Branding, Identity & Logo Design Explained

www.pelicandesigngroup.com

A logo is not your brand, nor is it your identity. Logo design, identity design and branding all have different roles, that together, form a perceived image for a business or product.

There has been some recent discussion on the web about this topic, about your logo not being your brand. Although this may be true, I haven’t seen any clarification of the differences between ‘brand’, ‘identity’ and ‘logo’. I wish to rectify this.

What is brand? – The perceived emotional corporate image as a whole.
What is identity? – The visual aspects that form part of the overall brand.
What is a logo? – A logo identifies a business in its simplest form via the use of amark or icon.

To explain this in more detail, let’s start at the top – the brand.

What is branding?

Branding is certainly not a light topic – whole publications & hundreds of books have been written on the topic, however to put it in a nutshell you could describe a ‘brand’ as an organisation, service or product with a ‘personality’ that is shaped by the perceptions of the audience. On that note, it should also be stated that a designer cannot “make” a brand – only the audience can do this. A designer forms the foundation of the brand.

Many people believe a brand only consists of a few elements – some colours, some fonts, a logo, a slogan and maybe  some music added in too. In reality, it is much more complicated than that. You might say that a brand is a ‘corporate image’.

The fundamental idea and core concept behind having a ‘corporate image’ is that everything a company does, everything it owns and everything it produces should reflect the values and aims of the business as a whole.

It is the consistency of this core idea that makes up the company, driving it, showing what it stands for, what it believes in and why they exist. It is not purely some colours, some typefaces, a logo and a slogan.

As an example, let’s look at the well known IT company, Apple. Apple as a company, projects a humanistic corporate culture and a strong corporate ethic, one which is characterised by volunteerism, support of good causes & involvement in the community. These values of the business are evident throughout everything they do, from their innovative products and advertising, right through to their customer service. Apple is an emotionally humanist brand that really connects with people – when people buy or use their products or services; they feel part of the brand, like a tribe even. It is this emotional connection that creates their brand – not purely their products and a bite sized logo.

For a more thorough understanding of branding, in simple terms, I recommend Wally Olin’s: The Brand Handbook which I quote is “an essential, easy-reference guide to brilliant branding”.

What is identity design?

One major role in the ‘brand’ or ‘corporate image’ of a company is its identity.

In most cases, identity design is based around the visual devices used within a company, usually assembled within a set of guidelines. These guidelines that make up an identity usually administer how the identity is applied throughout a variety of mediums, using approved colour palettes, fonts, layouts, measurements and so forth. These guidelines ensure that the identity of the company is kept coherent, which in turn, allows the brand as a whole, to be recognisable.

The identity or ‘image’ of a company is made up of many visual devices:

• A Logo (The symbol of the entire identity & brand)
• Stationery (Letterhead + business card + envelopes, etc.)
• Marketing Collateral (Flyers, brochures, books, websites, etc.)
• Products & Packaging (Products sold and the packaging in which they come in)
• Apparel Design (Tangible clothing items that are worn by employees)
• Signage (Interior & exterior design)
• Messages & Actions (Messages conveyed via indirect or direct modes of communication)
• Other Communication (Audio, smell, touch, etc.)
• Anything visual that represents the business.

All of these things make up an identity and should support the brand as a whole. The logo however, is the corporate identity and brand all wrapped up into one identifiable mark. This mark is the avatar and symbol of the business as a whole.

What is a logo?

To understand what a logo is, we must first understand what it is for.

A logo is for… identification.

A logo identifies a company or product via the use of a mark, flag, symbol or signature. A logo does not sell the company directly nor rarely does it describe a business. Logo’s derive their meaning from the quality of the thing it symbolises, not the other way around – logos are there to identity, not to explain. In a nutshell, what a logomeans is more important than what it looks like.

To illustrate this concept, think of logos like people. We prefer to be called by our names – James, Dorothy, John – rather than by the confusing and forgettable description of ourselves such as “the guy who always wears pink and has blonde hair”. In this same way, a logo should not literally describe what the business does but rather, identify the business in a way that is recognisable and memorable.

It is also important to note that only after a logo becomes familiar, does it function the way it is intended to do much alike how we much must learn people’s names to identify them.

The logo identifies a business or product in its simplest form.

Summary:

Brand –The perceived emotional corporate image as a whole.
Identity – The visual aspects that form part of the overall brand.
Logo – Identifies a business in its simplest form via the use of a mark or icon.

How would you summarise brand, identity and logo design? Comments and thoughts are welcome, as always.

CREATIVE CORNER

Latest on creative marketing with display ads

Display ads perform better. But not just because of charts and graphs that say so. It’s because of the fact that anything you can do on the web, you can do with display ads. So we could sit here and talk about the better ways to engage, more places to connect, and results that will impact the whole web.

But all of those things will take care of themselves if we make display ads more awesome for the millions who view them, by opening the minds of the few who make them. What we’re talking about here is creativity on the web, implemented at an unprecedented scale. 

www.pelicandesigngroup.com

THE RIGHT CUSTOMER

How do I reach my target consumers at scale?

Finding that “right consumer” is a challenge that data and technology have worked hard to address over the years. The more accurate the targeting, the better the campaign is likely to perform.

Right connection happens effectively at two levels:
1. Reaching users in places, and at times, when they are consuming content relevant to a particular topic or brand, i.e. contextual advertising.
2. Reaching the people who have already shown an interest in a particular topic or brand relevant to your business, anywhere on the web, i.e. targeting an audience

We believe combining these 2 technologies, audience and context, can achieve better results than either on their own.

Let’s talk about contextual targeting first. Knowing what someone is reading about right this moment is a strong indicator of their intent, similar to how a search query can tell us a lot about what a person may be interested in. Contextual targeting is powerful because it gives you an opportunity to speak to your audience during this highly valuable window in time, and do it at scale.

Similarly, a user’s prior web browsing history gives valuable insights about their interests, and thus allowing you to reach them on many sites across the web. Audience based advertising is proving effective for marketers. Already, 85% of agencies and advertisers use it in their display buys. Spend-wise, it’s expected to comprise 20% of online display advertising spend by 2014.
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So why should you use both contextual and audience targeting? Think about it, even if the audience is the same across different sites in a campaign, are consumers on all those sites equally receptive to the same message? Similarly, is your message relevant to everyone reading about a certain topic? The correct answer is a healthy balance between the two, that delivers the desired performance for the campaign.

For example, an auto advertiser could show a hybrid SUV ad to women interested in the outdoors, or lease offers to someone reading about hybrid cars, thus reaching a varied audience, while still being targeted.  www.pelicandesigngroup.com

WHY DO YOU NEED A PROFESSIONAL WEBSITE?

The Internet is a great source of information and a great place to bring people together.
A very important point to remember is that cyberspace is extremely volatile and that the
rules are always changing.

But do you really need a professional Website? The answer may not be a positive one because people can handle their work without one; but a Web site is rapidly evolving into a business necessity. Here I am giving you some reasons you should have a professional website.

First of all an online presence will cost you little. Get this: having a Website will cost you less than maintaining a fax or a phone line.  Website designers and hosting services are able to develop and maintain a Web presence for you,  prices for these services has dropped considerably in recent years due to fierce competition. 

Secondly, a Website works for you 24/7.  Remember that your potential clients often use evening and weekend hours to surf the Internet for business purposes.

Also, a Website saves time and trouble, both for you and your customers. You do not have to be pestered with many calls asking for basic information about the company you run,  now people can find the information online.  As for customers it is a great advantage because you are making yourself available to them all the time.

By not having a professional website you put yourself into a sad position and you have no idea how many jobs, clients you lose by not providing basic company information.  In other words you are excluding yourself from this latest form of marketing. Marketing is not just advertising, but is a whole approach to providing a positive image for a product or service. To deal with marketing, you must understand some of the basic reasons for marketing. The most important reason is that you want to attract people to a particular place. Once they’re at the place, you want to entice them to purchase a product or service.


Pelican Design Group has been in business for over 25 years and looks forward to hearing from you !
www.pelicandesigngroup.com

Websites for Restaurants

Restaurants that use their websites effectively are able to have a significant impact on their business. Whether it is allowing customers to view menus and specials, find a location, make reservations, sign up for a mailing list, or place an order online, there are lots of ways that restaurants can benefit from a website.


National chains and small, local restaurants both have the potential for impact with their website. Using   vibrant colors, creativity, photos of their tempting food pulls it all together.  We think the key to a successful restaurant site is to reflect the personality of the restaurant while at the same time making it as user friendly as possible. On Budget... Professional Service.... Pelican Design Group  Destin, FL  www.pelicandesigngroup.com

What Is Graphic Design?

Good design makes a difference in our world. Whether it’s communicating a social ideal, helping a business attract clients, motivating people to join an organization, enabling citizens to vote for the candidate of their choice, or simply helping travelers find their way through a busy airport, good design means connection.

Graphic design combines the creativity and formal characteristics of fine art with the audience-centered approach of marketing to create effective visual communications. Unlike fine art, it is always in the service of the client’s needs.

Much more than simply “making things look pretty,” graphic design uses color, type, and composition to communicate with the chosen audience.

To do this, designers analyze data about the intended audience, such as the audience’s class, gender, education, buying habits, personality traits, favorite magazines and television shows, and so on.

Designers take that demographic and psychographic information and look at what that audience sees. For instance, if the intended audience loves Martha Stewart, designers look at Martha Stewart magazines, ads, and products to analyze their visual vocabulary (color, theme, shape, typeface, composition). Using those fundamental elements, designers create new pieces which connect and communicate with the intended audience.

Design based in this understanding of the intended audience is highly successful. Trying to design without it is like trying to communicate without knowing the language of the listener.

In addition to a broad grounding in fine art, marketing, and creativity, graphic designers also build an extensive body of technical knowledge regarding paper stocks, printing inks, special processes such as foil-stamping or embossing, printing processes and limitations, digital file preparation, quality control, and troubleshooting. Graphic design encompasses any product that’s “ink-on-paper” (brochures, logos, book jackets, billboards, packaging, etc). Each medium has its own technical considerations that designers must master in order to achieve their intended effect.

Design combines all these creative, technical, and research skills. When you hire a designer, you hire a professional with sophisticated skills for enhancing your ability to connect with your audience and reach your business goals. Our experience and body of work speaks for itself.  Pelican Design is your 'one stop' graphic and print design studio!   www.pelicandesigngroup.com

Why You Need a Website

Q: My business is very small, just me and two employees, and our product really can't be sold online. Do I really need a website?

A: That's a good question. In fact, it's one of the most important and most frequently asked questions of the digital business age.  So should your business have a website, even if your business is small and sells products or services you don't think can be sold online? My answer in 1998 is the same as my answer today: Yes, if you have a business, you should have a website. Period. No question. Without a doubt.

Also, don't be so quick to dismiss your product as one that can't be sold online. Nowadays, there's very little that can't be sold over the internet. More than 20 million shoppers are now online, purchasing everything from books to computers to cars to real estate to jet airplanes to natural gas to you name it. If you can imagine it, someone will figure out how to sell it online.

Let me clarify one point: I'm not saying you should put all your efforts into selling your wares over the internet, though if your product lends itself to easy online sales, you should certainly be considering it. The point to be made here is that you should at the very least have a presence on the web so that customers, potential employees, business partners and perhaps even investors can quickly and easily find out more about your business and the products or services you have to offer.

That said, it's not enough that you just have a website. You must have a professional-looking site if you want to be taken seriously. Since many consumers now search for information online prior to making a purchase at a brick-and-mortar store, your site may be the first chance you have at making a good impression on a potential buyer. If your site looks like it was designed by a barrel of colorblind monkeys, your chance at making a good first impression will be lost.

One of the great things about the internet is that it has leveled the playing field when it comes to competing with the big boys. As mentioned, you have one shot at making a good first impression. With a well-designed site, your little operation can project the image and professionalism of a much larger company. The inverse is also true. I've seen many big company websites that were so badly designed and hard to navigate that they completely lacked professionalism and credibility. Good for you, too bad for them.

You also mention that yours is a small operation, but when it comes to benefiting from a website, size does not matter. I don't care if you're a one-man show or a 10,000-employee corporate giant; if you don't have a website, you're losing business to other companies that do.

Here's the exception to my rule: It's actually better to have no website at all than to have one that makes your business look bad. Your site speaks volumes about your business. It either says, "Hey, look, we take our business so seriously that we have created this wonderful site for our customers!" or it screams, "Hey, look, I let my 10-year-old nephew design my site. Good luck finding anything!"

Your website is an important part of your business. Make sure you treat it as such.

Give Pelican Design Group a call 850.502.4330 or visit our site at www.pelicandesigngroup.com