News & views
You are not just a name
Posted by Acumen Republic on Thursday, 11 August 2011 0 Comments
Character defines people and brands more than names do. Names like Moonbeam, Flash, Rebel, Mack or Petunia are expressive, they carry with them a clearly defined character. It would be surprising (but kind of cute and ironic) for a brand, pet or person called 'Flash' to be cute, cuddly and ploddy. But most people, brands and pets have names that don't carry such a clear set of associations. A brand, person or animal becomes defined by its character which somehow seems to attach itself to the name. Most names, fancy signatures or logos don't tell anyone who you are, what you believe in, or how good and honest your parents are.... but the first "Jack" we ever get to know defines the character of every Jack we've yet to meet.
A visual identity is the overall impression of a company, it is not just a name, it is not just a logo, its what your company stands for in the minds of its beholders - brought to life in the blink of an eye. A brand needs a "voice", a point of view that can be expressed in a verbal, visual and written way. This point of view has to be clearly and consistently (not repetitively) communicated. It is the foundation for for a relationship with your customer. Before loyalty comes familiarity.
So, before you even start on a visual identity, you have to be able to answer a few questions about yourself; What is your character? What is the character of your audience? What are you trying to project? What is different about you and makes you stand out from the crowd? The answers to these questions make up your own individual character and help a designer (like me) come up with the identifying marks that will be shorthand for your brand. Could a logo that looks like a cake shop with bright play-doh colours be right for a serious financial institution? Maybe, if it's a challenger wanting to stand apart from the establishment by projecting optimism and cheerfulness. Getting the point of view and voice for your brand right is the first step on your brand journey.
A logo doesn't always need an icon; typography,colour and imagery also strongly project an identity. They all come together in a cohesive manner to create a strong visual representation of your company. Look at us for instance. We are Acumen Republic, our services and clients are diverse, we are both corporate and consumer, we do issues management, PR, research, events, design (we actually do quite a lot). Although that sounds like it could be confusing, what we are is simple - we are communicators. So we don't need a motif, we are a clear, clean, refined typeface, we are corporate deep blue, with a splash of green for our creativity. We wanted to communicate how easy it is to work with us and the multiple facets of our character, we are words people with a love of language, so what could be simpler than using ABC , the building blocks of language? We realised that each of our teams together can be a very different animal, and to tie this together, a picture book of Acumen was invented. Our mascot is the owl that everyone goes to for advice.
Projecting your brand image means doing a mental (or physical) audit of everything you create that touches a consumer, stakeholder, business partner, supplier, wholesaler, influencer...... from printed collateral, websites, advertising, brochures, promotions, sales material, trade shows, blogs, social media commentary, events, activations, sampling, speeches, EDMs, signage...... it doesn't mean you have to always feature the same image over and over again, that's just boring. The feeling, treatment of the imagery, or light in an image across every element can be cohesive, without being the same concept. You can tie things together with colour and typography, just make sure if you put one piece next to another, they belong together, don't project a different voice. No one wants their brand to feel like it has a split personality. Once you know your character, the rest just falls into place.
Every powerful brand has a strong visual representation, easily identified by its target audience. This recognition breeds preference and loyalty. So interrogate your character, invest in your look as much as your name, strengthen connections between your brand and customers, and if you are having trouble, need a refresh, a voice, or an identity, just email us!
Claudia Wafer
Senior Designer, Acumen Republic
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