Seeking differentiation and share of mind is no easy task. We live in an increasingly complex world of technology and multi-channel communications that make cutting through the noise difficult for even the most skilled brand manager.
I choose the word ‘noise’ carefully because so often we find ourselves readily identifying with the visual identity of a brand and of course we know just how much attention and care is paid to the graphic elements of companies of all shapes and sizes. One would only need to pick up the guidelines of most organisations to see the overemphasis of the brand in a static visual application. I’ve written about this before but, as designers, do we still really need to guideline vans, mugs, toilet roll etc as a means of justifying fee income on a guidelines project. No doubt that the logo is the king of the branding world.