Brand Corporate Identity

A brand ideal is a higher purpose of a brand or organisation that goes beyond the products or services they sell. Stengel states, "The ideal is the brand's inspiration reason of being. It explained why the brand exists and the impact it seeks to make in the world." It is a larger goal.

Brand values deliver real engagement and direct you towards more powerful bonds with your target audience. For most businesses, brand values act as the "true north" on their compass towards market success; the core brand values remain fixed and steady. It is the part (internal: purpose, personality, and proposition) that truly transforms the relationships you build with your customers.

"A brand idea is a higher purpose of a brand or organization that goes beyond the product or service they sell."

Figure 1.1 Brand Ideals

Brand Ideals

-Vision

A compelling vision by an effective, articulate, and passionate leader is the foundation for the best brands.

It requires courage. Big ideas, enterprises, products and services are sustained by individuals who have the ability to imagine what other people see. And the tenacity to deliver what they believe is possible. It is important to the identity process.

-Meaning

The best brands stand for something such as a big idea, a strategic position or a defined set of values.

Rarely immediate and it evolves over time. Designers transform meaning into unique visual forms and expressions to be explained so that it can be understood, communicated, and approved. Then, the elements of brand identity should have a framework that stands for meaning and logic.

-Authenticity

This is not possible without an organisation having clarity about its market, positioning, value proposition and competitive difference. It refers to self-knowledge and making decisions that are congruent with that self-knowledge, it can help a brand identify its strengths. Customers identify with personal, memorable, and more, of what they perceive as authenticity.

-Differentiation

Brands always compete with each other within the business category and, at some level, compete with all brands that want our attention, focus and loyalty. Brands need to demonstrate this difference and make it easy to understand what makes them so. If your brand exist, would anyone miss it? A really good brand leaves a big gap.

-Sustainability

It is the ability to have longevity in an environment in constant flux and characterised by future permutations that no one can predict. Sustainability is achieved through a commitment to the equity of a central idea over time. Also, the capacity to transcend change.

-Coherence

Whenever a customer experiences a brand, it must feel familiar and have the desired effect. It is a baseline that is designed to build trust, foster, loyalty and delight customers. The brand identity system builds on cohesive brand architecture and utilizes specially designed colours, typeface families, and formats.

-Flexibility

An effective brand positions a company for change and growth in the future. It supports and evolving strategy. Innovation requires brands to be flexible.

-Commitment

Organisations need to ensure all people engaged with the brand have complete motivation and dedication for it to succeed. Building, protecting and enhancing the brand requires desire and a disciplined approach to insure its integrity and relevance.

-Value

Measurable results need to be created that promote and sustain the brand.

Creating value is the biggest goal of most organizations. A brand is an intangible asset. Brand identity which includes all tangible expression from packaging to websites, upholds that value.

Week 05 - Lecture 05

Positioning

Brand positioning is the process of positioning your brand in the minds of your customers. It is also referred to as a positioning strategy, brand strategy, or brand positioning statement. "Creating your brand strategy is like drawing out a map, and positioning is determining your location and destination." (Wills, 2017)

Figure 1.2 Volvo's Brand Positioning

If a brand is successfully positioned, it is difficult to reposition. Volvo positioned itself as a tough, safe car and quickly became the number one choice for families. An unintended consequence was that safety has less "sex-appeal" which resulted in an unappealing perception.

Too often to break through the market, you should uncover what your competition is not doing. Find the whitespace in your market where you are exceptionally strong while others are ignoring the opportunity.

The goal (refer to positioning) is to create a unique impression in the customer's mind so that the customer associates something specific and desirable with your brand that is distinct from the rest of the marketplace.

4 Different styles of positioning :

1. Arm wrestling

Try to take on the market leader and beat them at their own game and it is possible if there is a well-established market category with no clear leader but it takes a lot of money and time (Coke & Pepsi).

2. Big fish, smaller pound

Niche market within a larger market that is being underserved, where there is a larger player who's not meeting specific needs. Plus-point is the audience has a frame of reference, while the down-side is the market leader could match your offer.

3. Reframe the market

Reframes an existing market in new terms. It makes the benefits highlighted by previous market leaders irrelevant, or frankly, boring. This works if the product/ service features innovation or if there is a change in market need/ expectation.

4. Change the game

Reserved for when there is no market category for what you do. You are the first of your kind and you get to invent your market! (Think market disruptors like Uber or Xerox.) The advantage is you will be the default market leader but the downside, without any major barriers people may copy you, beat you and have a chance to establish yourself (Grab).

To create a position strategy, first identify your brand's uniqueness and determine what differences you have from your competition.

Positioning vs Differentiation

-Positioning is a strategic process that marketers use to determine the place or "niche" an offering should occupy in a given market.

-Differentiation is the process companies use to make a product or service stand out from its competitors.

To differentiate characteristics/ qualities that make the product/ service better than the competition.

Answers to these questions to determine whether it is a good brand :

1. Who are you?

2. What do you do?

3. Why does it matter?

7 Key steps effectively clarify your positioning in the marketplace:

Determine how the brand is currently positioning itself
Identify the direct competitors
Understand how each competitor is positioning their brand
Compare the brand's positioning to the competitor's to find a uniqueness
Develop a distinct and value-based positioning idea
Craft a brand positioning statement
Test the efficacy of the brand positioning statement

4 Essential elements of a best-in-class positioning statement:

-Target Customer

What is the concise summary of the attitudinal & demographic description of the target group of customers your brand is attempting to appeal to and attract?

-Market Definition

What category is your brand competing in and in what context does your brand have relevance to your customers?

-Brand Promise

What is the most compelling (emotional/ rational) benefit to your target customers that your brand can own relative to your competition?

-Reason to Believe

What is the most compelling evidence that your brand delivers on its brand promise?

After answering the four questions, craft the positioning statement:
"For [target customers], [company name] is the [market definition] that delivers [brand promise] because only [company name] is [reason to believe]."

INSTRUCTIONS

TASK 2B LOGO

Progress

In week 1, we are required to brainstorm 3 alternative careers and answer the following 5 questions. I decided to do the last one, which is the Cookie brand named "Starry" at first. After a discussion with Miss, she said that it is hard to showcase the relationship between cookies and blind boxes. I need to think more about how to connect these two products to the brand identity.

Figure 2.1 Alternative Career

The next week, we developed two mind maps, which are a business mind map and a brand name mind map. These two mind maps help us proceed more conveniently and smoothly in the further progress of brand identity.

Figure 2.2 Mind Map 1

Figure 2.3 Mind Map 2

After I had the first version of the mind maps, Miss said that my "Starry" mind maps needed to be developed more. The business mind maps also have to be more accurate so I had done another with a refined version.

Refined version

I also fully changed the business idea into a blind box brand, not relating to cookies anymore.

Figure 2.4 Mind Map 1 (refined)

Figure 2.5 Mind Map 2 (refined)

Link to mind maps: https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVLZO_UVE=/?share_link_id=646074953797

Sketches

After doing the mind maps, we are proceeding to the sketches of the brand logo.

Week 3 Sketches

Figure 2.6 Sketches 1

Week 4 Sketches

Figure 2.7 Sketches 2

Figure 2.8 Sketches 3

Lastly, we proceed with Adobe Illustrator for the digitalisation of our logo. I had tried on different attempts to try out with different versions. Miss had recommended that I do 3 versions of the logo, one only with the mascot, one with the horizontal one, and one with the boxes.

Figure 2.9 Logo Digitalise Progression 1

Figure 2.10 Logo Digitalise Progression 2

After Effects - GIF Animation

Figure 2.11 GIF Animation Progression

SUBMISSION - FINAL TASK 2A

Figure 2.12 Final Task 2A-PDF

SUBMISSION - FINAL TASK 2B

Figure 2.13 Final Task 2B -PDF

Figure 2.14 Final Task 2B - GIF Animation

FEEDBACK

Week 1

The cookie idea is interesting, but it's kinda hard to showcase. Try to solidify the idea behind the cookie business, the relationship between the cookie and blind box is the unique selling point, but when you design a brand identity, those aspects need to be visible, and how major is the service in the cookies product. It seems like an add-on feature, solidify and think about it intently so you can have a better idea, and then you can proceed to the mind maps.

Week 2

The position of the business has to be more accurate as it is mainly a cookie shop or more like a blind box store that provides cooperation with other companies to get a customizable blind box. Figure it out and expand more on the business mind map.

Week 3

Remember that you are the blind box company, which is not relevant to the cookies anymore. Expand more on the starry mindmap show more things that are related to the star. Ms does like the star as the mascot, but it is not the component of the blind box. Don’t think about the cookies or what is in the blind box, or you should have a lot of distractions.

Week 4

5 & 6 develop into one idea with one star coming out of the box? The star idea on 8 is nice, with a small hook above and the mouth as a dot for question mark punctuation. This star can be tried out for the above combination or on its own. At 9 & 11, look at your question mark formed by S and maybe a star as the dot like the one beside 4 but more stylish and S-looking. 18 Another idea of a star coming out of a box with cloud cutout sides. Do try to develop these ideas further digitally. Consider space rationalization when constructing in Illustrator (link in URL file in Mytimes under Task 2). Exhaust your exploration, yah since it’s done digitally. And don’t forget a wordmark exploration if applicable.

Week 5

Miss kinda like the box one, it shows all the things that are included in your brand, and it's clear and solid. Next thing that I can do is to arrange the spacing between the alignment. The thickness of the mascot can be thicker, otherwise the mascot would be lost, you can also try to develop with 3 versions, one with only mascot, one with the box, and one with the box one, one with the word one.

Week 6

The colour can try to use 2 colours, too much colour would get confused and not clear. Space rationalisation can be indicated by how it relates, try to use x or y to communicate the idea properly. The clearspace of the mascot should add a box on it. Do not use effect on the patterns derived.

Submission Feedback

Task 2A

Able to identify the types of logo analysed. Analysis is accurate and concise fulfilling the requirements of the brief. Room for more critical analysis (opinion, success, etc.) of chosen logos. Could benefit from having titles to help make content easier to identify (although bullets do help). Do credit your sources.

Task 2B

Inaccurate reverse version of mascot component of logo on all three versions. Colour division of first version of logo is also inaccurate to the proposed idea. Otherwise, the final outcome is consistent with the exception of reverse versions of logo (where mouth of mascot is filled) demonstrating goods technical ability and skills. Some process of progression (digitization of logo) gleamed during tutorial not included in submission to support idea.

REFLECTION

I have gained knowledge in Task 2A as we need to learn and analysis the logo, I have the opportunity to learn with different logo colour scheme, elements and more. In task 2B, I had faced some difficulties in brainstorming the idea of "Starry", I get confused with the ideas that I have so I did do some wrong work in part of the process. After I get the confirmed idea, I get less stressful when doing this task, finally finding the right direction to build the brand identity. Although I have struggled in some of the process, but it is also a learning experience for me. I observe the first step of brainstorming work is important, that I need to be careful and do more research in next task. The logo progression also very interesting to me and I also gained a lot of knowledges of placing a logo when doing the document setup.

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Chong Wee Han (0368863)

Brand Corporate Identity - Task 2 : Logo

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