#13 Branding

30 June, 2022

Jun 27, 2022

Our parents and friends are really nice, they are good people, we know this for a fact because they have been nodding their heads, for the past 15 years we have been working on design, advertising, and branding, pretending to understand how it is we pretend to make money drawing rectangles.

Today we are aiming to return the favor by explaining what it is that we do and how or why we can make a living of it.

We will do the attempt with a little help, 5 great authors, and 5 great quotes.

1. Branding. What is it?

“A Brand is not a logo. A Brand is not a product or service. A Brand is a gut feeling. It's what others think and feel about you. BRANDING: The art of directing those feelings and ideas”
Marty Neumeier

Even if you think your business doesn't have a brand it likely does. It is not really up to you, that gut feeling Marty talks about is created in other people's minds, and doing our best to direct it, is the way to go.

2. Branding. Why does it matter?

“A brand is the most valuable piece of real estate in the world. A corner of someone’s mind”
John Hegarty

In an over-communicated world getting into someone's mind and heart it's challenging to say the least. Whatever you sell, someone else already does too. A brand should differentiate itself from others and serve as a shortcut to its audience. Good branding will help you sell. Sell more. Sell better and create an emotional connection between your brand and its audience, which will eventually lead to loyalty.

And trust is the ultimate shortcut to the decision to purchase.

3. Branding. How does it work?

“People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe”
Simon Sinek

People buy how the product or service makes them feel. Status, connection, feeling of belonging, emotion.

Sounds crazy?

Have you ever drank Perrier water? How much did you pay for it? Did the water still taste like water?

Perrier doesn't sell water, it sells being part of the exclusive club that can and is willing to pay 5 dollars for a water bottle. Starting with WHY it's good branding and good business, ask Perrier.

Thank you for reading Design makes us (un)happy. This post is public so feel free to share it.

“The relentless pursuit of mass will make you boring, because mass means average, it means the center of the curve, it requires you to offend no one and satisfy everyone.”
Seth Godin

Developing a good branding means your brand has to stand for something, not everything.

Just like mint is not for everyone, and some (like me) hate it, it gets to supermarket shelves every day. Your brand deserves and needs a personality, some will hate it just like I hate mint, sure, but some will love it and will support your business.

There is nothing safer than being risky, and nothing riskier than being the same as everyone else.

5. Branding. WTF do you really do?

“Branding is no longer just a tool of capitalism. Branding has become a profound manifestation of the human spirit. People aren’t interested in different anymore. They’re looking much more critically to see what organizations stand for”
Debbie Millmann