What is a brand world we hear you ask?
There is a growing need for an articulation of the brand that is not confined to a written format or model, for a variety of reasons.
- Rational word based definitions are limited in being able to convey the richness of what a brand stands for
- Visual communications is the primary way in which people experience brands
- There is a need for instinctive ways to describe brands
- Visuals can be more articulate than words
- Management, for whom English is not their first language, find it hard to have the same level of clarity
- Pictures inspire more easily
As this need has been identified and the more forward thinking brand owners have started to accompany brand guidance with images as well as words, we have seen a wide array of interpretations of what a brand world is.
For some it is a kind of guidance tool, like a shorthand design guide.
For others it is like a concept world, or a proposition board.
Haines McGregor’s experience has led us to refine the terminology around these worlds and have focused on three things
Brand Personality
A visualisation of the way the brand should come across if it were a person? How would it look and feel, what sort of stylistic taste would it have?
Brand World
Where do you go to in your mind when you think about the brand. This might be an imaginary environment or may be inspired by provenance or history. Its the visual backdrop to the brand.It should be a place or kind of environment. Consumers can be good at imagining these kinds of mental pictures in research.
Brand Palette
What sorts of materials, colours , tones, pattern and other image or symbolic associations fit with the brand. This is the brands aesthetic, creative handwriting or look book.