Brand Corporate Identity - Project 1

 28.08.2020 - 11.09.2020  (Week 1 - Week 3)
Jenani (0334331)
Project 1 ~ Breaking Brand ~

Brand Corporate Identity

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LECTURES

Lecture 1

For the first class, we were given introduction as to what we would be expecting for the module. All lecture videos were given ahead of time for us to watch them to our own convenience. The first lecture gave us an introduction as to what Brand Corporate Identity is. It is a very important aspect of the graphic design discipline as it zeroes in on the visual elements or in other words identity of any brand. Branding in general is an imperative area of graphic design and it plays an important role inn marketing, businesses and the community. 

We will learn to create a mark, moving on to a word mark, followed by the collaterals and the entire visual identity for a brand of our choice. 

Lecture 2

In this lecture we studied the origins of the word brand and what it meant historically. Branding in the 21st century is largely about taking ownership not just for property/products and it is a mental construct shared by society about a product, service, organisation or a person. 

With the construct of a good branding, a company, or service will be able to stand out in a saturated market, inviting customer loyalty, attracting ideal client or audience so on and so forth. It is the role of the designer to bring the brand to life. 

Lecture 3

There are many different types of logo as it refers to the brand mark. A logotype - the word 'type' hinting to its meaning- is a logo that is features the name of the brand whereas a logomark -note on the word 'mark'- centres around the icon or symbol of the brand. 

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INSTRUCTIONS 

For our first project we were required to Select an existing brand, preferably a large brand that has a regional or international presence for the purpose of analysis. Breaking brand essentially requires us to deconstruct a brand. To help us in this task and outline or framework was provided.

Below are the parts in which I was supposed to research:

This is the completed sections of our compiled data, with minimal finalisation. 

Below is my first attempt of doing the Brand Profile for IKEA. I made the mistake of making it into spreads, not understanding the correct function and purpose of a Brand Profile. 

Below is my completed corrected Brand Profile for IKEA: 

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FEEDBACK

Week 1 Specific Feedback: 1. - General Feedback: 1. Do not embedd the pdf of the Brand Guidelines in the blog due to copyright issues. 2. Be concise and precise when writing the Breaking Brand. Week 2 Specific Feedback 1. The Brand Profile (not the expanded) has to be concise and directly to the point. Read, understand then summarise it.

General Feedback 1. Keep asking yourself what are you learning. 2. Always have the mindset that it is a real client's job.

Week 3

Specific Feedback: 

I should not do it as spreads, it needs to be used as a referral for other graphic designers to understand the brand overview and for them to build an identity based on that. 

General Feedback: 

1. Submissions should be done individually. 

2. All titles should be accurate according to the MIB. 

3. The final submissions should be in a PDF file. 

4. Start working on project 2 by answering the questions given by Mr Vinod and do the brief brand profile while doing the 2 logos per day analysis and start idea sketches.

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REFLECTION

Experiences

The semester has just begun, and though I am feeling a little lost, not gonna lie, I am still looking forward towards the rest of the module. 

Observation

I notice myself really liking the study of brands and the strategic thinking that goes into creating a brand overview. Something new, but a little refreshing.   

Findings

It has just begin and I am already finding my self starting to get overwhelmed by how much I am learning. I love it, dont get me wrong, but I am beginning to doubt myself if I am cut out for this. Nevertheless, I am determined to make it work.

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FURTHER READING

The book that I read is The Brand Gap by Marty Neumeier. Below are just some of the pages from the book and my understanding / interpretation of it: 

As people have time again repeated Marty Neumeier's words on what a brand is, it is essentially how the masses or the society perceives and 'feels' about your service or product. Though much importance is placed one its visual identity, it is what the visual identity creates amongst the people how they feel. Branding goes beyond the visual identity such as the logo, colors etc but also about the brands value, messaging and people who are emotional beings, more often than not ruled by instinct will be able to sense what you stand for as a brand through your branding.  

So, here Marty Neumeier, states that the main purpose if branding is to get more people to buy more stuff for more years at a higher price. Meaning, your branding should be able to create a loyalty amongst your customers. I also feel that when designing the brand overview and identity this should be kept in mind. The purpose of branding isn't to look good, but that particular design has to be able resonate with the audience, customers and persuade them to buy your product or service. Thus, it is important to have a good understanding and resonate at the same understanding of the brands ideal client and audience before designing a brand. Bridging the logical aspect of brand strategy with the emotional aspect of brand identity design forms a wholesome quality brand that will resonate with its customers. Below are one of the 5 principles of brand building which is To Differentiate

Here, Marty states that we are always seeking to notice what is different. I understood that anything that blends in with the crowd will ultimately suffocate as the market is too saturated. Just like the image above, at one glance, we skim past everything and the eye lands on the black circle. Our attention will always fall on something that is different be it a good different or a bad different. (haha)

Marty then explains that to achieve a level of differentiation, clarity and focus is imperative. Unless we have compelling and solid answers to the questions above, we need more focus. Marty says that most common reason for loss of focus is poor brand extensions. Marty further explains this by giving an example of a focussed and unfocused brand.

FOCUSED 

PORSCHE = SPORTS CARS

UNFOCUSED 

PORSCHE = SPORTS CARS + SUV

I understood this statement as failing to niche down. By finding that niche market, we are able to pose ourselves as an expert in a field automatically becoming a premium brand rather than something that does everything without much clarity.