The one true rule of branding
Branding is a simple concept that has been made complicated by marketers everywhere to justify the price tag they attach to it
2022 / January 11 / 8:00 PM / Ottawa, ON
They've used business metrics to force the concept into something rigid and scientific to prove that the buzzwords they use are something profound.
As a result, it has turned branding into a microcosm of how art and design can be bastardized by corporate business. It's a microcosm of how bad art and bad design can be sold for more than it's worth.
If we weren't currently separated by two computer screens at varying distances, you might want to ask me a few questions at this point.
Questions like:
- Are you saying branding is pointless? No, I'm not.
- Are you saying even good branding isn't worth much money? No, I'm not.
- Are you saying branding can't be measured? No, I'm not.
I'm saying the opposite of all of that. I'm just trying to tell you it doesn't have to be complicated.
So, what is the one true rule?
It has to work. That's it.
- Does your logo have to be pretty? Nope.
- Does your logo have to have a hidden meaning? Nope.
- Does your logo have to follow a scientific method? Nope.
The only rule is it has to work.
Branding that works represents you by being unique, consistent, and timeless. That's it. One rule, three criteria.
Branding is an art, so it doesn't have to be confined into any one approach or backed up by any one type of justification. It just has to work.
Some logos are a spur of the moment scribble on a napkin, and they work. Some logos are backed by millions of dollars of research and testing, and they don't work.
There are rules of thumb, but as it's an art, you need to know that rules can be broken.
You have to consider context, who is your audience and what are you selling, but the paradigm and the norm can always be broken.
If you want to do market research to find out how your branding, or different variations of your branding, are or will be perceived by your audience, go for it. But know that approach isn't as scientific as you think and it's far from perfect.
How an audience reacts to your logo or your branding is based on emotion, because it's art and humans are emotional beings. What you find in your research won't always translate to the general public, and this is coming from someone who like to gather information and quantify as much as possible. Trust me, it's not that simple.
The irony in the corporatization of branding is that good branding is worth the big price they charge, or more, but good branding comes from artists, not corporate formulas and market research. They're overselling you.
The corporatization of branding gets you the same flat, sans-serif typography that big companies everywhere are using in their re-brand these days. The art of good branding is in breaking away from these trends and creating something memorable that will last long after these trends fade. It's not in making your logo look like everyone else's because that's what research shows.
Branding that works doesn't need to be changed. Sure, you can adapt it to new mediums, like when you bring it into the digital space, but if you have to re-brand, it's because your original branding just didn't work, not because you have to follow research backed trends. If your branding works, don't change it, you'll only end up worse off.
Find me good branding—branding that worked—that was fundamentally changed through a re-brand and ended up better than the original.
Go ahead, I'll wait.
No? Because it doesn't exist. You don't need buzzwords and research and hidden meanings.
You just need an artist.
—James
