Do I Need a Brand or a Visual Identity?
Sometimes when people come to us for “branding,” I quickly ascertain that what they really mean is an updated “visual identity.”
“So, you’re looking for help integrating your vision, competitive positioning, audience messaging, market perception and corporate culture,” I might ask. Just as often they respond, “I just need an update to our logo, collateral templates, PowerPoint, web design, etc.” For many, the visual manifestations of a brand are “The Brand.”
I’ve been reading a lot lately about a rapidly growing business trend called, “Design Thinking,” a practice widely popularized by global innovation and design consulting firm, IDEO, which describes the close collaboration of analytical and creative people who are addressing a product or service innovation problem. “Design Thinking” is often characterized by rapid prototyping or iteration until one has arrived at an innovative solution. Enterpreneurial types call it “design by failure,” with the understanding that it is through multiple failures that success is born. It is the model companies like Apple have taken and one that is headed toward the tipping point of becoming common corporate business practice in the digital age, which is tracking toward becoming the “age of innovation.”
