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Oxygin Design Studio
Unit 5, First floor
Vinnetrow Business Park
Vinnetrow Road
Chichester
PO20 1QH
Designing a brand identity - How to create a new brand from scratch
Design a brand identity in 9 easy steps
When a client approaches you to create a new brand identity for their product, service or event, things can seem a little bit daunting. Do not worry - all you need to do is apply all the skills you've built up in your design career in a slightly different way. To help you along, here are some expert tips on developing the perfect brand identity that will make both you and your client happy.
01. Strategise from the start
Before starting work on a new brand identity, draw up a brand strategy to form a set of values and a proposition upon which the client and you agree. If this doesn't happen at the start of a project, the client will have no benchmark against which to gauge whether the creative concepts are relevant.
02. Work with a brief
If design concepts are created without thorough briefing on the brand, then both creative and client end up relying too much on an intuitive idea of the solution, and accordingly run the risk of feedback being subjective. A brief that's drawn up from a clear brand strategy enables both parties to rationalise the design decisions.
03. Do your research
Understand the personality of the brand - its history, function and the ethos behind it all. Extract every aspect of who the client is and what the company's about, including the intended target market, how it wishes to be perceived, and formats and outlets for where it wishes to promote itself.
04. Gauge their expectations
It can be a valuable exercise to ask clients to do their own exploration into finding references for their branding: you'll soon see what they like, and - usefully - how broad their understanding of design is.
05. Check the competition
Look at the colours, typefaces and visual styles used by rivals, and then create something truly unique, positioned away from them all. Think of the varied uses, colours and sizes of your design. Then stand back and consider it with your client hat on.
06. Don't rely on the logo
While a logo is sometimes the linchpin that holds a brand identity together and makes it instantly recognisable, brands aren't built on logos alone. When creating a brand identity, don't focus on the separate elements. make sure you always consider the bigger picture and how all the smaller elements interact with one another.
07. Don't ignore the client
No matter how much experience you have, the client knows the product better than you ever will. Rushing in with a set of en vogue visuals might get you praise from your peers, but could be off-kilter with your client's expectations and what's best for the brand.
08. Exercise restraint
Understanding the client's needs is the first step to creating a great brand identity. By limiting colour palettes, details and typography, a simple identity can become timeless and move alongside the client's ever-changing visual landscape.
09. Spot what's special
If that 'something special' about the product or client isn't identified at the beginning, you'll be missing a massive opportunity to connect with the people you're creating the brand for, and the audience it must attract. Get this bit right and you're already halfway there; get it wrong and you'll end up with little to spur your imagination on.
This feature was originally published in Computer Arts issue 191.
Graphic Design
Graphic design, also sometimes known as communication design, is the art of planning and projecting ideas and experiences with visual and textual content. It may include images, words, graphics. The graphic design or a brand can be recognised in an instant or over a period of time. It can happen at any scale, from the design of a single postage stamp to a national bill board moving graphic, or from a company’s logo to content of a newspaper. It can also be for any purpose, whether commercial, educational, cultural, or political.
Graphic Design comes in many forms the easiest to recognise being a simple sign, so a road sign for example or signage on a building. For over a hundred years, designers have arranged type, form, and image on posters, advertisements, packages, and other printed material, as well as information visualisations and graphics for newspapers and magazines. Motion graphics are also in the graphic design bracket, such as for the opening credits of a movie or an online video. Commercial websites, exhibition displays, digital displays, brochure design to book design are all fall under the graphic design bracket.
Design a brand is where the designer brings value. Similarly, business brand items, such as a business card, sign, logo, or an advertisement are all expressions of design, how those are experienced together and over time is the design work. All parts of the brand identity have been created considering the each part and thinking through how a target customer will encounter and then develop a relationship with that brand.
Designers are also responsible for interactive designs where the content is fluid, sometimes changing minute to minute, as well as interfaces that help users navigate through complex digital experiences. Editorial design for web and mobile is the most tangible example of content-driven work in this area, including publication websites, mobile apps, and blogs. Some design involves the presentation of streaming information, also known as data visualisation. Other designers work on digital products, which are digital services or platforms that can be brought to market. Product design for web and mobile is related to software design. Sometimes different designers work on the user interface design (UI), which mostly refers to the individual layouts of pages, and the user experience design (UX), or the total experience of the user as they move through a website or app.
What is a Creative Director?
A creative director is a position often found within the graphic design, film, music, fashion, advertising, media or entertainment industries, but may be useful in other creative organisations such as web development and software development firms as well.
A creative director is a vital role in all of the arts and entertainment industries. In another sense, they can be seen as another element in any product development process. The creative director may also assume the roles of an art director, copywriter, or lead designer. The responsibilities of a creative director include leading the communication design, interactive design, and concept forward in any work assigned. For example, this responsibility is often seen in industries related to advertisement. The creative director is known to guide a team of employees with skills and experience related to graphic design, fine arts, motion graphics, and other creative industry fields. Some example works can include visual layout, brainstorming, and copy writing. Before one assumes the role of a creative director, one must have a preset of experience beforehand. Like anyone else, these types of artists start up from the very beginning in fields that can relate to motion graphics, advertisement in television, and/or book (or magazine) publishing.
Reference from www.wikipedia.org