Semester Recap
Week 1: Language
Values, tone of voice, bio and stories, strategies
Basically, where everything comes from. It starts with communication, and language is the basic form of this. Beginning with words is the best way to begin a brand: everything that the audience will choose if it is relatable.
Week 2: Monograms and Lettermarks
Our first steps towards unique and identifying marks. The axes of how we balance those letters, and combine those letter-forms with case studies and axes.
Week 3: Typography
Using type, kerning, anatomy: we need to see an understanding of each of these topics. This is all about choosing type that is appropriate, and a refresher on characteristics and selection process.
Week 4: Visual Identity
Five elements of a unique brand informing the strategy.
Design programme, pictorial and abstract, drawing.
Week 5: Colour
Colour systems, psychology, culture, meanings to a certain audience.
Week 6: Application
Business cars, touchpoints, animations
Additional things you can apply your brand to.
Week 7: Brand Guidelines
Guidelines, Documents, Considerations and rules
What to create a rule for e.g. tone of voice, logo, colours chosen and colour values; what icons look like; appropriate illustration and photography
Week 8: Style Guides
Style guides, pattern libraries, element collages
Creating and setting rules for how things are presented
Week 9: Portfolio Websites
Planning, inspiration, standards, wireframes, Osborne checklist
Research Blogs
- Lecture summaries
- Independent Research
- Backup & Development Work
- Self-reflection
- Assigned Tasks
Beyond the Brand
- Brand
Brand is the number one indicator of value for a customer. Users develop emotional connections to brands that far supersede any alliance to features.
- Experience
The experience of your users is key to reinforcing brand perception because it connects your users’ emotional reaction. Experience encompasses everything from onboarding to social media presence to customer service.
- Product
Ironically the very last piece to your value proposition. Your product might simply do something ten times better than the products before it did. It might solve a problem that hasn’t been solved yet. Or it might address an untapped need in the market.
Brands (reputations) take time to build but areas to focus on are:
- Consistency – quality/tone of voice.
- Attention to detail – consider everything.
- Emotion – tell a good story.
- Experience – ways people ‘feel’ your brand.
- Reward loyalty – gestures and tokens.
Minor Task
Find three businesses you respect and study how they form emotional relationships with their customers.
Build a Bear
Use of language, warm and welcoming. Offers a memorable experience. When in store, the whole experience of being able to pick and stuff a bear, give them a heart, a wish and kiss, picking their scent and outfit. As well as naming them and having a mini birth certificate for them. Build a Bear really focuses on using their experience in stores to create an emotional connection to the bear you chose and to the brand itself.
Just Eat
Personalised emails, when you order from them enough, just eat sends you an email that says, ‘have your usual’. I think this a good way to connect with frequent customers, as it’s like personal ask. I feel like this would connect a customer emotionally to a brand as it’s a personal reach from them.
Blossom Beauty
This small business includes small free stickers and scrunchies with each order you place with them. I think this is another way to emotionally connect with your customers as it’s a little thank you from them to you, which again is a personal reach from them.
Major Task
One Step Beyond (for 3pm)
Design one additional touchpoint for your personal brand. This can be anything at all and the purpose of it is to promote an emotional response to your brand so design something that will attract attention. Do not just slap your logo on something, give it some thought.
For my touchpoint I designed a memory pen with my visual marque on it. I thought a physical gesture/gift is a great connection between you and a customer as who doesn’t like to receive a free gift. The memory pen showcases my visual marque without my name or any other branding, I think the design is still an easy connection to my brand but isn’t overbearing with my logo or name repeated over it. I also included quick background and mascot designs as extras.
Touchpoint Feedback
- Memory pen is bold and sufficient.
- Don’t over complicate things with mascot.
- Background works well with brand.
Summary/Self Reflection
I found it interesting learning about how brands connect to their customers emotionally, whether that’s through a physical gift, rewards system, thank you cards etc. I’m happy enough with the memory pen I designed, and the feedback received on it. I think it was a good task to get me involved and associated with working on stuff that’s not just the brand.