A few thoughts on branding in 2020
15.01.2020
The secret of great branding
This is possibly the most overlooked and important part of any branding process.
And, it is so simple:
Brands exist to communicate and identify corporate values.
Logos are the identifier and vessel that hold corporate values. Identity systems communicate corporate values through visual personality.
Branding begins by discovering and defining clear corporate values
The corporate values are communicated through a distinct visual identity
The corporate values are identified and remembered through trademarks (or logos).
The most impactful and long-lasting brands stem from clear corporate values that capture the personality of the company, translating it all through visual identity that resonates with. Never before have corporate transparency and trust been so important to customer loyalty and consumer choice.
In the last few years, with Volkswagen’s Dieselgate, Facebook’s trust issues around fake news and the monetization of our personal data, brand authenticity has never been so important.
Why optimism is important for branding
There has never been more crowded markets and consumer choice. People need to believe in your brand and it needs to stay with them to develop loyalty.
In the same way that we enjoy having friends that make a positive impact on our lives, we are inspired by positive brands. Consumers need to be inspired.
The history of cartography teaches us something wonderful
What was once thought real 100 years ago, - a true representation of reality, a map, was then updated, again and again, and again until today where we have incredibly detailed aerial photography. But today we know the reality no more than we knew the reality 100 years ago. For what we believed then, was real then, just as what we believe now to be real. The image is a translation of the reality in the most believable way we know-how. It is the same reality as we knew 100 years ago. It is both real, and unreal. Neither is the true reality for reality transcends the individual’s belief. What I see and believe is different to another. There will always be more to life than we currently understand. There is always more depth to explore.
The void between 'concept' and ‘execution'
There is a vase. The vase is a three-dimensional thing, that I can touch, and hold, and covet, and use, and break. There is an image of the vase. The image is two dimensional, it translates the vase from a single perspective, in a moment in time. Through the photograph, the vase cannot be touched, or used, or coveted or broken. I cannot physically break the vase in the same way by dropping the photo. There is a massive void between what is the vase, and what is the image of the vase. Imagine a ‘concept' is the vase, and a ‘render' of the concept is the photograph. The render can never fully represent the concept. There will always be a void between the two. Great design minimises this void.
As a branding designer, I often consider this abstract idea, of transcending concept and execution. How can we minimise the gap so that we can best translate the concept in full? We all know what a bad logo looks like, it feels wrong, out of context, awkward and ugly. It feels dishonest to what it represents. A great logo is an honest logo, the void between concept and execution is small. A bad logo is ugly, crass and awkward, and does not well represent its product/ company.
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About the author, Adam
Adam is the design director of BrandCraft. BrandCraft is a branding and design consultancy based in Hong Kong. We specialise in branding, visual identity, corporate identity and rebranding.
Adam is a branding consultant and has worked with clients in the UK, USA, Hong Kong, Tokyo, South Korea and China. He has had self-initiated art and design projects exhibited at various galleries and museums including the Victoria & Albert Museum of Art and Design and regularly writes about branding and design theory.
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