Branding, Logos &

Business Cards

Creative Platforms

Session Today

Branding - what, why & how to brand

Logos - what, why & use

Business Cards - software, examples

Marketing is the set of processes and tools promoting

your business. This includes SEO (search engine
optimisation), social media, PPC (pay-per-click), local
search, mobile, and traditional promotional methods and
tools.
Branding, on the other hand, is the culture itself, the
message that permeates and rules all the process of your
business.
BRANDING COMES BEFORE MARKETING
You could also see marketing as a campaign? each brand
has numerous campaigns they run throughout the year.

What is Branding?

https://99designs.co.uk/blog/business-en-gb/what-is-branding/

How do you define Branding?

Quite a challenge to to nail an exact definition.
A bit like defining what design is.
Defined by visual identity, symbol or trademark.
Defined by the tangible & intangible
Defined by customer perceptions
Defined as a holistic system
Defined by a promise or contract
Defined by vision, values & actions
Defined by a sense of social grouping
Branding in 5 and a Half Steps by Michael Johnson

Why do you need Branding?

Branding helps you stand out from the competition
Branding increases the value of your offering
Branding creates a human connection with your
customers/clients
Branding builds customer loyalty
https://99designs.co.uk/blog/business-en-gb/what-is-branding/

Why do you need Branding?

Branding helps you stand out from the competition

Creative Platforms - need to create a unique identity, portfolio/showreel of work

Branding increases the value of your offering

Creative Platforms - make an employer/client know about your skills - why value
you over someone else?

Branding creates a human connection with your

customers/clients
Creative Platforms - narrative that showcases your best work

Branding builds customer loyalty

Creative Platforms - show your personality in your work - I am a nice person

How to Brand
Michael Johnsons book Branding in 5 and a Half
Steps:
1. Investigate
2. Strategy & Narrative
2.5 Bridging the Gap
3. Design
4. Implement
5. Engage or Revive

Branding in 5 and a Half Steps by Michael Johnson

How to Brand - YOU are the Brand

1. Investigate
In-depth & thorough research into a company /
individual (relevant to your industry). The problems they
face & the opportunities that are opening up.
Only by mapping, interrogating & understanding the
issues can you start to unpick a strategic problem, see
the gaps & plan where to go next.
Creative Platforms - Research is vital. Look at your peers, the competition.

Branding in 5 and a Half Steps by Michael Johnson

How to Brand - YOU are the Brand

2. Strategy & Narrative
Once we fully understand the context of a brand, we can
begin to define it: what it stands for & its core purpose.
Before starting on the design process - need to agree on
a basis for the brand. This can be a simple headline or a
hundred-word manifesto.
Creative Platforms - Who are you? What defines you? your opening paragraph on
your CVs? About You on your websites?

Branding in 5 and a Half Steps by Michael Johnson

How to Brand - YOU are the Brand

2.5 Bridging the Gap
Building a bridge between the verbal narrative & the
design stage is difficult. Several elements - such as
naming & brand architecture - are a mixture of visual &
verbal, & the early stages of design can often have a
profound effect on a brands narrative & final direction.
Creative Platforms - Important that your values, skills, logo, font are about YOU

Branding in 5 and a Half Steps by Michael Johnson

How to Brand - YOU are the Brand

3. Design
This is when the design work starts. Designers need to
be briefed thoroughly & the creative process itself needs
to handled carefully.

Creative Platforms - Not just Design of logo but design of website, CV, Showreel.
Important that you collaborate if you do not have the skills to implement all.

Branding in 5 and a Half Steps by Michael Johnson

How to Brand - YOU are the Brand

4. Implement
The key to this stage is the understanding that, while the
hard graft of Step 1 & the verbal & visual creativity of
Steps 2 & 3 are vital, without solid & consistent
implementation, an idea can quickly fall apart. Step 4
depends on a mixture of single-minded application &
rule-making, & a willingness to be flexible & adapt if
circumstances or budgets become a constraint.
Creative Platforms - Check that your work is consistent in look & feel and reflects
who you are as a creative.

Branding in 5 and a Half Steps by Michael Johnson

How to Brand - YOU are the Brand

5. Engage or Revive
The importance of the last stage is only really starting to
be understood: brands can be nurtured & cultured, but,
once launched, there is another task that must be ongoing. This is the job of ensuring a new idea is fully
understood deep within an organisation or culture, &
creating ways to revitalise & refresh ideas that are out-ofdate & in need of rejuvenation.
this is when a marketing campaign
comes into play
Branding in 5 and a Half Steps by Michael Johnson

Design has nothing to do with art:

Design legend Milton Glaser dispels a
universal misunderstanding

This confusion is not just a matter of semantics. In businesses, schools, offices, even
newspapers, design is often associated with the art department. Thats a fundamental
misunderstanding of the aim of design. When art and design are confused, the
designers domain becomes limited to style and appearance.
In truth, good designers are primarily problem solvers. They seek to understand
the purpose, audience, technical parameters, and strategic nuances (subtle
differences) of an assignment before reaching for their Moleskine sketchpads or
going to town in Photoshop. Next time you work with a designer, start with an
overview of your goals, before diving into a discussion about colors, fonts or
materials.

http://qz.com/823204/graphic-design-legend-milton-glaser-dispels-a-universal-misunderstanding-of-design-and-art/

https://99designs.co.uk/blog/tips-en-gb/how-to-create-a-brand-style-guide/

Resources
Film
http://www.filmstrategy.com/2013/07/production-tips-what-is-your-brand-as.html

http://www.derekpoore.com/blog/2016/6/19/penny-lane-is-my-real-name-an-online-branding-analysis-of-documentaryfilmmakers
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gabrielle-nadig/a-brief-guide-to-pitching_b_9842834.html

Digital
https://designschool.canva.com/blog/personal-branding/
https://designmodo.com/personal-branding-guide/
https://creativemarket.com/blog/why-personal-branding-is-important-for-designers
https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/create-unstoppable-personal-online-brand

Logo Design

A logo is often made of alogotype and a logomark.

But not every business needs both.
A logotype stands forwords or the name of a
business that is designed in a customizedway.

A logomark is an identifying mark or symbol that

doesnt contain the business name, like a drawing or
image that represents the business.

Logos are symbols.

A logo should not only reflect the company for which it stands; it
should reflect its target audience, too.

Keep it Simple

The best logos the ones that give the viewer an immediate and
clear sense of you are clean and uncluttered.

Make it Memorable

A logo should be easily recalled after just a glance. A glance,

after all, is typically all your logo is going to get from most
people.

Make it Look New and NOT cloned

Dont settle for a me-too logo. Do a quick search of logos in your

industry and look for patterns and avoid mimicking them.

Make it Proportional and Well Balanced

The best logos are designed using principles of
proportion and symmetry. Illustrated below, you can see
how both the Apple logo and the Twitter logo utilise
circles of proportionate values as well as symmetry to
create a pleasing, balanced aesthetic quality.

Make it Versatile
Your logo might be used in a number of ways and in
multiple contexts. Here are just a few:
On t-shirts, baseball caps
On pens, keychains and water bottles
On very horizontal and extremely vertical banners
On both black and white backgrounds (make sure your
designer creates your logo in black and in white to
satisfy these needs if necessary)
Very large and very, very small - VECTOR = SCALABLE
Alongside other company logos, like those for specific
products and services

Design your logo to work in a

square or circle.
Do not use initials in your logo.

Examples of work - logos

The importance of putting pen to paper before sitting down at a computer

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/advantages-pen-paper-computer-design/

http://mamas-sauce.com/

h"p://www.workbyland.com/#/random4

https://omfgco.com/work/logo-explosion

The production part of your project is very important.

Remember to capture as much as possible for documentation blogs.
Take into consideration all the visual elements that you will need
to gather to make this into a successful showreel/portfolio.
One that you can feel proud about.
Attention to detail is vital.
Be consistent with the logo, font, colour throughout your
work.
Know your audience - use them for feedback and check
regularly within your design and production stages.

Logo should be designed using Adobe Illustrator VECTOR graphics (scalable & no pixelation).
Creative Skills in Eldon run courses -

http://www.port.ac.uk/faculty-of-creative-and-cultural-industries/facilities/creative-skills/

Also some great videos/guides out there:

https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/how-to/illustrator-templates.html

if time - demo Adobe Illustrator?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr7v626Z9vA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3wJo3TiCIk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aUHppE0zp4

Business Cards

For this module you have been asked to

create a CV, Showreel/Portfolio & a
Business Card.
The business card would need to be consistent in design
to your CV - Logo, font, colour, website url, email
Website - logo used, font, colour & email same
Showreel - logo used in titles, colour & on website

Consistent elements

Business cards
Great way to leave an impression
Industry contacts
Keep with you at all times
Digital too impersonal
Shows that you are prepared

Consistent elements

Consistent elements

Consistent elements

Business cards
Quality of print is important - try to avoid
places like Vista Print - low quality paper.
Unless you upgrade to higher quality.
Make sure the card is at least 350 gsm
premium paper weight.

https://www.moo.com/uk/

https://support.moo.com/hc/en-gb/sections/200570950-MOO-Product-Templates

Google for Free Moo Cards - always offers

http://blog.noplasticsleeves.com/

good resource - ideas

The Best of
Business Card
Design

great resource
http://creativebits.org/cool_business_card_designs

http://www.computerarts.co.uk/tutorials/2d__and__photoshop/
create_a_3d_business_card

Previous student
examples

https://www.flickr.com/ - search for business card groups.

Summary

Branding - values, loyalty & connection

Logos - Adobe Illustrator - keep it simple
& legible. Needs to work across all
platforms - CV, Cards, Website, Showreel
Business Cards - quality of paper,
consistent with logo/font/info

Next lecture
InDesign and Keeping a blog

See blog for Industry Talk dates

Any Questions?