Nicholas Mitchell
Graphic Design
Buildings age and become dilapidated
Machines wear out
People die
But what live on are Brands
Definition
Branding, what is it? What does it do? How important is it? The term branding has such a wide meaning. It is a term that identifies a company name or product. This is shown through the design of the name, imagery or even a term. Brands have always helped us identify a company’s product from rival companies selling similar products. Creating and building a brand over a period of time can progress into a reliable relationship with the consumer. This creates a sense of trust and reliability, which can take years but throughout the world many brands have had, and still do, such relationships with the public. A company can spend thousands of pounds promoting their product or service. The aim is to have a brand that is instantly recognizable even without the company name present. This can work in favour for the company or can work against it depending on how successful the marketing has been produced for it. “In the ‘great tree of brands,’ a successful brand is one that dominates an emerging branch and then becomes increasingly successful as the branch itself expands to block the sunlight from nearby branches.” (Ries, 2005).
History
“Branding, according to popular marketing mythology, began with the great ranch-owners and cattlemen in the Wild West. They would literally ‘brand’ their cattle, communicating a clear message to others, which said ‘hands off, this is mine’.” (Southgate, 1994). It became the person’s trademark, an icon of who they were and what they did. If one of their livestock went missing, they could easily be recognized by the symbol put onto their body. This even worked further back in our history when ancient tribes people would mark their bodies to symbolize what tribe they were as well as their personal standing within the tribe, their social status and leadership. An art that is still carried on today with individuals branding themselves with tattoos of their very own style.
In the earliest form, a brand mark defined quality, a mark that differentiated a quality product from other similar products. Branding as a marketing tool has nowadays come to have completely the opposite purpose. It says ‘hands on, this is for you’.
During the early years of the last century in the factories manufacturing major products and services there was one particular area that became so phenomenal that it became one of the biggest movements in human history. Transportation, and branding took off in car manufacturing, cars are so much more than just a means of transportation. In our society, they have been transformed into symbols of specific lifestyles and even specific human personalities. This can reveal the owner’s lifestyle, status, employment, hopes and dreams. As a result, it is no surprise that car brand names carry significant value, placing the industry close to luxury brands and perfumes in terms of the importance of intangible aspects of a product or company.
In the beginning of the last century, at a time when mass production ruled and branding was far less common and well known than it is today, many of the manufacturers were building their brand identity, showing the world what their cars stood for. “From the four rings of Audi to the coined word Lexus, the mythical heroes of Ferrari and the direct communication of Jaguar, behind each logo and name there is a history and a reason for its existence”. (Kavounis, 2002). A history which proves that for generations automobile makers have recognized the power, strenght and importance of their products to go much further than mere functionality and become a symbolic and meanigful expression within our current society. It is outstanding justhow important branding is in society, it is amost impossible to imagine a world without it in this current day and age “it is not unusual to hear branding and the related black art of spindoctoring described as the new religion” (Hayward, 2001). This quote describes just how big branding is in our modern culture.
Branding cattle to help identify who they belonged to.
Design Practice
Branding is everywhere. No matter where you look, whether on the high street or on the internet you will see branding. It is one of the most important subjects within design. When designing a brand, we as designers have to think of: who is the target audience? How is it relevant to the current subject? Does it imply what it is selling? We don’t just think about how it looks, what colours and what font a brand will have, they come later. It is how we apply the company, individual or product to the brand, how will it stand out? How can it sell?
The power of brands has affected the absorption of successful brand names into everyday appliances: Hoover has become a noun for any brand of vacuum cleaner. People have even branded themselves into our culture. These are the well-known celebrities that we use as inspiration for style and personality. David Bechkam, who over the years has put his name onto clothing and body fragrance, which therefore makes him a brand name. He has also become such a popular name that having him as a face or the name of a brand such as Pepsi is making him part of the brand, and even in film can cause a helping hand in creating the brand, (Bend it Like Beckham). Also consider “Madonna, who has been packaged, branded and rebranded throughout her career”. (Mono, 2004). This has sustained a momentum that has cemented her position as one of the most successful female artists of all time. It has even been passed on to her daughter, who with the help of her mother has influenced the design of her very own fashion range, and has now begun the path to branding herself also, but we still may always know her as the daughter of Madonna and this may become her brand instead. Fashion is a big place to brand not only a product or service, but us as the individual can brand ourselves.
“The increased use of text in identity design takes several forms. A designer may choose to create a word mark, but also include the mission statement or tag line in the design. Or, he may fill a shape or symbols with more words. People are busy; money is tight. Logos must be interpreted, and interpretation takes time. Words deliver their message immediately.” (Creative Review, 2009). This extract helps us understand that words and sayings within branding are of the utmost importance. A phrase can make or break a brand, the right use of wording can give off the wrong impression. McDonalds current phrase of “I’m lovin’ it`” works extremely well, it is aimed at the family market, we are a place where all ages can come to, and we give what we sell on the tin, cheap, fast and tasty food. The phrase has been ‘dumbed down’, it wouldn’t make any sense if it said I am Loving it. “I’m lovin it`” is catchy, it’s short, it makes sense, it goes with the very idea of what McDonalds is all about. Simple but effective, and this shows that proper research and marketing has been applied to this, to make it for the people, not the individual.
Four rings of the Audi brand.
References
Hayward, S., 2001. The Branding of Modern British Culture: Consumer Citizenship and the Age of Anxiety, J Design Hist [online] Available at
Kavounis, Y., 2002. Auto-branding: Beyond Trans-portation…to Trans-formation, Interbrand [online] Available at
Mono, 2004., Branding: From Brief to Finished Solution, Switzerland: RotoVision SA.
Ries, A & L., 2005. The Origin of Brands: How Product Evolution Creates Endless Possibilities for New Brands, New York: HarperCollins.
Southgate, P., 1995. Total Branding by Design, London: Kogan Page Ltd.
Unknown., 2009. Logo Loung: Trend Report 2009. Creative Review, June. p40.
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