From design to profit through emotions

Is a brand necessary or not? Let’s consider this using the current situation as an example.

If you ask any entrepreneur or director: “What makes your brand better than others and how does it stand out?” Most will answer: quality, price, service. This is not entirely bad, but there is a paradox that 80% of companies provide better quality than the remaining 100%. However, as competition increases, the metrics mentioned above become basic.

In 2013, there were over 10,000,000 trademarks recorded worldwide. Now imagine your consumer, who, for example, is walking among bakery products, and you need to stand out among that vast array of goods so that they choose you.

Looking at the examples, one can conclude that everyone copies each other, which is why they all look similar. At the same time, consumers want emotional benefits: bright impressions, emotions, and pleasant sensations. In other words, people are willing to pay money for this experience.

Another example is the automotive industry:

Let’s consider another example. There are hundreds of brands in the world that produce the drink “Cola.” It seems that all of them sell the same drink, with the same taste and color.

The association with those “Cola” drinks will be linked to the fact that all these drinks are made by guys in rubber boots in factories around district centers.

Except for one “Coca-Cola,” which evokes warm feelings and emotions of upcoming holidays.

Research “Pepsi vs Coca-Cola”:

In a blind test, Pepsi outperformed Coca-Cola (Fig. 5).

At the same time, in an open test, Coca-Cola was preferred (Fig. 6).

In this example, we clearly see how a brand works:

To understand what value is, let’s look at an example. Under normal conditions:

But if we play differently, setting new conditions:

When purchasing any product, a person has a “thirst,” namely a thirst for emotions, to have something, etc.

How to create your brand?

Let’s consider the first stage of branding – visual.

Imagine that you want to create a company and are currently pondering what to name it. Ideally, the field of activity and the philosophy of your company should somehow be reflected in the name.

What to include in the name:

• the product or service;
• the price proposition;
• unique selling proposition.

When creating names, you should remember 3 basics:

The most common mistake is unclear spelling and pronunciation. Recommendations:

• use words in the local language;
• use a very well-known word from the English lexicon.

The goal of design

Now we will consider the main mistakes in logo development.

In design, there is an illusion that it must be beautiful. But this is just one of the factors! In fact, it is more accurate to think that design should fulfill the tasks we want to address with it.

If we talk about a logo, we need to set the task correctly. Example: a logo for a coffee shop. First of all, it should solve the task of being visually understandable, namely showing that the company is engaged in selling coffee.

Main rules for logo development

• Is the name of your company easily readable? The priority is a readable font, not a beautiful one.

• Can the logo indicate the price of your product? The client should understand which price segment you are working in.

• Your universal logo? It may look great on screen, but if you transfer it to a sign, something might go wrong. So when designing, ask your designer for projections of your logo on different media.

• How original and recognizable is your logo? Don’t be afraid to stand out! You should do this from various aspects, from color to shape.

• Is the logo legible at a small size? A lot of details is not always a good solution.

Corporate Identity

Let’s start with an interesting fact. Myth: A logo is a brand. Truth: A logo is the beginning of your corporate identity.

Corporate identity (CI) is a system of visual identification for your company. The goal is to visually distinguish you from competitors.

The foundation of CI:

• logo;
• corporate colors;
• corporate fonts.

Additional elements:

• business cards;
• envelopes;
• letterheads;
• folders;
• other media.

Why is it necessary to develop other elements of corporate identity?

Corporate identity should evoke emotions and be associated with your brand.

Children’s theme. Bright color solutions, rounded shapes, smooth fonts.

Banking sector – strict fonts, restrained palette, minimalism.

Essentially, corporate identity is all the design that your client encounters:

• corporate side: a combination of logo, slogan, postal address, bank details, contacts;
• image of the company (communicator): a person and/or character;
• brand voice;
• multimedia presentations;
• website.

When should you create a corporate identity?

• from the moment the company is formed;
• already after the company has firmly established itself.

Establish the basics: logo, fonts, and colors.

Characters (mascots) are an effective tool for content marketing. They work even better than logos because they are alive.

Advantages of developing a mascot:

• stand out among competitors;
• activate the emotional factor;
• increase customer engagement;
• find fresh solutions for communication;
• the character can teach, give advice, answer calls, get into funny situations.

The character should have:

• character;
• your way;
• habits;
• speech manner.

To summarize. Overall, brand style influences the final choice of the consumer because it helps create a recognizable and attractive brand image, which can affect the emotional perception of the consumer and ultimately their decision to purchase a product or service.

To dive deeper into the topic, you have the opportunity to check out the video presentation with answers to questions.