Branding x Design: understand how big a difference it can be

For the last few years, there has been an enormous misunderstanding when it comes to these two very important concepts: Branding and design. Such misunderstanding seems to be based on the wrong idea that Branding and design are rivals and therefore can act as a substitute for one another. Far from the truth, we are talking about things that should go hand-in-hand as they complement each other. We have prepared this article, to finally answer a few questions: what is Branding, what is design and how these two can complement each other. Check it out!

What is Branding?

Very few assets are as important to a company, be it small, medium sized or big, than its brand. Branding is precisely the art of managing this asset. Naturally, the process can be very complex and goes well beyond the creation of a good looking logo: we are talking about market research, strategic directives and the building of a brand positioning that will define the brand’s personality. Such personality will be broadcast through every contact point the brand has, which translates to each opportunity the brand has to express its identity e positioning to its stakeholders. Every contact point creates a unique brand experience, such as visual identity, logo, packaging, design, communication, customer relationship, website, work force, products/services, price tag and much more. Branding is therefore, an ongoing managing model for the brand that seeks to create a sense of identity, differentiation and value for its clients, partners and shareholders.

What is design?

Design is a broad concept that includes various activities related to each other such as architecture (Environments Design), all the way to industrial design (product design) and even something purely visual (graphic design). However, what they have in common is the need to make a product that is adequate in form, appearance and functionality to its brand.

How can Branding and Design work together?

As we talked about at the beginning, Branding and design are not rivals, but partners. In general, we can say that design is an important process in order to materialize many actions proposed by Branding. To make it clearer, we’re going to give you an example. Let’s say that your company is in the homemade cakes business and after extensive research you found out that the brand for your shop has to express to your customers, concepts like having a good diet, nostalgia for a time when they ate at their grandma’s house or even the perception of having a fair price. Through a Branding professional guidance, a designer will be able to create a project that shares the brand essence, the values and feelings associated with it and then be able to highlight its positioning in an effective way be it by creating a brand logo, product packaging or even furniture for the store. Design is an important part of Branding and a key component to every company that wants to be viewed in a unique way by the market and the consumers. However, design by itself can be shallow if done only for appearances sake. It will lose value e can compromise in a meaningful way the results of the company if not in line with the brand’s directive. It would be like building a beautiful house on a swamp. What we strive to achieve as a Branding consultancy is to create strategic value in order to facilitate the process of design so that it can recreate the whole brand universe, in a fluid and correct manner based on what it truly is, generating good financial results to the business.

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