After 20,000 hours designing and creating brand design concepts. Here's how I create the best brand designs for the clients I work with. You can also implement these things in your own process.
BRANDING IS AN ADVANTAGE IN ALL MARKETS
Before I get into the goodies of designing. Let's talk about branding.
Branding is crucial for any business, as it sets the tone for how your audience perceives your company. It creates a strong identity and helps differentiate you from competitors. As a designer collaborating with a clients since 2009, I've learned that it's essential to understand this entire process to ensure a satisfying outcome.
The Discovery Stage in Design Process is Important to Execute
Discovery and Uncovering
A well-planned branding process begins with in-depth research and analysis, Which is done between you and the client. This is done through a discovery and uncovering stage between you and the client. You can also call this a specific type of brainstorming.
Including identifying archetypes, defining the brand personality, understanding consumers, and finally, creating visually appealing designs.
The Knowledge of Archetypes
Brand archetype represents the core personality of a brand and serves as a foundation for building a strong connection with your target audience. As a designer, it's necessary to work with your client to identify the right archetype that resonates with their business values and their vision.
This also serves as a point and source of inspiration. Although not every design needs to be symbolic or purely representational. You can choose design for the brand using abstract elements. BUT I believe this creates a disconnection somewhere in the process and loss of emotional value.
With Established Archetypes Come the Benefits
Once the archetype is identified, it's time to define the brand personality. This includes the brand's voice, tone, and characteristics. Well-defined personalities helps create a consistent and memorable brand experience for consumers.
Here’s an example.
Branding Design Pro is a Creative Sage design studio. It makes a lot of sense because the comprehensive approach I use working with each client takes them from point A to Y. I don't say Z because the client will need to still prepare a marketing plan and branding strategy for their first branding campaign.
Brand Archetypes for Branding Design
Being a Creative Sage
Comes with demonstrating imagination, creativity, innovative thought, knowledge, qualification, expertise, care, patience, leadership, and more.
You get the point. It's characteristics defining the business/company.
Conduct Market and Consumer Analysis
To create designs that will have a lasting impact, it's essential to understand your client's target audience. This involves analyzing their psychographics and demographics.
Psychographics vs Demographics
Define Psychographics
If you don't know of or have never heard of psychographics. They include consumers' motivations, values, and preferences, which all helps you as a designer create concepts that truly resonate with the target consumers.
This may include the type of quotes they like, the type of music they listen to, where do they spend their leisure time, are they into local sports. Hobbies... You get the point.
Define Demographics
Demographics, on the other hand, involve factors such as age, gender, income, and location. And understanding these aspects allows you to tailor the brand design to appeal to the right audience.
As a designer collaborating with a client, it's vital to grasp the importance of branding, the process, brand archetypes and personality, and consumer analysis. In order to create a successful and unforgettable brand design direction that will last for decades before anyone considers a brand update.
Now Let’s talk about the secrets of composition I use to create the best way possible for Branding Design Pro clients.
DESIGN ELEMENTS AND COMPOSITION
As a designer, it's vital to collaborate with your client to select the perfect color palette that reflects their brand identity and resonates with their target audience.
Colors and Shapes
Establishing an emotional connection through colors and shapes, along with other visual elements helps create a memorable brand experience and fosters customer loyalty.
Understanding Color Lead to Better Design
Brand Purpose and Design Elements
Strong brands effectively communicate their mission and purpose. As a designer you should work closely with clients to understand their core values and goals, which will guide them along design process. This is a source of inspiration that will spark ideas along the way.
Next, it's crucial to choose suitable design elements, like icons, illustrations, and patterns, that align with the brand's direction and purpose. These elements contribute to a cohesive and consistent visual aesthetics that will be instantly recognizable by viewers over time.
The ultimate goal is to create a memorable imprint in viewers mind when they think of a leading company in your market that they've experienced.
You will undoubtedly be the first one that comes to mind. They will talk about you without having to use too much brain power. Your name will easily come to the tip of their tongue, they'll be able to describe your logo without scratching their heads, and promote you naturally through word of mouth.
Client and Designer Collaboration Together Improve Branding Designs
Collaboration and Decision Making
Without collaboration with a client, you’re just dictating the process.
(Still Lead the Way, you’re the professional behind hired)
Collaborating effectively with the client is key to creating a successful brand design. This is where to minds are better than one become so apparent.
This involves open communication, understanding their vision, and incorporating their feedback throughout the process. They provide you input for the output that you produce creatively.
Thoughtful decision-making ensures that each design choice is intentional, aligning with the brand's goals and values. This collaborative approach leads to a well-informed and impactful design that works. It all makes sense in producing the powerful outcome the client desired from the very beginning.
Great Typography Can Help Branding
Typography, Shapes, and Composition
The use of typography and shapes are essential in creating a distinct visual identity. Designers should collaborate with clients to select the fonts and typefaces that complement the brand's personality and messaging.
Crafting visually balanced compositions involves arranging design elements in an aesthetically pleasing manner. This ensures a clear and engaging visual direction that will convey and communicate the brand's message.
Logo Design and Visual Presentation
What about the logo design for the brand? I didn't share too much about that did I?
The logo is the face of your brand, it's the banner, the symbol, the emblem that people will remember as the mark for your company. Which is why it is essential to create a timeless and memorable design. Designers should work closely with clients to craft a logo that embodies the brand's essence and that is adaptable across various platforms.
Developing a cohesive brand experience involves consistency in visual elements, messaging, and tone across all touchpoints. This reinforces brand recognition and creates a lasting impression on the audience over time.
Mockups and 3D Model Renders
Creating mockups are invaluable for testing designs in real-world scenarios, allowing the designer and clients to visualize how the final product will appear. This step enables tweaks and adjustments based on feedback, ensuring a polished and final design.
3D model renders can also provide an added layer of depth and realism, enhancing the brand's visual presentation. Specially in product-based businesses that need to stand out in their respected markets.
By incorporating 3D visualization in your presentations, you can create more immersive and engaging experiences for the audience.
Use 3D Renders and Mockups in Brand Design Presentations
FINAL THOUGHTS
As we wrap up this visual journey, we've covered some key aspects of brand design – from understanding your client's brand personality and audience to an emphasis on collaboration and creating visually engaging designs.
Knowing the concepts and insights we've covered in this video will enable you to create more elevated brand designs.
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