The concepts behind brands

The first "concept" usually always originates from the initials of the name of the founders, children, wives (Adidas, Tommy Hilfiger, John Deere, Walt Disney), of some common or historical term, of the base of the composition of the product or service as well as of some passion of the entrepreneur (Google, Nike, Coca Cola, Starbucks). Still some originate from the family name and surname (Trump, Wal-Mart, and MacDonald’s). Certainly there are other variants and abbreviations, as an example of the own KV Tech, which I am co-founder and its symbol was inspired by a blue orange. On the one hand, it has no direct connection to its name except the real interest of the paradigm break: "being the same being different."

Many brands are not born knowing what they will become, so we see the changes from time to time that I mentioned above. Many are very radical, others change only a few details, almost imperceptible. Nowadays, conceiving something with a sense of purpose is much more important. The brand needs to be thought of in a global context. Today branding helps large and medium-sized companies to manage the mix of products and services with other brands of brands "mother", composing an umbrella where underwater launches "isolated" in the market. This definition is directly linked to the new concept or purpose created to reach a target audience. An example is Unilever which has the brands DOVE, OMO, REXONA, to name a few, in its branding.

The importance of the symbol / logo and colors of the marks

Some brands, just the symbol or logo speak for them, even Nike itself, like MacDonald’s, Apple among others. There are some, more specific to a restricted public that also only the symbol already identify them, like: Target, Tommy Hilfiger, HP, Mitsubishi, Toyota and etc.

The most interesting, however, in the context of the creation of each one, besides the study, meaning and motives of colors, subliminal messages and typographic presentation, is the standard and essence of the product and service they represent; many also, I believe, developed and improved after investments and financial leverage of companies. Some have been so simple that they surprise us. I cannot stop talking about Nike again, for example, created in 1971 by designer Carolyn Davidson, designed the same on a napkin and charged only $ 35 for the service. The trademark symbol, no matter how "correct" it sounds, is the representation of the wing on the statue of the Greek goddess of victory, and whose name is Nike. Certainly the goddess helped the brand to win the victory it deserves. I believe that some will only know this meaning, after reading this article. Again, it was necessary to explain.

7 Tips to Developing the Brand of Your Business!

1) The definitive choice of your brand or logo should be a well thought out definition, taken in good time. If you choose any design or logo, without power, without vitality can compromise the success of your business;

2) Trademarks and logos must be original, must stand out to attract the attention of customers , something that represents very well the products or services that it will name;

3) Starting from a personal idea and or being thought and developed by professionals, you need to know what you plan for the future, as this will be the image of your business while it lasts. Many adaptations or future exchanges can be more costly and negative, especially for the already consolidated market and public;

4) Always consider that your market and area of performance may exceed your expectations. Search if the name you chose has no negative connotation in the main foreign languages and can be easily pronounced without losing the phonetics you desire;

5) Since you will invest in a business, and the brand and logo will be your name and representation, because no longer do with high quality level, ultimately it is an investment that will be reflected in your future earnings;

6) make a visual identity manual of your brand and soon, with rules and standards, avoiding that it misses the basic characteristics in different applications, and may not be well recognized;

7) Make a study, even though basic, about branding, considering that your business will grow and will need to increase its portfolio of products and services.

WHAT IS BRAND REDESIGN?

In simple words, redesign means redesign - so a brand redesign is redesigning the brand / logo. What usually determines the need for redesign are changes in the market and / or in the very image of the company - or the blog, because as you already know, logo and visual identity are important also for blogs and websites, not just for companies.

Changes in the market: design trends, styles that were already high but are currently considered outdated, etc.

Image of the company or the blog: changes in the target audience, need for a new position in the market, etc.

HOW IMPORTANT IS REDESIGN?

If your image is not tailored to your target audience, if your current logo gets the idea that your company is outdated or that your blog has been stuck in time, if your target has changed then you need to update your image .

If your brand talks to the wrong audience or conveys the image of an outdated brand, you are sure to lose customers or readers and you will have serious difficulties in keeping your company's doors open or discouraged to continue with your blog. You do not want to put your business in a bad financial position or abandon your site, right?

WHEN TO REDESIGN AND WHEN IS IT BETTER TO CREATE A BRAND NEW LOGO?

It depends on the motivation for the redesign. The points you should consider to identify the best option: Is your company or your blog still the same company or the same blog, even though they currently have some new services / products / content? Do you still need to talk to the same audience or is your target completely different now? Comparing the beginning of your company or blog by now, would you say that it is a company or blog so different from the beginning that neither it seems more the same company or the same blog? Does your company still provide the same services / sell the same products, your blog still addresses the same content niche, the target audience remains the same but you cannot make your website or company "take off"?

If your company has changed its niche , it no longer provides the same services, no longer sells the same products, or even if it still does all of that, but has completely changed the target audience , your best option may be to create a new logo , From scratch. If your blog or company still has the same proposal and target, but cannot grow, does not win many loyal customers / readers, it is also important to seriously consider the possibility of a brand new logo and visual identity.

But if the need came from the current design trends , for example, it is possible to "just" (not that it is not easy or easy) to update the existing logo: clean it, use a more current font, formats that allow Better printing, etc. Design Blog has a great post with five ways to improve a logo - leave this work for a designer, but find out what it is , the more you know about it, the better your briefing will be .

In some cases redesigning the logo can be more complicated than creating a brand new logo. In the case of well-established and globally known brands such as Coca-Cola, care must be taken to ensure that the brand personality is not lost in the redesign process.