There are days when it seems we may never convince enough people that a brand is so much more than its logo and visual identity system. This Monocle 24 Radio show on "How to Rebrand" (link) is enjoyable and informative, featuring the great Paula Scher of Pentagram as well as Maurus Fraser of Winkreative (a Monocle company). You may have seen Paula featured on the 2017 Netflix series "Abstract: The Art of Design." As with far too many conversations about branding and rebranding, however, the Monocle piece dwells almost entirely on visual design.
This is such a tactical, limited and hackneyed way of thinking about brands and branding. Don't get me wrong; the visual expression of a brand is an essential component of its market success. Still, focusing narrowly on graphic identity misses a gigantic point. That is to say, no amount of effective visual design can overcome an ineffective brand or defective customer service experience.
I have found that more useful definitions of brand and branding start with the quality of - and underlying rationale for and strategy governing - the actual product or service. This includes the brand's positioning, marketing, distribution, pricing, customer experience and support. An effective understanding of brand and the branding process also centers on how the product or service makes the customer think (cognition) and feel (emotion) about themselves in using the brand and, importantly, being seen by others as using the brand. Consider it gilt by association, at least for healthy brands.
Whether embarking on a rebranding initiative or a strategic planning exercise, I have found great value in ensuring that all parties to the task share some basic conceptual and definitional agreement as to what we're doing, what it means and why it matters.
This is such a tactical, limited and hackneyed way of thinking about brands and branding. Don't get me wrong; the visual expression of a brand is an essential component of its market success. Still, focusing narrowly on graphic identity misses a gigantic point. That is to say, no amount of effective visual design can overcome an ineffective brand or defective customer service experience.
I have found that more useful definitions of brand and branding start with the quality of - and underlying rationale for and strategy governing - the actual product or service. This includes the brand's positioning, marketing, distribution, pricing, customer experience and support. An effective understanding of brand and the branding process also centers on how the product or service makes the customer think (cognition) and feel (emotion) about themselves in using the brand and, importantly, being seen by others as using the brand. Consider it gilt by association, at least for healthy brands.
Whether embarking on a rebranding initiative or a strategic planning exercise, I have found great value in ensuring that all parties to the task share some basic conceptual and definitional agreement as to what we're doing, what it means and why it matters.
Image courtesy of Design Love.