).
The Coca-Cola company learned the hard way that a preemptive strategy, supported by a well-designed process was important to creating a brand that stands out. A brand discovery or exploration process can bring many different ideas to light.
And while we are sure you have heard many of these terms before, it’s important to understand the process and thought behind each step. Quoting these examples, lets examine the various aspects of branding. When creating a new brand or re-branding an existing brand, it is important that the steps you take are simple and logical.
A strong brand requires thought, strategy, research, and most importantly – planning. When you can identify who your company is, what you are trying to say, and who your target market is, you have done the groundwork for creating a successful brand.
The Main Aspect
Before you begin, ask yourself some key questions about the brand you want to create.
- Who is your target audience? (Think of age groups, genders, and traits)
- What will set your brand apart from others?
- What is your competition doing successfully?
- What will keep your customers coming back for more?
- How do you want to come off to the public?
Most people think of branding as simply “the logo,” but a logo is just the beginning of a brand’s visual aspect (which also includes the website, marketing materials, and ad copy — which in turn includes tag lines, marketing/PR/sales copy, and advertisements).
The other side of the coin:
Here are ten tips to help you discern if a branding has what it takes to best represent your business.
1. Customer-focus
Your “likes” are not necessarily your customers.So it’s important to answer critical questions: Who are they? Does it speak to their interests or needs?
2. Relevancy
Does it reveal something about the nature of our company, service, or product? Is it descriptive?
3. Distinctiveness
It’s more important to be different within your competitors (industry, category, or geographic region) than the brand universe at large.
4. Memorability
Anything that engages a viewer’s brain and makes them think about it typically improves recall, as long as the “a-ha” is relatively accessible and relevant (see #2 above). This memorability will likely be a combination of the logo mark, the name, the typography, and the color scheme, rather than one single element.
5. Adaptability
Your logo should be easily adaptable. Keeping in mind these questions: Will it work in black-and-white (or screen printing, or embossing, or sand-blasting) as well as it does in color? Can it scale up effectively to billboard size? How about down to the side of a promotional pen?
6.Depth of Meaning
The ultimate goal is for a logo to have a common, clear, and unifying interpretation, but also additional layers of meaning or symbolism that emerge over time as people experience the brand or see repetition of the logo.
And now, why us - Anabytes?
We deal in a pattern language with logo symbolism, form, typography, and color where it’s nearly impossible to be “totally original,” though we constantly try to develop new takes on, and interpretations of, meaningful ideas.
In order to align your branding strategy with your organizational objectives, we devise future-looking strategies, execute various branding exercises, and regularly analyze performance through research and surveying.
If you are not located locally that is okay too. We are extremely confortable communicating via phone, email, im and through other virtual meeting technologies. We have a few global clients that this works very well for.
No matter were our clients are located, we offer a wide variety of services that include identity design, website design and development, Social Media Optimization (SMO) and search engine optimization (SEO).
