BRANDIN GA N DI DENTITY
An awe-inspiring exploration of Branding
Identifying the Key Factors that Drive Identity, Reputation, and Innovation
The three layers of an avocado serve as a fitting metaphor for the complexity of branding
Branding is like a big, ripe avocado to me. The analogy was borrowed from Brian Dougherty’s book Green Graphic Design According to Dougherty, the three layers of an avocado are linked to significant roles in modern design. Manipulator of stuff, 2. Message maker, and 3. Agent of change
The book is an excellent addition to any designer’s library, and the delectable avocado serves as a fitting brand metaphor. Here’s why:
Brand vs Branding
The appearance of an avocado is similar to our understanding of a brand, which refers to the company’s image. In Zag , Mary Neumeier defines a brand as “a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or company. The perception of your brand is what people have towards you, in other words. Various brand characteristics are used by an organization’s target audience to make judgments::
What is also the foundation of a brand? Other People’s opinions can be found in magazines, online reviews, or workplace gossip. All the things people see, hear and say about a person, company, or business reflect and build upon our collective perception of that brand. The reason why Neumeier identifies “Reputation as the best word to describe it” is due to its unique meaning in English. ”
Branding, on the other hand, is the designer’s effort to influence this perception. We can’t control what our neighbor’s mom might say, but we can do our best to make consistent and authentic impressions. While the outer layer of an avocado is thick and bumpy, we know it’s quite delicious and tastes wonderful on toast—that’s the power of building a solid brand reputation
Three layers of branding: 1. Brand perception, 2. Brand identity, and 3. Brand logo
Brand Identity System
The set of visual and verbal elements that make up a brand is referred to as its “Identity. ” This is the meat of our avocado, where strategy takes hold and brand identity designers offer most of their services. Here, the idea is to influence the public’s perception of brands by creating consistent and appropriate brand communication elements
The features that makeup people’s identity also make a brand’s — it’s all about how you look, act, and engage with others. In business, this is often referred to as “Corporate Identity, ” or an “Identity System. ” In America, the practice goes back to the early days of Paul Rand’s work for IBM and other technology and pharmaceutical companies. However, corporate identity systems can be traced back further in the Netherlands. In the 1920s, designers like Piet Zwart formed longstanding relationships with companies like the Dutch Post, Telegraph, and the Telephone Service
What made these partnerships notable was the consistent design across several materials: letterhead, brochures, envelopes, business cards, packaging, and industrial signage. A certain “style” was obtained by working with one designer or a small team of art directors. Today, brand standards are made up of many more elements than color, fonts, and icons. Digital touch points like websites, apps, social media, email blasts, and videos play an important role in a brand’s identity system
The brand style guide is the corporate document that keeps track of all the elements of the brand identity system. It ensures that everybody tasked with bringing the brand to life in the marketplace maintains a consistent visual and verbal tone of voice
The Brand Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or symbol to promote and identify a company. The word is short for “logotype, ” an one-word cast as a single piece of type in hot metal typesetting. The definition has been expanded to include both type and figurative design, which often comes as an icon, like the Nike “Swoosh. ” If the logo includes the text of the name it represents — for example, “Nike” seen without the swoosh — it’s known as a wordmark. A company’s logo is now often synonymous with its trademark or brand
The logo is arguably the most memorable part of a brand identity. Out of all the elements that make up an ID system, it is usually the most consistent, just like the seed at the center of our avocado. However, that doesn’t mean a logo can accomplish everything that helps to define a brand. At first, the Nike Swoosh symbolized nothing but a fledgling new sneaker company
Over time, though, depending on how the brand identity works and, more importantly, how the company engages with its audience, the logo can come to symbolize what the brand stands for. The logo then acts as a quick reminder, emblematic of everything the audience has learned in the past and comes to expect from the brand in the future
Time to Refresh?
Companies in a competitive market or in an industry where products and services are generally the same quality, a brand’s identity becomes even more important. It helps to differentiate one product from another
However, other situations call for a brand identity overhaul as well. Perhaps a new audience or opportunity has been discovered, or a company’s internal mission has changed
New competition in the market can also be a good reason to evolve or shift parts of an identity system, either visually, verbally, or both. Often, it just so happens that the current brand identity doesn’t work — it isn’t connecting with the audience, or it just looks and feels outdated. That’s a perfect time to slice up a big, ripe avocado