Branding Readability

To many, the visual aspects of a brand--a brand identity, or style--is what is thought of when the word brand is mentioned. With this in mind, it is interesting how often designers create identities that are unreadable. Now, I don't mean that the brand is unreadable due to poor grammar! Rather, this is due to strictly visual reasons, the sort that designers should be aware of as professionals. It is amazing how often this happens. Let's visit a few reasons identities are unreadable:

1. Font. There is a reason why Helvetica is probably the most used typeface--it is easily read. It can be reduced to a teeny tiny size and is still readable. Some of us are sick of Helvetica, and seek alternatives, and get into trouble. It is important to select a font that is truly readable at a distance. Ask someone that wears glasses to try to read it--is it overly difficult for them at a large size? Sometimes, designers argue: "This design isn't for older people anyway!" I wonder what those older people do when they can't read the packaging on a gift they want to buy for their neice or grand-daughter?...they have the onerous task of delaying their purchase due to their inability to read the text. How is that a good introduction to that product and brand? It is not good, yet remains in the hands of designers making type decisions.

2. Color. Some colors are difficult to read at any size. Try yellow or some shades of orange. for example. Light blue falls in this category too. The background color complicates matters. There is nothing like red text on a blue background--a visually vibrating mess of a combination.

The essential thing to remember with color is to make selections that are appropriate for the size and background where it appears. The best way to check is to print out a copy--on your computer monitor, it will probably be more defined and easier to read.

3. Location. Sometimes the items identifying a brand are located in a strange place or on a complicated pattern making it unreadable because the reader can't find it! Use conventional places to use text in packaging, among other design peices. There are other opportunities for creativity. If you are using photographs, illustrations, or patterned backgrounds, thoroughly test your design to make sure the text is easily read.

Showering Skies

One of the best ways to make your brand work is to harness what are called key differentiators from your competitors. If you are successful at this, customers will choose your products or services because your company provides something the others do not. In addition, these differences may be geared towards specific groups of people, called target markets.

A new company that is doing the differentiation dance well these days is Emirates, one of the fastest growing airlines in the world. Unlike other airlines, it has been profitable for over 20 years! If you are an investor, that is indeed a difference from airlines here in the States. Another difference is the level of luxury provided to first class guests: cabins like mini hotel rooms, complete with showers.

Seven Considerations for Your Brand During "The New Economy"

1. Enter the vacuum of opportunity. While others are running away from communication opportunities and expense, there is a void created—ready for you to fill and trumpet your brand’s existence and success.

2. Something is better than nothing. Deleting or minimizing communication sends a message that your organization is a casualty of the economy. Sad but true; many customers do not check to see if you are still in business because they are used to hearing from you, not reaching out to you.

3. Get more for your money. Advertising, printing, and other commodities are at lower prices these days. In other words, it is cheaper now to obtain customers than before using these communication channels.

4. Focus on your end result. Old-fashioned, ‘this is why we’re interesting and this is why we are good’ brand awareness, rather than tricky or avante-guard approaches will connect you to customers faster these days. Prepare for lower-cost, newly-formed competitors. Trump those nipping at your heels by communicating a brand with a solid track record of success.

5. Realize that hiring in-house communication assistance doesn’t save money. Studies in business journals attest to this. When you add together salary, taxes, benefits, and the portion of overhead assigned to each employee, this is far more expense than what you would pay an agency for your brand initiative.

6. Recognize the benefits of a small team. For a slightly higher price than a freelancer, you can hire portions of several skill sets from a small team. It is rare that a freelancer has project management, strategic insight, experience, technological acumen, design ability, and efficiency all in one person.

7. Create a current brand strategy. Recently, the world changed significantly. If your strategy was finalized before 2009 began, it is worth reviewing to see if it is still applicable.

This information will be released for the first time in person at a WIT event Basis is sponsoring tomorrow: Anna Post discusses etiquette in the modern work environment.

Branding During a Recession

When times are tough, marketing and communications usually experience the first cuts. Why? I really don't know. If anything, an organization should market more, but this is something you'd hear from practically any marketing professional and this is not my point. Sometimes branding exercises must still move forward, despite cutbacks and market conditions. How can an organization spend a little but get a lot?

There are some basic elements to a brand that, if leveraged properly, will get you far without undertaking a full-blown development project:

• Logo: At the very least, a logo that is a simple word treatment--graphics are not necessary, but something to use as your "stamp" is.
• Color palette/strategy: A basic color strategy is sometimes all a brand needs to help it stay consistent throughout its use.
• Message: Without a message crafted towards the target audience, a brand lacks direction and power.
• Image strategy: At some point, imagery (photos, illustrations, etc.) will come into play, so having a strategy, however basic, will help to maintain consistency.

A good way to save money is to hire someone to help you develop these and work with them and contribute as much as you are able. I know it sounds counter-intuitive to save money by paying someone, but often a professional branding expert can help you move through this exercise much quicker than on your own. Having the same person/agency work on everything is another good way to cut costs--packaging development almost always saves time and money.

Everything on top of these basic items can either be developed in-house or on an as-needed basis when funds become available. You will be surprised at what you can accomplish with this small toolbox of brand elements. Much like the 8-pack of Crayola crayons, it's all about how you use them that determines your result.

Branding Is Not for You

Attention brand and project managers: branding is NOT for you. Please allow me to explain.

Whether it is a company, a product, or nonprofit, a brand is not at its strongest when it is developed to suit your personal tastes. Like the color blue? Fantastic--go buy a blue car. That particular name sounds good to you? Use it for when your baby is born.

Too often, I see clients steer their branding in the direction of their own wants and desires for a number of reasons. Maybe they want to leave their own personal stamp on it. Maybe they just want something that they can look at and feel good. This is completely mistargeted.

A brand exists as a promise to your customers and should be made up of elements that resonate with their needs. One cannot expect those needs to be addressed when the brand is made up of the CEO's favorite aspects of the company along with his/her favorite colors. Logos, messages, colors, fonts, and all the components that make up a cohesive brand should all be developed with the target audience in mind and - guess what? - that might not be you.

The Dangers of the Corporate Blog

"Start a blog! Your site needs a blog to communicate to customers!"

That's a favorite suggestion among consultants and advice-givers these days. I think this is because many of us have been led to believe that starting and running a blog is as easy typing an email and that if you post it, they will come. Sorry optimists, but that just ain't the case.

A blog can be a powerful brand extension and marketing tool. But before you jump in feet first, consider these important items to remember:

• Before you do anything, does a blog even make sense for you? Is there a need to opine and open this channel to your audiences? If your only reason to start a blog is because it's the "thing to do," just stop right now and spend your time elsewhere.
• A blog is an extension of your brand, and as an extension, it should be consistent with every other marketing effort in look, content, tone, and presentation. Pick a topic that makes sense and one that you know you'll be able to write about over a long period of time.
• People usually do not just stumble upon a new blog. You will need some sort of promotional plan to generate traffic to your new site.
• Give your readers a reason to come back. Opinions, editorials, reviews, etc. are great because it's material they can't get elsewhere.
• Blogs are easy to operate, but that doesn't mean they don't require a time commitment. Make sure you are able to dedicate a portion of your schedule to writing articles.
• Make a decision to enable or disable the commenting on your articles. Remember, if you let people make comments, be prepared to police that material for vulgar or off-color comments.
• Finally, and I cannot stress this enough, DO NOT start a blog if you can't maintain a steady stream of posts. Nothing permanently sends a reader away like a blog that hasn't been updated in 3 months.

Blogs are a serious marketing tool, so treat them as such. They can be a great way to connect to your customers and constituents, but there are many common pitfalls that could turn your blog into a waste of time and effort.

You Are A Brand Ambassador

Presentation is critical because as an employee, you are a brand ambassador.

Body language, posture, what you say and how you say it—these are all extensions of your brand, like it or not. Every time you interact with another person with respect to your business or organization, you are representing the brand. Think about a time when you’ve dealt with some miserable sod at a store or restaurant. Kind of ruins the experience, doesn’t it? That’s the importance of being a good brand ambassador.

Being a brand ambassador is in the conversations you have at parties with new acquaintances who ask for your card or over the phone with potential clients. The way you talk about your job and organization should be consistent with the brand; if the brand is intellectual and high-end, so must you act; likewise, if the brand is young and fun. Imagine your impression of an executive from Chuck E. Cheese who droned on about the statistics of their token-based system in a droll, Ben Stein-esque voice.


Technically, you are a brand ambassador at every moment of the day, but I think it goes without saying that when you’re not at the office or at work functions you can relax and not worry about portraying the brand. But remember, when you’re out with your friends and laughing it up, you never know when you’ll meet that million-dollar client. Keep your ambassador face ready for deployment at a moment’s notice.

Written Branding - The Everyday

Guess what? Your brand extends into your writing as well. Documents, emails, memos—all of your communications reflect the brand.

Think about the way you write emails. Are you consistent with your colleagues in the way you discuss projects, industry terms, or other topics? Grammar, tone, and voice should all be a conscience, orchestrated exercise in consistency across your entire organization. How you decide this depends on your industry, but make sure that it has a direct correlation to core brand.

The same goes for any written business communication. Proposals, invoices, memos, and marketing materials should all sound like they are coming from the same source. An elegantly written brochure followed up by a sloppy and incomprehensible project proposal (or grant application) does not send a good message.

I think a lot of issues like this simply come from a lack of attention to detail. It is a very easy thing to gloss over, but if you can remember, it can make that little difference between someone choosing you or passing you by. Once again, just a reminder to be conscious of everything your company puts out into the world. It all matters to someone.

Written Branding - Taglines

When thinking of branding, most people only think of the visuals. But there is another side—the writing. A slogan or tagline is usually the first noticed form of written branding because it is marketed the most, usually alongside the logo.

With a proper tagline, the goal is get communicate a key brand takeaway in just a few words. Cliché or overused phrases like, “The best customer service in town,” is a poor choice. Everyone says that. Come up with many ideas and discuss them with others. Settle on something that says something important and unique about the brand.

More established taglines don’t always tell the customer about the company or product directly, but more how it will make you feel. A good example is McDonald’s “I’m lovin’ it,” slogan. It tells the customers that they are going to have a great experience. Energizer’s “Keep going” slogan ties directly to the iconic pink rabbit that never stops moving. It illustrates something about the products instead of just stating it.

Not every brand needs a tagline or slogan, so make sure it makes sense before you undertake the task of developing one. If you have mass-market approach, heavy customer contact, or other outreach marketing program, this could be a tactic that works for you.

Come back tomorrow to learn others ways that written branding matters.

Clarity though definition

Where does word brand come from?

It first appeared in the epic Beowulf around 1000 as bronde. Like many words the last e was dropped during the middle ages. It was the late 1500s before the a replaced the o.

Since the first recorded use of the word, brand has meant some result from fire, burning or marking. Branding was, and still is, a way to make other people know that something was yours and not theirs. Though not the most pleasant picture, think of a rancher using fire and iron to put his mark (his brand) on his livestock. That way even if they wandered away, the rancher could prove they were his property. In the most basic sense, fire in the country brough about this whole branding business.

The 20th century brought about the change from branding belongings to branding products and companies. The definition has changed from “this is mine and you can’t have it;” it has transformed to fit the society’s current needs. Now branding is about presenting your company and wanting others to be a part.

Branding, as defined by Webster

Branding as a basic concept is not hard to describe. Miriam-Webster says it pretty well, but breaks a rule from my fourth grade vocabulary class—defining a work with the same word:

brand•ing \ˈbran-diŋ\ : the promoting of a product or service by identifying it with a particular brand
brand \ˈbrand\ a: a class of goods identified by name as the product of a single firm or manufacturer b: a characteristic or distinctive kind

However, like any industry branding change and evolve. This blog will comment on recent trends, branding success and failures, the importance of a good brand, and ideas to help you apply this multifaceted process to your work.