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Rebranding- Elements that can be changed

Rebranding – changing a logo and elements of visual corporate imagery – can bring your organisation back into focus for customers and other stakeholders.

Consistent with the previous section, a shift in perceptions that represents real brand building is highly dependent on total organisational behaviour. However, changing the visual cues can give the organisation stronger visibility – especially in the crowded marketplace. That ‘shorthand recognition’ should immediately stimulate the positive perceptions that represent the total brand.

It is important that any vision for a corporate identity change must be broad enough that it leaves nothing and no one out; receptive enough that it considers all whom it may affect; and simple enough that no one is left with any questions.

Brand Name

In the case of your business name, it is intended to make the reasonably subtle but significant change to the company’s default brand trading name. That would appear to be relatively modest and a shift towards creating a more friendly, celebratory image. It should not meet much resistance but the company would do well to test the proposition, if it has not already done so (see Appendix 4 re the perils in such changes).

Brand Logo

Changing a logo involves more than just replacing one font by another. One should keep in the mind why the changes are needed, the stakeholders’ view, the potential impact and likely longevity of the new symbol.

Necessarily revamping a corporate image

When the image of the company has been tarnished, it is often necessary to revamp the good name and appearance by distancing itself from the negative images of the past (refer State Bank to BankSA and associated changes to visual corporate identity). Negativity damages image – the good reputation of the company or organisation – and it is sometimes necessary to make dramatic change to corporate identity. That is not the case in this assignment for

Marketing communications strategy

Many companies do not understand the importance of developing a strategy to support brand building by regular and consistent communication with its chosen target markets segments and key stakeholders.

Without a clear and supported plan it is impossible to define a company. The best results can be accomplished by investing time and money in cultivating a clearly developed, consistently applied and effective marketing communications strategy.

Although a new corporate identity should have some positive impact when employed in an organisation’s normal day-to-day operations, effective advertising and promotion helps gains the attention of the marketplace and is a major contributor to building a consistent brand.

Any campaign should also support – and be supported by – any change of imagery through a corporate identity revamp, especially a new logo. It will itself become a visual symbol of the goodwill that is the essential foundation for the organisation’s sustainable existence and sale of its products and services.

An effective campaign also will project and support any new logo as that shorthand recognition of the sponsoring organisation and its brand values.

January 28, 2015 admin Brand Identity, Branding, Branding Adelaide Comments Off

Is your logo your brand?

Despite the old adage “you can’t judge a book by its cover”, many buyers often do!

An organisation’s visual identity – the ‘corporate face’ it presents to the world – is tremendously influential in helping form impressions in the minds of existing clients and stakeholders, and potential new customers.

And, like a truly good book, if an organisation’s face is a good fit with the word of mouth created through the positive experiences of those who come into contact with it, a reputation – it’s ‘brand’ – is born.

Organisation’s logos or trademarks – recalling the hot-iron branding applied to cattle – and Levi’s jeans labels – are often mistaken for its ‘brand’. While the logo is a big contributor to brand image, the ‘brand’ is much more than that.

The organisation – like a book – is only as good as its content – how it performs and behaves towards customers and stakeholders. Its real ‘brand’ is formed in those impressions – what’s between the customers’ ears; what it believes about the organisation, its products and services. That reputation is the brand. But its ‘corporate identity’ – the impression it makes through its name, logo (trademark), slogan and every aspect of its visual identity, should be the springboard for its success. The way an organisation ‘looks’ should proclaim to the world its standards and values – an ambition to achieve excellence – especially in meeting, preferably exceeding, the needs and expectations of its targeted customers. Because people DO, at least initially, judge books by their covers!

How they feel after they have read the book will determine what they tell the rest of the world about it. People also judge – often misjudge – other people by the way they look, dress, speak and, of course, behave. First impressions are important. But, of course, it is our experience with others that creates longer-term impressions that determine the strength of our relationships.

In the case of organisations too, first impressions are often created by how they are perceived from their ‘shop window’. If those are positive and are then matched with experience, the lasting impression will be indelible. If corporate identity and service standards are consistently maintained – and occasionally professionally ‘refreshed’ – customer satisfaction will result and the organisations ‘brand’ will become its greatest asset.

Once established in the minds – and hearts – of consumers and stakeholders, the organisation’s logo and other aspects of its corporate identity become the ‘shorthand’ that instantly triggers memory of those positive experiences – the logo and the brand become synonymous and customer loyalty is reinforced and assured.

‘Playing’ with a visual identity for the sake of it, can be fraught with risk, as organisations like GAP and Royal Mail have found to their discomfit (see later). But meaningful change – based on a strong understanding of consumer perceptions and testing of the possible alternatives – can result in long-term benefits.

Gap re-brand logo failure.

Changing the visual cues projected by your organisation can achieve stronger visibility and engagement – especially in the crowded marketplace. That ‘shorthand recognition’ should immediately stimulate the positive perceptions that represent the total brand.

December 3, 2014 admin Branding, Logo design No comments yet

Why Your Business Needs a Logo Style Guide

We speak with so many businesses who have no idea why they need a logo style guide for their business, but they share their frustration with us about why their team can’t get their business branding right. Some usual problems are:

Font size and type
Distortion of logo
Logo placement
Colour usage

A style guide is a document that provides a set of guidelines for the design of your logo of all documents for a organisation/business, or a document that defines the rules in how your logo and other visual elements must be presented on all your marketing items.

So what’s usually inside?

Your logo/brand – and how it must be displayed
Tone and use of words relating to the brand
How it appears on different backgrounds
A list of situations that the logo and its symbols can and can’t be used
How small it can go
Spacing around it
Typographical elements
Set of colours you use (both for print & web)
Reproduction guidelines (for advertising agencies and printers)
The graphic elements that can be used for it

Is it Really Necessary?

This question is like asking if it’s possible to engage in online shop without a website or trying to make a video viral without buying youtube views.

Reasons why you need a logo style guide:

1. To enhance marketing and sales efforts so that effective use of the brand logo, design and expression generate a positive impact
2. To avoid physical distortions and deviations from the true design and character of your brand,
3. To remind people that behind the brand is a company that invites trust and confidence.

Companies hire third parties to help convey a strong and marketable message. A bunch of advertisers, design agencies, photographers and printers are put to the task for executing the company’s brand, its message and its core values. But there’s a strong chance that they do not fully understand the brand.

What happens? A glaring lack of respect for what the brand stands for – and sheer ignorance of the company’s vision.

When you buy a house, you build equity over time. It’s the same with your brand. Branding and positioning it the right way will build value. Your logo style guide will ensure that your brand earns the value it deserves.

Now if you’re a visual person like us, you might want to see what do they actually look like, so here are some examples (only snippets of the larger document):

Do you have a style guide for your business?

At DesignLab we develop style guides when creating your brand. Contact us if you would like to have a style guide for your business.

November 12, 2014 admin Branding, Logo design Comments Off

All posts tagged: brand

Rebranding- Elements that can be changed

Is your logo your brand?

Why Your Business Needs a Logo Style Guide

So what’s usually inside?

Is it Really Necessary?

Do you have a style guide for your business?

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