Tribe Design Blog : Smoke Signals

Friday, July 29, 2011

How to Maximize Your Brand Value

We all know relationships matter, but in today’s business world, this could not be more relevant and true. Groundbreaking companies are reaching out and collaborating with their customers for the truth about their brand to stay in front of their competition.

With our new participatory culture, we buy from brands that we care about. So why don’t we start building brands that people care about? How do you do this? Well first off you have to stop yourself from trying to be the sole expert in buying your product or service, because you’re not. You are the expert at your business. Don’t you trust your customers to help you build the best brand?

If you haven’t re-branded in a while, you may be asking yourself “how do I rebrand my business successfully in this new marketing world?”

Here is the key… do your research. Sometimes it’s hard to remove personal bias from the creative process and rely on outside perspective from your customers, but it is extremely important to flourish in your market.

Jeffrey Grau, eMarketer principal analyst and author of the new report, “How Brands Co-Create Value with Customers,” says “companies tend to take an inside-out approach to co-creation, but those that take an outside-in approach, by listening to and observing customers, are in a position to discover ways to create mutual value.”

At Tribe we’ve been involved in many projects where decisions where based on the owner’s or marketing director’s likes or dislikes versus customer feedback. We wish more companies conducted more (in-depth) customer-focused research before they tried to brand a product or service.

When we engage in a project we make sure to understand the objective of the project, the target audience, their competitors and creative considerations before we begin the design process.

With each client we construct a creative profile to assess their goals and how they want those goals to be measured. The most accurate way to measure your goals is involve your customers. If you are hesitant to take this step, let us help. Honest feedback is always the best.

Posted By Tribe Design At 8:41 AM •

Friday, July 15, 2011

What does typography say about your brand image?

Type says volumes about your brand image. It literally spells out what message you are trying to convey to your audience. But before the message is even read, the nature of the typography speaks for itself. Is it textural or clean? Rounded or angular? Traditional or modern? Careful consideration of type choices is critical to creating a cohesive brand image for any company or organization.

Before a designer chooses the right fonts and type treatments for your logo and other branded materials, they must first know what your company or organization is all about. A thorough understanding of a company's accomplishments, aspirations and culture should be a starting point for creating a brand strategy and overall look. This message should be reflected in the type and graphics used printed and electronic media.

Creating a unique logotype for your brand and using font choices wisely will make any branded piece look more cohesive and professional. Staying consistent with these choices and their uses will also be important in creating a strong brand image. Consistency is the key, especially for a new company or brand image.

Consider products and services you may use in everyday life, such as Coca-cola, McDonald's, FedEx or Ebay. The type itself has become the brand's symbol. You don't even have to read the word to know what it is and what the brand stands for.

Whether it be for a non-profit organization or a large corporation, type plays a huge roll in creating a company's identity.

Posted By Marta Huntsman At 12:31 PM •