Connor Adams

Media Literacy
Professor English
12/5/14
Elements of Brand Identity
When someone on the street is drinking out of a mug with a mermaid
on it, why do we immediately think: Starbucks? When we see large golden
arches on a street sign, why do we crave salty, greasy fries? Both Starbucks
and McDonalds are examples of corporations that established their brand
identity in a way that made them memorable, universal, and almost
impossible to get off our radar. Unbeknownst to most, corporations go
through a great amount of trial and error to promote a cohesive image of
their brand. Whether youre trying to appeal to a younger audience, a
wealthier audience or social activists; color choice, logo type, product
display, physical elements and more play an extremely large role in
establishing a connection with a perspective audience.
Without a doubt, the audiences portrayal of a brand can cause a
corporation to either float or sink. Corporations have to seriously consider
the color palette, mission statement, and visual style to achieve one goal:
differentiation. Differentiation looks to make a product more attractive by
contrasting its unique qualities with other competing products.1 Creativity,
sustainability and functionality are all elements that can make a brand
successful against its competitors through trial and error. A company should
focus on points of differentiation reflected through graphic style, program

application and meaning. After a need is determined for a different product

or service, the perspective brand must go through a design process:
First, the company must define the problem, envision the desired end state,
define the approach, and incite support and action. Next, the company must
seek insight, produce a prototype with possible solutions, delineate tough
choices, and enable their team. After the prototypes have been tested, the
company must choose the best solution, communicate and sell the solution
to their audience, and finally track their progress to learn about their
consumers.2 Although it seems simple, the design process can be pricey and
take up a great deal of time. Failure is unavoidable, however it is important
that a company fails fast during the prototype phase instead of later on.
On any given computer desktop, it wouldnt be surprising to see an internet
browser, the iTunes logo, or even the Skype bubble. However, why do some
recognize and prefer Google more readily than Internet Explorer, and viceversa? It is estimated that each of us is subjected to 3,000 to 10,000 brand
exposures daily3, so its important that the company image works its way
into the hearts and minds of its audience. A successful logo is one that is
memorable, simple, gives an element of surprise, is timeless, original and
versatile, gives room for brand growth, has an application on every medium,
conveys a message, is congruent to brand image, has scalability and is
executed flawlessly.4 Logos are most typically encountered in print, TV and
Movies, on the internet and in signage. The type of logo is determined by the
message the company wants to portray, whether that message be

dependability, humor or luxury. Some common types of logos are found to

consist of pictorial marks, abstract and/or symbolic marks, an emblem, a
character, and typographic marks. A pictorial mark uses literal imagery as
the brand identifier, and sometimes requires typography to portray a
message.5 An example of a pictorial mark is found in the brand Nike, that
uses the swoosh as its logo (figure 1). The word swoosh alone may not
provoke any ideas of the Nike brand, and in fact may be confusing to some.
However, when we see Nikes logo, or see the brand name itself, the
audience automatically thinks of the universal athletic clothing brand: Nike. If
a logo does not employ the use of a pictorial mark, it could use an abstract
and/or symbolic mark. Abstract and symbolic marks are nonliteral
interpretations of a concept, idea or belief.6 These types of marks are usually
geometric shapes, but this type of mark has limitless avenues for creative
license (figure 2). Another type of logo is an emblem. When the word
emblem is introduced, the images of a family crest or an intricate letter
comes to mind. In some cases, that is correct, however in regards to
branding, an emblem is an amalgamation of surround shape including the
name of the brand, and takes the form of lettering or an illustration (figure
3).7 In addition, a company may apply a character as their logo (figure 4).
The use of a character as a logo portrays a message of being childlike and
humorous. In addition, the use of a character allows the company to build a
meaningful connection with consumers by supporting a friendly brand
image.8 The last form of a logo that is encountered in the corporate world is

a typographic mark (figure 5). A typographic logo directly translates a

message through the use of word marks, letterforms or monograms. A word
mark indicates the originality of a brand, for example, the
(Figure

(Figure
5)

Coca-Cola logo, while a letterform which consists of a single

letter or number portrays the simplicity of the brand. A

monogram employs the use of two or more typographic
characters to form a logo, but the elements must overlap
or combine in some way to be considered that form.9
With so many options at the fingertips of an emerging
company, it is hard to determine what type of logo to use,

(Figure
2)

whether it be an image or typographic. Advantages of an image are that it

breaks down boundaries and doesnt depend on language, its more
applicable, it helps link brands, and it improves consumer recognition. The
advantages of typography in comparison to an image is
that

(Figure

it becomes more unique, reduces marketing costs, is

mostly timeless and is easily distinguished.10

(Figure
4)

Although the logo is the most important aspect to

gain footing in a competitive market, there are
other factors that accompany being a successful
and sustainable brand. Without a doubt, an
extremely important aspect is brand consistency
in visual style, physical elements, editorial style and
product differentiation. Visual style of a brand is the

brand design through photography or illustration that communicates directly

with a specific group of people.11 Visual elements of a brand can be found in
print, TV, movies, or on the web. Although each audience may be different, it
is important that the brand message be the same. Physical elements of a
brand allow a company to further declare its mission, whether it be a
packaging type or in store experience. Successful brands demonstrate
personality or character through details of interior and exterior
architecture.12 Lighting, color, register placement and decorations all play an
enormous role in distinguishing a brand, and as the saying goes, No detail is
too small to be overlooked. Editorial style is the use of product or service
name and the use of a tagline. There are many things that go into a name,
but some general guidelines are: the name should be memorable, legally
protectable and easy to say.13 For todays busy consumer on the go, it is
important that the name, like the logo, is easy to process, distinguishable,
and memorable for recall purposes. Consumer psychology research has
discovered that people spend less than one second looking at a logo before
deciding it is worth remembering.14 In addition to a distinctive name, it is
important that a brand uses a catchy tagline to attract the attention of the
audience. Due to the short attention span of todays consumer, it is essential
that the tagline be under 10 words and embody the structure of the brand.
Some of the most memorable taglines are short, sweet and to the point, like
the McDonalds tagline: Im lovin it. As previously stated, product
differentiation requires a product to be meaningful, relevant and valuable to

a perspective consumer.15 If, for instance, you are in the silverware market, it
may be difficult to differentiate your forks from your competitors forks.
However, the Journal of Marketing Research found that even if your product
has seemingly irrelevant attributes, a consumer could favor that attribute
and buy your product instead. During an experiment done with down fillings
in jackets, scientists tested to see if adding the words, Alpine down
feathers to a product description would affect consumer preference. The
first test conducted showed that without knowing that the alpine down
feathers were an irrelevant attribute, consumers preferred that jacket to the
other ordinary down filling. Next, scientists revealed to the consumers that
the alpine feathers did nothing to enhance product performance, but yet
again found that buyers still preferred the alpine feather jackets.16 As
consumers, we operate under the notion that if something is bigger, or
produces something in larger quantities, that it indicates a raise in value. For
instance, the idea that larger stereos can produce more sound, or laundry
detergent that produces more suds is thought to clean better.
In summation, the thought that goes into making a brand relevant depends
on the amount of work a company wants to put into the details. The
establishment of a company goal can be translated into the logo, physical
elements and color choice, and those attributes determine the type of
audience drawn to the brand. Product differentiation is also extremely
relevant in the eyes of the consumer, even if the quality is irrelevant or

insignificant. Through hard work, attention to detail and understanding the

consumer, a company has an opportunity to succeed as a brand.

1"Product Differentiation Definition | Investopedia." Investopedia. Web. 4 Dec. 2014.

<http://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/product_differentiation.asp>.

2 Budelmann, Kevin, Kim, Yang, and Wozniak, Curt. Brand Identity Essentials: 100
Principles for Designing Logos and Building Brands. Osceola, WI, USA: Rockport
Publishers, 2010. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 4 December 2014.
3 Budelmann, Kevin, Kim, Yang, and Wozniak, Curt. Brand Identity Essentials: 100
Principles for Designing Logos and Building Brands. Osceola, WI, USA: Rockport
Publishers, 2010. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 4 December 2014.
4 Hardy, Gareth. Smashing Magazine Book Series: Smashing Logo Design - The Art of
Creating Visual Identities. Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. ProQuest ebrary.
Web. 4 December 2014.
5 Hardy, Gareth. Smashing Magazine Book Series: Smashing Logo Design - The Art of
Creating Visual Identities. Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. ProQuest ebrary.
Web. 4 December 2014.
6 Hardy, Gareth. Smashing Magazine Book Series: Smashing Logo Design - The Art of
Creating Visual Identities. Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. ProQuest ebrary.
Web. 4 December 2014.
7 Hardy, Gareth. Smashing Magazine Book Series: Smashing Logo Design - The Art of
Creating Visual Identities. Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. ProQuest ebrary.
Web. 4 December 2014.
8 Hardy, Gareth. Smashing Magazine Book Series: Smashing Logo Design - The Art of
Creating Visual Identities. Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. ProQuest ebrary.
Web. 4 December 2014.
9 Hardy, Gareth. Smashing Magazine Book Series: Smashing Logo Design - The Art of
Creating Visual Identities. Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. ProQuest ebrary.
Web. 4 December 2014.
10 Hardy, Gareth. Smashing Magazine Book Series: Smashing Logo Design - The Art of
Creating Visual Identities. Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. ProQuest ebrary.
Web. 4 December 2014.
11 Budelmann, Kevin, Kim, Yang, and Wozniak, Curt. Brand Identity Essentials: 100
Principles for Designing Logos and Building Brands. Osceola, WI, USA: Rockport
Publishers, 2010. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 4 December 2014.
12 Budelmann, Kevin, Kim, Yang, and Wozniak, Curt. Brand Identity Essentials: 100
Principles for Designing Logos and Building Brands. Osceola, WI, USA: Rockport
Publishers, 2010. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 4 December 2014.
13 Robertson, Kim. "STRATEGICALLY DESIRABLE BRAND NAME CHARACTERISTICS."
Journal of Consumer Marketing 6.4 (1989). Web. 4 Dec. 2014.
<http://faculty.baruch.cuny.edu/dluna/consling/brandart.pdf>.

14 "The Science of Brand Development and the Importance of Taglines, Logos and
Visual Appeal." The Science of Brand Development and the Importance of Taglines,
Logos and Visual Appeal. Web. 4 Dec. 2014. <http://www.theextendgroup.com/newsthe-science-of-brand-development-and-the-importance-of-taglines-logos-and-visualappeal.aspx>.
15 Carpenter, Gregory S., Rashi Glazer, and Ken Nakamoto. "Meaningful Brands From
Meaningless Differentiation: The Dependence On Irrelevant Attributes." Journal Of
Marketing Research (JMR) 31.3 (1994): 339-350. Communication & Mass Media
Complete. Web. 4 Dec. 2014.
16 Carpenter, Gregory S., Rashi Glazer, and Ken Nakamoto. "Meaningful Brands From
Meaningless Differentiation: The Dependence On Irrelevant Attributes." Journal Of
Marketing Research (JMR) 31.3 (1994): 339-350. Communication & Mass Media
Complete. Web. 4 Dec. 2014.