Every good designer knows that branding is a pure question of design. And that, to create a good brand image, you have to apply the basic principles of design in a precise and highly personalized way.
1. Research
Although it is the obligation of the client to carry out a previous investigation, not many do. So this will be your first responsibility as a communication designer .
You will need to find out what the customer wants to communicate and to whom. The latter will be those who are more likely to want to buy the product or service offered by the brand. You will have to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the company to make your design with an approach that enhances the former and hides the latter.
2.- Be clear about the objective pursued by the company
We refer to the objective that must be met through a brand image design. The more specific that goal is, the more you can refine as a designer. You will know if the image to be transmitted should be more or less aggressive, among other things. The objective must be defined for a certain period of time.
The best way to get this information is to design a battery of questions that your customer finds useful. To do this, you must know very well what the real possibilities of brand image design are .
3.- Branding must avoid copying
It is true that brands like Starbucks or Apple have developed very powerful logos and brand identities. However, imitating them does not make you a good designer. On the contrary, replicating what has already been done will only reveal your lack of professionalism.
The brand image is based on the concept of identity. You cannot build the branding of one company by borrowing the identity of another. It is simple.
4.- Technology is the best friend of branding
Social networks, the internet, mobile applications, social marketing… All these technology-based platforms are opportunities. Some of them serve as testing grounds. Twitter and Facebook offer possibilities to conduct surveys. There is no greater testing ground than the audience for any one of them. By asking the right questions, you can get feedback that will be worth its weight in gold. You will be able to test the effectiveness of your brand image design virtually online. Thus, you will not leave anything to chance.
But not only that. You will also be able to check after the operation of your logos and all branding in general.
5.- Less is more. Also in brand image design
It is impossible to communicate all aspects of a brand with a logo and a tagline . Good designers know the power of colors and shapes. And they will use both to create powerful brand images that communicate a very precise and concrete impression. The important thing is to find the key concept that represents the company. And, from that concept, create a reliable representation.
