Design 21: Social Design Network

Read this article on my blog

Overview: The intention of this article and the series of article that will follow is to understand following concepts and ideas:-

1) What is branding?

2) What is the difference between brand development, brand strategy and branding?

3) How can business benefit from branding?

4) What is online branding? Tips and tricks.

5) A case study and a guest interview.

6) Vox populi (A collection of ideas and views on the subject from various sources)

A business organization usually start making sense out of the benefits of branding when either one of their senior managers discover it while he accidentally stumbled upon a book on branding or suddenly they realize that their competition has become “famous overnight”. And the result of this interesting discovery leads them to the doorsteps of a so called “brand guru” , who talks about a prophecy that there business is doomed and he is a godsend savior to bring them out of the oblivion. The enlightenment begins here and then with couple of meetings over sushi, black coffee, heated arguments, ego brushes and some brand experts (by products of the exercise) later a brand is born. The result of this exhilarating & arduous exercise somewhat looks like this:-

1) Hiring of a design agency

2) Suddenly a new logo is created

3) The corporate identity looks like a riot of colors

4) A meticulous exercise of revamping the marketing collaterals and online presence

5) A press meets with dark suited b...

What is online branding and how can corporate websites become an effective brand touch-point? continued…

Ten corporate website design tips you shouldn't miss

Its Sunday today and delivering on my promise on the previous post about corporate website design and converting the website into an effective brand touch-point, so the rest of the post is here. Enjoy reading and don't forget to comment on what you think don't qualify as a tip or if you have one do share it with me on my blog.

1) Goals Goals and Goal

Usually the first point of discussion with the teams responsible for developing the website is DESIGN. The management is too busy and wants the mock-up first. This is the point where the website start taking a shape of a monster which is beyond the control of its master. To start with just answer raise a simple question with your team “What is that we want our website to do ?”. Make list & arrange and align your answers with your organizational goal. Make this as your checklist.

DESIGN SHOULD BE THE LAST THING ON YOUR LIST.

2) Who is your audience

Knowing as to who will be your audience helps you align your business goals well. Spend some time in researching about your target audience in terms of there demography, profession, preferences, age-group etc. This will help you in deciding about you content, design, marketing and other aspects.

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE WELL

3) Don't confuse your visitor

Do your remember any instance where you had this heady feelin...

What is corporate website…….continued here

In my last post i discussed what is a corporate website & how organization loose there brand value through them . This post is all about regaining the lost ground. After all your website is your important brand touch point which you need to enhance your online experience.

To ease our discussion lets break it into three different sections,i.e

1) What is online Branding ?

2) Ten corporate website design tips

3) Some examples

4) Summary

What is online Branding?

Online Branding is the integration of the entire online buying, browsing and conversion process into one continuous string of communication that is relevant to the consumer. Its an amalgamation of everything from visual appearance to content to web marketing strategy. So if one aspect is overlooked then it directly affects your user experience and in turn your brand value.

Unlike the traditional media (print, TV etc), on internet the touchy feely brand experience immediately connects with your corporate website. A great online advertising campaign is fruitful if and only if the brand experience that results from the consumer interaction with the website is equally delightful. A great online advertising campaign can crush a brand extremely quickly if the site does not deliver on the perception portrayed by the advertising campaign.

The same is true for search engine marketing campaigns. Many marketers still seem to think search campaigns exist in a vacuum and won...

Somebody asked me few days back that if you remove your logo from all of your marketing pieces will it still be relevant ?

When we talk about branding it’s not uncommon for people to mistake their logo as their "branding". Your logo is only one piece of your branding strategy. Your logo is a symbol that can provide consumers with instant and powerful brand recognition of your business and the services or products that you offer. The “utterly butterly girl “ is so popular that if you remove Amul from its ad, there are fair chances that you will recognize it pretty easily.

Before beginning the process of logo creation be sure that you have developed your brand strategy. Why? Your logo is like a small ad for your company, without the strategy behind it a logo can put across the wrong message and in return weaken your strategy. You want to keep your brand message consistent to help increase consumer recognition.

How do you know when you are ready to move to the process of having your logo created?

• The mission of your logo is to portray the values and goals of your company. Make sure that these are clearly established before venturing out to find a logo designer.
• Be clear about the message you want your brand to convey so that your logo can clearly reflect that message. You must have a strong association between your brand and your logo. Remember it is only one piece of your branding strategy.
• Your logo should reflect professionalism and growth no matter ho...

*“We have spent a million dollar in putting that website there” I have read & heard these “intelligent” arguments by some very senior executives of some very popular brands.I have a humble suggestion to them- DUDE WAKE UP ! *

If spending money can get you the results then all the so called brand guru’s will start selling candy floss. Before i start making a delicious breakfast for these “corporate saviors’ let me just answer some basic question.

What’s a corporate web site?

It’s the domain they use after every advertisement where you can learn more about a company, ya know it, anycompany.com

Corporate are in love with there content writers and believe that they have hired a Shakespeare to write another masterpiece which will help them create a mark in history (at least content writers think so..). With there glib market speak, stock photos of smart looking dudes or minority women crowded around the computer raving about your product, the positive press release, the happy customer testimonials, the row of executive portraits, the donations your corporate made to disaster relief, the one-sided view never ends. And Yes the designers nevertheless think that the website is the last chance for them to buy a ticket to eternity.

While some of your traffic may be going up on your website, it’s not indicative of how corporate websites are being used. Analytics don’t tell us why people go to your site, and it may not be for the reason you want them to.

Th...