Branding

14 min. read

Branding

Introduction

What is branding?
Needs to be consistent!

Consistency is king!

Logo is just the tip of the iceberg

Misconceptions
Logo is your brand
Branding is expensive
You don’t really need a brand

“Your brand is the single most important investment you can make in your business” - Steve Forbes

“If people like you they will listen to you, but if people trust you, they’ll do business with you” - Zig Zag

“Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room” - Jeff Bezos

10 Elements
Understand your brand personality
Create Your Brand Story
Develop your logo and collateral
Establish your digital footprint
Craft your Language and Tone
Create a kick bleep slogan
Design a Dress code
Own Your Area
Train Your Team
Create an Experience

Branding communicates what you stand for
Relationship between business and audience
Result of everything you do

Choose a brands optional option and let it guide everything you do

People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it
Brand Strategy

You need to know how you are going to get there!

Brand strategy is a document.

Living document

Define your business! Dont let the market define your business

A brand is

What is your target customer?
Identify uniting theme
Explore who you benefit most
Determine who brings our value
Consider your mission (Why are you in business)
Who is your true competitor?

Wordmark
A wordmark, wordmark, or logotype is usually a distinct text-only typographic treatment of the name of a company, institution, or product name used for purposes of identification and branding.
The organization name is incorporated as a simple graphic treatment to create a clear, visually memorable identity. The representation of the word becomes a visual symbol of the organization or product.

Personality
Stories are important!
People naturally gravity towards personalities
It makes the business seem more personal
You need to know who you are!

Myers Briggs
http://www.myersbriggs.org/

Personal brand vs company brand

Business brand should carry on without the personality

Carl young

Don’t advertise your personality, it should just come through in everything you do

Its not what you do, its how you do it.

No one can do what you do the way you do it.

After getting the personality, this will be used to define the brand identity

What is it
Characteristics people will align with

12 Personalities
12 Personality archetypes
https://www.learning-mind.com/12-archetypes/

How to discover your personality
Look at the values
How do we do everything? That should guide you.
Look at how you do things.

Game
https://www.brandpersonalities.com.au/app_v2/

You can combine 2.

http://www.nvision-that.com/design-from-all-angles/what-is-your-brand-personality-a-look-at-brand-archetypes

https://medium.com/@plaustudio/identitype-brands-in-search-of-a-typographic-voice-142369c8bc3a

https://www.canva.com/learn/canva-for-work-brand-fonts/

https://brandingforthepeople.com/fonts-by-personality/

Archetype > Quick Archetype Description > Example of archetypical brand > Possible Typographic expression.
https://medium.com/@plaustudio/identitype-brands-in-search-of-a-typographic-voice-142369c8bc3a

The Caregiver

Goal:
To care for and protect others

Traits:
Caring, maternal, nurturing, selfless, generous, compassionate, provider, selfless, soft colors, round fonts

Drawback:
Being taken advantage of, taken for granted, or exploited

Marketing niche:
Help people care for themselves, serve the public through health care, education or aid programs

Examples
Mother Theresa
Campbell’s Soup
Johnson & Johnson
Heinz
Dove
Volvo

Fonts
For the greater good > Always > Scripts, rounded shapes, delicate calligraphic structure. Think hygiene products, food packaging and the such.
Example: Anything by Alejandro Paul.

https://www.myfonts.com/foundry/Sudtipos/
The Creator

Goal
Create something with meaning and enduring value

Traits
Creative, imaginative, artistic, inventive, entrepreneur, non-conformist

Drawback
Could be perfectionistic or impractical

Marketing niche
Visionary, help customers express or create, and foster their imagination

Example
Lego
Crayola
Apple (Also Rebel)
Adobe

Font
Innovate and leave a legacy > Apple > No-frills shapes, humanist sans-serifs, friendly serifs.
Example: Dolly, FF Scala Sans and anything else by Martin Majoor, any typeface that Peter Biľak made or sponsored.

https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/underware/dolly/

The Entertainer

Goal
To bring joy to the world

Traits
Fun, sense of humor, light-hearted, mischievous, irreverent

Drawback
Could be seen as frivolous or disrespectful

Marketing niche
Help people have a good time or enjoy what they are doing, allow people to be more impulsive and spontaneous

Example
Motley Fool
Ben & Jerry’s
IKEA
MailChimp
YouTube
Virgin
M&M

Font
Live for a laugh > Pepsi > Fun shapes, irregular baseline (think advertising lettering from the 50s), wonky curves.
Example: Anything by House Industries, Sorvettero, anything by OhNoTypeCo.
https://houseind.com/
http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/justintype/sorvettero/
http://www.ohnotype.co/
The Everyman

Goal
To belong, or connect with others

Traits
Down to earth, supportive, faithful, folksy, person next door, connects with others, traditional

Drawback
Could lack a distinctive identity and blend in too much

Marketing niche
Common touch, solid virtues, gives a sense of belonging

Example
Home Depot
eBay
Kit Kat
IKEA
Visa
KFC
Volkswagen

Font
To blend in is to stand out > Obama > Workhorse typefaces that don’t call too much attention for itself. They must live happily with expressive fonts and be ok with receding rather than standing out.
Example: Gotham, Myriad, Motiva Sans.
https://www.typography.com/fonts/gotham/overview/
https://plau.co/en/shop/fonts/motiva-sans-2/
The Explorer

Goal
Finds fulfillment through discovery and new experiences

Traits
Restless, adventurous, ambitious, individualistic, independent, pioneering, thrill seeking

Drawback
Might not fit into the mainstream

Marketing niche
Exciting, risk-taking, authentic

Example
Amazon
Indiana Jones
Jeep
Red Bull
Land Rover

Font
Living is the biggest adventure > Timberland > Letters with a rustic finish, textures, daring and peculiar shapes.
Example: Anything that looks like it was run over by a 4x4, Founders Grotesque, Roves. Alert! Steer clear of searching for explorer fonts at MyFonts, I got terrible results from that :).

The Hero

Goal
Help to improve the world

Traits
Courageous, bold, honorable, strong, confident, inspirational, proud

Drawback
Could be arrogant or aloof

Marketing niche
Make a positive mark on the world, solve major problems or enable/inspire others to do so

Example
Nike
BMW
Duracell
FedEx
Snickers

Font
Victory and Glory > Nike > Speed, impact, presence. Bold condensed, oblique, inverted oblique may help in adding a proper sense of urgency that permeates the hero personality.
Example: Tungsten, Geogrotesque, Nitro.
https://www.typography.com/fonts/tungsten/overview/
https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/emtype/geogrotesque/
https://www.typography.com/fonts/nitro-turbo/overview/

The Innocent

Goal
To be happy

Traits
Strives to be good, is pure, young, optimistic, simple, moral, romantic, loyal

Drawback
Could be naïve or boring

Marketing niche
Companies with strong values, seen as trustworthy, reliable and honest, associated with morality, good virtues, simplicity, can be nostalgic

Example:
Disney
McDonalds
Dove soap
Coca-Cola
Cottonelle bathroom tissue

Font
Glass is always half full > Pampers > Handmade lettering, simple, soft shapes, scripts.
Example: Manu, Omnes, anything by Pintassilgo Prints

https://www.typotheque.com/fonts/manu
https://fontstand.com/fonts/omnes
http://www.pintassilgoprints.com/

The Magician

Goal
Make dreams come true, create something special

Traits
Visionary, charismatic, imaginative, idealistic, spiritual

Drawback
Could take risks that lead to bad outcomes

Marketing niche:
Help people transform their world, inspire change, expand consciousness

Example:
Disney
Wizard of Oz
Dyson
MasterCard
Instagram

Font
Make dreams come true > Disney > Optical Illusions, unexpected shapes, defying legibility are all game. Make the reader think: how the heck did they do it?
Example: Karol, Macula, layer fonts sucha as Bungee or Paintlay, peculiar shapes such as Lancelot Pro orSuttura
https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/typeotones/karol/
https://www.boldmonday.com/typeface/macula/
http://mikamelvas.fi/paintlay/
https://www.rosettatype.com/Sutturah

The Rebel

Goal
Break the rules and fight authority

Traits
Rebellious, iconoclastic, wild, paving the way for change

Drawback
Could take it too far and be seen in a negative way

Marketing niche
Agent of change, advocate for the disenfranchised, allow people to vent or break with conventions

Example
Harley-Davidson
Virgin (Richard Branson)
Diesel
Apple

Font
My way or the highway > Harley Davidson > You can go crazy on the shapes, make the type shout, or go to a cool-as-hell demeanor. Please check Harley Davidson’s brand expressions for the perfect example.
Example: Brother, Haltrix

The Ruler

Goal:
Control, create order from chaos

Traits:
Leader, responsible, organized, role model, administrator

Drawback:
Could lack a common connection, or be too authoritative or controlling

Marketing niche:
Help people become more organized, restore order, create more stability and security in a chaotic world

Example:
Microsoft,
Barclays,
Mercedes-Benz
Rolex
British Airways

Font
I lead, you follow. > Mercedes Benz > Trajan, trajan, trajan. Roman capitals, Egyptienne fonts, bold black weights.
Example: Trajan, trajan, more trajan, Garamond, Sabon, Ardina.

The Sage

Goal:
To help the world gain wisdom and insight

Traits:
Knowledgeable, trusted source of information, wisdom and intelligence, thoughtful, analytical, mentor, guru, advisor,

Drawback:
Could be overly contemplative or too opinionated

Marketing niche:
Help people to better understand the world, provide practical information and analysis

Example:
BBC,
PBS,
Google,
Philips
Audi
Discovery
IBN
CNN

Font
Spread Knowledge > Google > Straightforward, rational, geometric. On the other hand cerebral bookerly fonts that represent knowledge and wisdom.
Example: Silva, Garamond, FF Scala, FS Brabo.

The Seducer

Goal:
Create intimacy, inspire love

Traits:
Passionate, sensual, intimate, romantic, warm, committed, idealistic

Drawback:
Could be too selfless or not grounded enough

Marketing niche:
Help people feel appreciated, belong, connect, enjoy intimacy, build relationships

Example:
Victoria’s Secret
Godiva Chocolate
Marie Claire
Ferrari
Magnum
Chanel

Font
Multi sensory experiences > Victoria’s Secret > Curvy, calligraphic shapes, high contrast Didots and Bodonis. Please check the realm of Perfume and Fashion Magazines for a quick lesson in lover brand expressions.
Example: Young Finesse, Didot, Bodoni, Ninfa, Tenez
https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/doyald-young/young-finesse/
http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/dootype/ninfa/
https://plau.co/en/shop/fonts/tenez/

12 Personalities + Zodiac + Chinese

Story
If you don’t tell your story, no one will know what makes you unique

History
About
Mission and vision
People want to relate

If its too long, people get bored.

Keep it short

No mission vision etc…

The story of google

3 Rock story.
Telling a story sets the customer up for expectations.

The story will link to your personality

Story needs clarity, put morals and values in here.
https://www.fitbit.com/au/about

Tag line
Main purpose

Start with why
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ZoJKF_VuA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUJFrQQCnZk

Logo
Wkipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logo

Must have
Make it really profesional
Should align with your business
Story behind it.
Needs to be relevant, not just pretty
Icon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_icon

Collateral
Online
Print
Business cards
Capability statement

Language and tone

Dress Code

Trademark
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trademark

Typography
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typography

Slogan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slogan

Brand Experience

References
White River Design
http://www.whiteriverdesign.com/
Debbie O’ Connor

10 Elements
https://www.womeninfocus.com.au/t5/Business-Strategy/10-essentials-to-create-an-engaging-brand/ba-p/18419

http://www.brandpersonalities.com.au/

http://www.brandanew.co/10-branding-elements-and-what-they-mean/

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/brand-personality.asp