Branding & Identity
It's all about strategy, processes and execution.
The most important part of any business (aside from their product/service) is branding. There is often confusion on what branding means for a business. At the end of the day, it will be different for all depending on their needs. Throughout my experience with many clients, I have learned that every business should have 5 elements of branding. At times, some of these will already exist and won't need to change.
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Research: This might seem obvious but not all creatives do this. Researching your market, competitor, even your own history is crucial to create a great brand. This also includes discovery meetings and market research.
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Visual Identity: ​​This includes what most people think about like logos, colors, icons, fonts. You will also want to include items like email signatures, business cards, letterheads, brochures, presentations, banners, branded vehicles, employee uniforms, office design and décor, and even company swag.
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Brand Identity: This goes beyond a logo. Brand identity helps reach and convince its target customers that its brand is the best choice for them. You must include items like your voice, personality and tone; married with you visual identity. You can always ask this: if my company was a person, who would that person be? Hint: that person most likely won't be you. And that's okay.
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Brand Equity: This is a direct result of the first three elements. Brand with high brand equity are seen as more valuable by the market. You can charge more for your product/service because of what you have built and people seek you out. You also can experiment more when it comes to creative work and marketing.
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Consistency: Pretty straightforward and obvious right? Although this may seem easy, it's not. At some point you (or your company) will have to take ownership of this new brand and all its elements. How do you make anything stronger and more valuable? You have to be consistent, be challenged and make mistakes. Your brand needs those same things.
Creative Rebrand Process
Helping Create the Best Brand Possible
I created a 12-step rebrand process including a condensed version. Some of the steps include: brand strategy, market research, stylescapes, logo design and brand guidelines. Much of my research was done through a web series called Building a Brand on YouTube. This process sets expectations in timelines, scope and budget of a companies rebrand.
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The steps are as follows: Discovery Session, Brand Strategy Research, Creative Brief, Design Research & Curated Image Feedback, Stylescape Creation, Stylescape Presentation, Logo Design, Scaleable Logo System, Style Guide Creation, Website Design (optional), Brand Handoff.
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There might be a time when a few of the steps aren't implemented but that is something that would be determined by the initial discovery session, scale and budget of the project.
Web Design Process
The Front Page of your Business
I created an 8-step web design process with the help of the team; including a condensed version. Some of the steps include: design strategy, site maps, wire frames and a hand-off meeting to web developers. This process helps set expectations to a client what exactly entails a visual re-design of ones website.
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Having a solid workflow can greatly improve your productivity and, in turn, your profit margins and client satisfaction. The goal is always beyond aesthetics. The vision of a well designed website is able to attract visitors and help people understand the product, company, and branding through a variety of indicators, encompassing visuals, text, and interactions. That means every element of your site needs to work towards a defined goal.
