Corbet Curfman

Brand Strategy & Sustainable Graphic Design
Bainbridge Island, Washington

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Paint a picture with your brand

You have taken the big step and created your brand promise or brand positioning statement. Now you have to start communicating it. Part of this is taking that brand concept and communicating it through imagery.

Written Apr 23, 2009, read 1646 times since then.

How do you translate your brand into the right image for your company?

As an entrepreneurial you have answered the basic questions for your company in establishing your brand:
What business you are in
Who your customers are
What products you are selling
What differentiates you in your marketplace
What value you bring
Why someone should care

You might have taken the big step and created your brand promise or brand positioning statement. Now what do you do with it? You have to start communicating it. You need to put together the materials that will represent your business. Part of this is taking that brand concept and communicating it through imagery.

This begins with your logo and is followed by photography or illustration, graphical elements (lines, shapes, patterns, etc…), colors and fonts. All of these elements will be used to translate your brand into marketing communications like websites and business collateral. Hopefully, you are hiring a graphic designer that has the right experience and skill to develop your company’s visual brand.

The graphic designer’s job is to communicate answers to questions like: who made this? Who owns this? What is it? What makes it special? They also have to communicate the emotional aspects of your brand. On top of this, the designer must make your brand appealing to your business’ target audience. After all, if your potential customer does not like your image, then how far will you get? That is a tall order for a logo that might not appear bigger than one inch square on a business card or website. Here is some information that you can provide the designer to lead to a successful end result.

Attributes – describe your brand with personality traits. If you saw your brand walking down the street what would it look like? Is it classic or contemporary? Flashy or cool?

Associations – play the association game. What people, places, things, metaphors or symbols come to your mind when you think about your brand? Is your brand Teddy Roosevelt or Bono? Zeus or King Kong?

Values – the rules that guide your company. How do you go about your business? Are you loyal, ethical, a team player or only in it for the money?

Tone – the approach you take in the professional world. How do you communicate with your clients? Are you serious, edgy or funny? Are you laid back or a social butterfly?

Create a list of each of these categories. Brainstorm and look at every possible angle. Then pull five descriptions out of each category. Put all of these elements together and you begin to paint a picture of your brand. Here is an example:

Kaleidoscope Office Galleries
Attributes – stylish, connecting, knowledgeable, hip, global
Associations – Miles Davis, harlequin, kaleidoscope, collage, Paris
Values – creativity, inspirational, egalitarian, collaborative, community
Tone – respectful, flexible, approachable, personable, meaningful

Once you have compiled these descriptions together you will need to take it one step farther and analyze it. What do you think of this picture? What would your target audience think? Your competition? Does this make you stand out? If you like the answers to these questions then you are ready to create the imagery for your brand. If your answers start to look confusing and contradictory you will need to change your approach. For instance, if you are a web developer and your tone is elementary. That might not be the right approach. Analyze your list and cross off the descriptions that might be industry standard like professional or quality. Take a look at the competition and see where elements on your list separate you from them. Look for descriptions that make you unique. Be sure you can back-up anything you say. Do not promote your brand with something unrealistic or impractical. That might get you noticed, but will backfire as soon as people experience your brand.

Now you have a refined description of your brand. This description combined with your business strategy will give the designer the whole picture. This picture is what your designer will work to create into graphics and imagery. The clearer the vision for your company is, the more potent your brand’s imagery can be. There are people and businesses out there looking for your company. The problem is they will not know it till they see it. Make sure you paint the right picture for them to see.

Learn more about the author, Corbet Curfman.

Posted by Ken Peters, Phoenix, Arizona | Apr 23, 2009

Corbet

Developing your own visual identity is one of the most fun and exciting aspects of owning a business – and one of the most overwhelming. You've done a great job of providing people with a manageable and creative approach to the process.

Perhaps I'm biased, but my most favorite line in your article was...

"Hopefully, you are hiring a graphic designer that has the right experience and skill to develop your company’s visual brand."

Joking aside, that is great advice that should not be ignored!

Ken Peters | Nocturnal Graphic Design Studio

Nocturnal Branding Studio
Posted by Corbet Curfman, Bainbridge Island, Washington | Apr 23, 2009

Thank you Ken. Thank you for also touching on a important element of this. It can be fun to go through this process and very creative.
Posted by Kirk Davis, Bellevue, Washington | Apr 24, 2009

Corbet,

I appreciate you article. I am always trying to get a better understanding what branding is and how to make it useful to my clients. I appreciate your point about creating a clear vision and giving your designer the whole picture to work from. Thanks for giving me some specific questions to make the vision more clear and defined.

After reading your article I was reminded of something I had read from Steve MacDonald. I was fortunate to find the quote:

"Brands guide every decision and action in a company whether that is around marketing, product development, customer service or hiring. Think of it this way. Your brand’s promise to customers is the answer to one simple question, “What’s in it for me?” Thus, how you deliver products, what you say in marketing, who you hire to represent your business, how customers are treated, etc. are all critical factors in delivering against that promise. The brand is the rudder for your company that ensures that you aren’t just working hard at your company, but your company, your marketing, and your employees are all working hard for you."

I wanted to ask you and the other branding experts reading this article, is branding more than just the big ideas that govern the messaging and appearance of your business? I am struggling with a practical way to explain and encourage my small business clients to invest in branding. I appreciate any help.
Posted by Ken Peters, Phoenix, Arizona | Apr 24, 2009

Kirk,

Branding is an obtuse, overused, and too often misused term. Corbet has set forth some great thoughts above. Here's my direct take on your question...

You don't determine your brand, your customers do. They own it – in their hearts and minds. Your brand is what they say it is.

Their perception of your brand is based on the experiences they have interacting with your business across every touchpoint. Design engineers, and enriches that consumer experience.

Design shapes the relationship between your brand and your customer by creating desire, influencing behavior, and forming lasting emotional bonds. That’s how design adds value, not just visual – and engenders loyalty that commands a premium for your brand, and ultimately enhances your bottom line.

Your products and services matter... when consumers decide they matter. If you don't connect with consumers emotionally, you're roadkill. Innovative design, grounded in smart strategic thinking, will give you an unfair advantage over your competition by communicating the authentic relevance your brand has in peoples lives. When consumers decide you are relevant in their lives, the world is yours to lose.

That's essentially the message we're putting into the text of our web site redesign :)

Ken Peters | Nocturnal Graphic Design Studio

Nocturnal Branding Studio
Posted by Pamela Ziemann, Bellevue, Washington | Apr 24, 2009

Excellent structure Corbet. Thanks for sharing.

At the Say More with Less event, we explored metaphors. Amazing how we can really sum up our business with rich texture in a short amount of time.

I enjoyed your viewpoints, examples and writing style. Looking forward to your next article.
Posted by Corbet Curfman, Bainbridge Island, Washington | Apr 24, 2009

Kirk, Thank you for putting that question out there. I think Ken answered it very well and I would only add to it. "Your brand is what they say it is." You have a brand whether you like it or not. So by not working on your brand and developing it, you are making a conscious decision about your brand. If you are a professional organization and choose not to have a professional look and feel to your company, what message are you putting out there? That decision will effect how people perceive your brand. Perception + Behavior = Reality.

So like Steve said in the quote, it is all the components of your company and all the ways that you communicate and interact that create your brand. In the end you can only influence this not ultimately determine it. It comes down to how individuals react and their perception. Sometimes your opportunity to showcase your company's brand is only seconds. Don't you want to maximize that opportunity?

Designers, brand strategists, copy writers, pr specialists and marketers can bring the clients to your door by communicating what your business is. Ultimately, you have to close the sale by doing exactly what you say you will do. That's the brand promise. If you keep your promise you create trust and longer term relationships.
Posted by Corbet Curfman, Bainbridge Island, Washington | Apr 24, 2009

I'm glad you enjoyed the article Pamela. Metaphors and symbols are an amazing communication tool.
Posted by Ken Peters, Phoenix, Arizona | Apr 24, 2009

Corbet,

I couldn't agree more with your response to Kirk. Well put.

Ken Peters | Nocturnal Graphic Design Studio

Nocturnal Branding Studio
Posted by Jeff Barlow, Seattle, Washington | Apr 27, 2009

Great article Corbet. You've done a great job of clarifying the "B" word. And there have been some great comments added to bring the subject to life even more. I have to say that I agree with everything that has been said, only more so.

The brand does exist in the customers mind.

It also exists in the company's products and behavior.

So it's important to look deeply at yourself if you're trying to paint your brand picture, but it's also valuable to ask the tough questions to two or three of your favorite customers. Their outside perspective might tell you things that you aren't able to tell yourself.
Posted by Corbet Curfman, Bainbridge Island, Washington | Apr 28, 2009

Great point Jeff. Thank you for the insight. A little perspective can't hurt and can surely help.
Posted by Michael Rodak, Seattle, Washington | Apr 28, 2009

Thanks for the article. I like your wide view that a "brand" is much more than a pretty logo. Presenting the entire enterprise is key to success. I sometimes lose sight of that, thinking my work speaks for itself. Your perspective is a great reminder that everything counts.
Posted by Kate Phillips, Seattle, Washington | May 09, 2009

Great discussion on "Brand." One of those confusing words, because while "Coke" is a "Brand" of soda, the Brand of Coke lives in customer's mind, influenced but not controlled by the company called Coke.

I know Steve M likes to point out the failure of "New Coke," which is a great example of when a company misunderstands their own brand and tries to steer it in a direction that isn't consistent with how the customers define it.
Posted by Corbet Curfman, Bainbridge Island, Washington | May 11, 2009

Thanks Kate and Michael for your comments. I think the first step to any great company is realizing how to get feedback about their brand. That is the key to understanding how they can steer and influence their brand.