Why is Brand Identity Design so Important?
What is the “swoosh” or the yellow “M”? What does “DD” mean? Have you ever looked at a logo and you didn’t understand what it meant or who the company was? Has a shape or color made you instantly think of something you had seen or remembered? The goal of a brand is to get you to remember its message and the personality or mood of its identity. Have you ever looked at an image and it reminded you of another familiar brand? Was it the logo, the mark, the colors, the type or a combination of these visual elements? This is the purpose of a well-designed brand identity. Creating a successful brand is a great experience. It takes time to make the connection between the logo image and its intended brand identity. You want to develop a “mark” that will relate to the user, be clever, memorable, easy to understand and will convey the desired emotional response to a company. A brand creates a series of expectations.
Why is brand identity design so important? You may be trying to create your own personal logo or an identity for a group, organization or company of which you belong. Visual consistency is important and the design must guarantee trust and loyalty. You are connected to the visual identity that represents the personality and quality of that brand.
Why are you attracted to different kinds of specific visual cues? Does the typeface, design or color catch your attention? Do these characteristics help you remember the message of the brand?
The brand design must guarantee trust and loyalty. Why do you buy the same toothpaste or cereal that your family did while you were growing up? Do you look for a familiar brand identity? Does it make you feel uncomfortable to try something new? That feeling is brand loyalty. The important visual components of a brand are color, typeface and the logo also known as, the mark. The visual design of a brand represents the tone, personality and mood of the company, organization or person that it represents.
Why are you attracted to different kinds of specific visual cues? Does the typeface or color catch your attention? Do these characteristics help you remember the brand? This reinforces brand recognition. It is essential that the visual brand identity logo properly represent the intended message.
An effective logo is original, clever, appropriate, practical, clear in design and expresses a very specific message. A logo’s responsibility is to visually explain the brand and to be successful it must follow the basic principles of logo design and development.
Here are 10 tips to creating a successful brand identity.
1. Must use effective type choices:
Typography is the most important skill that every designer learns. Knowing how to choose the best type faces for each project ensures a successful design solution and strengthens the brand message. Check these links for more information.
https://designschool.canva.com/blog/typography-terms/
https://designschool.canva.com/blog/typography-design/
https://designschool.canva.com/blog/typography-tutorial/
2. Must be appropriate:
The design of the logo should be appropriate for its intended demographic. Understand your audience, their interests, and the visual details that will make the brand relevant and create brand loyalty.
https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/08/vital-tips-for-effective-logo-design/
https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2015/06/effective-logo-design-symbols-metaphors-intuition/
3. Must relate to the user:
One of the most important characteristics of a successful design is to create a visual message that relates to its intended audience. You tend to make a stronger connection to imagery and messages that have common elements that resonate with your interests.
4. Brand must be memorable:
A brand identity that is easy to remember strengthens the connection of the visual image and the message. Think about the brands that you remember and why you remember them. This connection to the brand is called brand loyalty.
5. EASY to understand:
You probably have seen brand logos and at first glance were not sure what it represented. The mark may have been combined with typography and still not instantly understood. This is associated with brand recognition. It may take time for the intended demographic to make the visual connection with the brand meaning. A well-designed brand logo needs little help to express the intended message. A simple, clever iconic or symbol design that expresses the mood and personality of the individual, company or organization is the goal of the brand identity.
6. Good research & design brief:
Conduct your research based on your desired message, its goal, and its intended outcome. Develop your brief around your research. Creating your brief will allow you to document the intended messaging direction for your brand identity concepts. Every professional designer prepares a design brief for every project to make sure that everyone involved is on the same page and understands the goals of the project.
http://www.aiga.org/mastering-the-creative-brief/
http://www.mohawkconnects.com/feltandwire/2011/02/08/the-creative-brief-10-things-it-must-include/
7. Sketching & conceptualizing:
Concept design is the first essential process for developing the initial directions for your brand mark or logo. Whether creating an iconic or symbol design with or without typography you must start with sketching your ideas. Every professional designer starts with this process. You must create concept sketches before working on a computer. Develop the logo concepts around your design brief and research.
https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/03/sketch-question/
https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/04/60-beautiful-logo-design-tutorials-and-resources/
8. Must be enduring:
An effective brand logo should be appropriate for an extended period of time. The brand should be strong and meaningful for many years.
9. Must be versatile:
A successful brand must be able to work effectively in a variety of visual mediums and applications for all professional purposes.
10. Keep it simple:
A simple logo allows for easy recognition and allows the logo to be versatile and memorable. Well-designed logos express something clever or unique without being visually complex. Simple iconic or symbol designs allow for easy understanding and message recognition.
Here are additional helpful links:
http://www.creativebloq.com/graphic-design/pro-guide-logo-design-21221
https://designschool.canva.com/blog/brand-identity/
http://eyeondesign.aiga.org/3-lessons-in-branding-every-student-of-design-should-know/
https://designschool.canva.com/blog/branding-templates/
https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/07/designing-style-guidelines-for-brands-and-websites/
