In a world of endless choices, instant gratification and doom scrolling, good design stands out. And it stands out for a reason. Design isn’t just about a pretty logo and good aesthetics, it’s about functionality, clarity, creating meaningful connections, personality and adding genuine value to you and your business. The right ones stand out, we are naturally drawn to them, and they are memorable for the right reasons.
What is a brand personality?
A brand is more than a logo. It is what people say and think about you when you’re not in the room. It’s how you will be recognised, known and remembered. It encompasses characteristics and emotions, and shapes customer perceptions, actions and communication.
Have you ever spent time with someone and felt an instant connection? Chances are, it was their personality that left a lasting impression. When it comes to your business, your brand’s personality works the same way. It should genuinely align to the business’s mission, vision and values, and weave through all touchpoints along the customer journey.
The psychology of brand personality
There is more than one type of soft drink. Or laptop. Or sneakers. But chances are, you have a preference for all three of these.
People are drawn to one brand over another, and you will find that your preferred brands are the ones that have created a connection that surpasses price and creates loyalty. People purchase from brands that they like, know and trust. They purchase with feelings rather than logic.
A Harvard Business Review article concluded that emotional engagement holds more weight than customer satisfaction when it comes to brand loyalty.
More than a logo
Okay, but there is a logo at some point, right? Absolutely. The logo is the visual identity of your brand and is the physical, front-facing element. Whereas your brand personality is the humanisation and the storytelling of your brand.
Don’t confuse the two! When developing a new visual identity or updating your existing one, consider how colours, the logo icon, fonts, and tagline can help form a picture of your brand and brand promise.
You can expand on your visual identity by identifying the style of photography, templates, brochures etc, however, this moves into branding territory.
You see, all of these things, including what you say on your website and social media, tell a story of your business. It’s so customers, team members, competitors, media, influencers etc, can form a picture of your brand in their mind. It’s how you can be remembered, not just for your visual identity but for their experience with and perception of your business.
That’s branding.
Iconic companies that champion brand
Toilet paper isn’t something usually talked about. You buy it and put it in the cupboard. Who Gives A Crap has gone above and beyond in its tone of voice and marketing campaigns. The company uses conversational campaigns and quirky packaging to make products little rolls of brand endorsement. The brand speaks to consumers who seek convenience, value sustainability, and love a laugh.
A global milk alternative, Oatly’s primary mission is to help the planet. It is positioned with a tongue-in-cheek, chatty tone of voice, raw imagery and hand-drawn typefaces that directly speak to younger consumers who choose a sustainable lifestyle, with messaging like “It’s like milk, but made for humans” cutting through a saturated landscape.
Good briefs = good design = good outcomes
Things to consider when briefing in and providing feedback for some design work is based on the design brief. A solid design brief should include:
- Goals: What do you need, and what is your goal for this design? Knowing this helps us to provide the most effective way to talk to your audience and helps us create measurable actions to ensure that the design and marketing not only looks good but is true to your brand.
- Your why: Why do you do what you do, and why do you want some design work done? The purpose and mission behind the work create the emotional connection that we mentioned above – it feeds into the storytelling and the brand personality and takes a static design into a space that speaks to your audience with authenticity and value.
- Audience: What kind of people are you talking to and helping? Who will buy your products and services? Consider their psychodemographics
- Timeframes: When do you need your designs? Timelines are important to know for launching products, making sure we have the right amount of time for great outcomes, and helping to coordinate things like photographers or printers if needed. The sooner you know something is coming up and the more it is planned, the better the outcome.
- Outcomes: Knowing what you need helps us to make sure that we have the right team and expert helping you out. Do you need a social media campaign or Google Ads? Maybe you need a new website, a full rebrand or a marketing strategy. We have some great humans that specialise in all of these!
Level up your brand or marketing – or both
Whether it’s a new logo and brand guidelines, a campaign to refresh your market presence or a more active social presence, working with a marketing and design team will help you elevate.
At Threesides, we look at the data and deep dive into who your audience is and, more importantly, where they are. We can bring everything into alignment and update your brand guidelines, tone of voice and copy, digital advertising presence, social media profiles, and more. Contact us to chat about your next brand campaign.