Evolving your brand from aspirational to iconic
The art of branding has never been more challenging than today within the global community. So how do you make a brand sparkle …. just a little, to stand out from the pack?
According to G Torto of KOTO design an Australian Design Agency - “All brand is - is a succinct articulation of their future - and a clear understanding of how you need to communicate that to customers and the wider world.” As the creative here, you’ve got to communicate a new value, a new way. Brands can loose sight of what and who they are amongst the larger competitive community. A good brand auditor can identify this problem and help adjust and assist, to accommodate the user’s needs. A brand must not only stand out but stand apart.
Ask yourself, as the creative with the responsibility of ‘helping’ your client - how do you make their future for their product /service, a reality?
What do I mean by future? not just it’s colors and type choices but from that moment forward, what should that brand choose to be?
As we all move forward, a brand will more forward also and evolve, therefore it will need to adapt - but how? One way is to have a brand audit.
Due to new markets, new audiences, new challenges, etc. your business will grow and expand. It will need to respond to these changes and evolve its story incorporating new and different consume’s choices. If you have a team who can help you understand: what to ask, what to review, how much time to spend on what, what/which should be prioritized …. then clear, concise, strategic decisions can be made.
We know that common marketing trends can be gleaned from analyzing and focusing on statistical data, etc. But, what good branding does is to sift through and cut down to its core the pure essence, both visually and verbally, the message and, how best to get it out there and to whom. This is usually done optimally by an experienced brand creative.
Businesses are often funded by venture capitalists (VC) who are a discerning group of professionals and often partake in the company’s marketing decisions.
Today those VCs, expect these companies to tighten their belts, but at the same time, maximize their resources. While they expect these obstacles to be met, they still require the same level and quality of brand expression.
Creative agencies are trying to find smarter ways to help these companies. Within budget, how do you maximize both the experience and skills necessary, yet still achieve the same excellent outcome?
Enter freelance - from my observations, I believe that this is why the freelance/contractual work space arena, has increased.
Brand is a nuanced concept. It is determined by the creative people who analyze it and who study it. The culmination of solving the brand’s expression, is what helps to create its new brand value.
Having a group of creative freelance/contractors to call on - such as; brand auditors, ID designers, web developers, illustrators, writers, various design specialists, … while also keeping a smaller, more cost effective but very capable, full-time staff number within the company, is an excellent option.
The value of an experienced brand specialist lies in their ability to conduct an assessment - whether it be pre-development, during development or post-launch - recommending certain assets or reviewing the creative team’s proposed direction.
The independent brand specialist also brings an independent eye that is not distracted by the myriad of details involved in various brand development; logo design, colour/type assets, website creation or redevelopment - giving the project new life.
— the brand auditor —