{"id":21934,"date":"2014-08-21T15:01:59","date_gmt":"2014-08-21T07:01:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/?p=21934"},"modified":"2021-08-23T18:06:06","modified_gmt":"2021-08-23T10:06:06","slug":"things-brand-must-have","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/things-brand-must-have\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Things Your Brand Must Have Besides A Logo"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lots of people, many designers included, think a \u201cbrand\u201d is just a nice looking logo. Wrong. So, so wrong, designers. A brand is about a lot more than simply a logo<\/a>, or a stationery set<\/a>, a cool t-shirt<\/a>, etc. As a branding creative director, I\u2019ve accumulated a bit of knowledge about what, exactly, goes into a successful brand<\/a> that users truly connect with.<\/p>\n

Today, I\u2019m going to take you through the 5 essential things I believe a brand needs other than a nice looking logo, <\/strong>which is also important, but it\u2019s also sort of a given, right?<\/p>\n

Recommended Reading: <\/strong>5 Tips To Better Brand Names<\/a><\/p>\n

1. A Mission<\/h2>\n

The brand you\u2019re designing has to have a reason for existing<\/strong>. If it doesn\u2019t, run far, far away from that project. A mission doesn\u2019t have to be anything especially complicated. It can be as simple as a dream or an ideal that the founder had to reach out to more people through their business, or perhaps they want to continue a family business started by a parent or grandparent.<\/p>\n

But, if the business owners have no motivation or guiding principles that inspire them to work hard on their business, how are they going to expect you, the designer, to do the same?<\/p>\n

Read Also: <\/strong>When Does Brand Design Actually Matter?<\/a><\/p>\n

Some entrepreneurs have lost the \u201cspark\u201d they once had, that motivation that made them start the business in the first place, and they are looking for outside help to try and get it back<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s all fine and good, but you usually don\u2019t want to be in a situation where you\u2019re the only one who\u2019s passionate<\/strong> about the business. What tends to happen is actually the opposite of what the client hopes: their \u201cmeh\u201d attitude will actually infect you too, and you\u2019ll soon be dreading going in to work every morning.<\/p>\n

2. A Target Market<\/h2>\n

You don\u2019t just create a branding strategy because you want some cool looking stationery. Your client\u2019s brand needs to have a target audience,<\/strong> people who get the main message and will respond positively to it. This legwork will likely already be done by the client, but not always. Sometimes, it will be your job to be market researcher as well as designer<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

How do you go about researching a target market? First, you have to know something about the industry<\/strong>. If you don\u2019t, now is a great time to familiarize yourself and do some rooting around. Talk to potential users of the product or service and get a feel for the kind of people they are<\/strong>. What are their likes and dislikes, their expectations when using a website, software, product, etc.<\/p>\n

Read Also: <\/strong>International Marketing \u2013 Why Cultural Awareness Is Important<\/a><\/p>\n

3. Something Of Value<\/h2>\n

Brands provide value<\/strong>. Usually, this value is of an emotional nature \u2013 making people feel happy, safe, secure, entertained, etc. The actual product itself may not be worth much, financially speaking, but there is a lot to be said about people\u2019s perception of a brand<\/a>. If a user believes that something has value, then it does<\/strong>. This is both a good thing for designers \u2013 and a bad thing.<\/p>\n

On the one hand, it means that you only need to come up with that one, great design<\/strong> that really connects with a large number of people and your reputation is basically set. On the other hand, it means that you need to be discerning about the exact kind of value you choose to provide<\/strong> your users.<\/p>\n

Read Also: <\/strong>How Inspirational Logos Can Affect Your Bottom Line<\/a><\/p>\n

4. Trust<\/h2>\n

More accurately: users have to Know, Like, and Trust your brand\u2019s message if they are going to continue to value it and support your client\u2019s business. These are the basic fundamentals of branding that every designer needs to be aware of. It\u2019s not just your client\u2019s responsibility; if you\u2019re going to build a niche and have only the best clients<\/a> on your roster, you have to become a mini-brand expert yourself.<\/p>\n

First, people need to know the brand exists. That\u2019s where marketing and spreading the word comes in. Next, if people don\u2019t like a particular brand, they aren\u2019t going to use it. This may be a matter of simple perception<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Read Also: <\/strong>5 Reasons Why Your Products Are Not Selling<\/a><\/p>\n

The bread on the bottom shelf may taste the same as the top shelf bread, but people are going to assign a lower value to it regardless. Or, it could be that they genuinely don\u2019t like the product or service. There\u2019s nothing you can do about that \u2013 no brand can please everyone, nor should they try.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Finally, if people don\u2019t trust the brand, then all the fancy logos in the world aren\u2019t going to fix the problem. This is more a problem with your client, and how well they convey trust,<\/strong> not only to their audience, but to everyone who works for them \u2013 including you. If you<\/em> don\u2019t trust them, there\u2019s no way users will<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

5. Genuine Communication<\/h2>\n

A brand needs to speak its target market\u2019s language. If it comes across as phony or artificial, people will pick up on it immediately, and the brand will be a source of ridicule. This is related to trust \u2013 people have to agree with your message<\/strong> and trust that you know what\u2019s best for them<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Nowhere is this more apparent than the social news site Reddit. The Reddit community is famously selective \u2013 not just anything<\/em> can make it onto its coveted front page. Many marketers have tried to crack the code, failing miserably because they don\u2019t understand how Reddit works and what Redditors value in a brand. Because Redditors have the power to \u201cdownvote\u201d posts, it creates a purely democratic experience that proves the sincerity of any marketing attempt<\/strong> and keeps brands honest<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

What Do You Think?<\/h2>\n

What else do brands need to have (other than a logo)? How important do you think it is for designers to have a solid understanding of brand creation?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lots of people, many designers included, think a \u201cbrand\u201d is just a nice looking logo. Wrong. So, so wrong, designers. A brand is about a lot more than simply a logo, or a stationery set, a cool t-shirt, etc. As a branding creative director, I\u2019ve accumulated a bit of knowledge about what, exactly, goes into…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":129,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3407],"tags":[1880,1767],"topic":[4523],"class_list":["entry-content","is-maxi"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n5 Things Your Brand Must Have Besides A Logo - Hongkiat<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Lots of people, many designers included, think a “brand” is just a nice looking logo. Wrong. So, so wrong, designers. 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