Seven rules of successful branding

Everyone knows what a successful brand looks like, but creating a new brand that chimes with the public is challenging to say the least. Graphic designer and art director Larry Mayorga draws on his 13 years of experience to offer some advice on how to go about it...

01. Branding is about people

Good branding starts with people. People need reasons to buy or use, as humans we need to feel part of something bigger. Brands need strong guiding principles at the very heart of everything they do. Consumers are armed with knowledge, education and technology and we play a very active role on the course of these brands.

02. Design is not the only consideration

Good design plays an integral role but design only doesn't make a brand. Design is one more ingredient that combined with humanity, intelligence and science make for a great and more engaged experience.

The pleasure of recognising a logo and its promise delivered makes it for satisfaction to both the brand and the consumer. The visual language should continue the conversation in a consistent manner.

03. Branding is a two-way process

It's easier to love a brand when the brand loves you back. Traditional marketers think of the consumers as robotic entities. But when the consumer/provider relationship becomes a two-way street there's room for greater growth, there's a sense of consideration and care.

04. Brands matter

Brands are personality and uniqueness therefore they add value, they provoke interest, have tremendous economic and social influence.

05. Brands are a matter of context

The message is not the brand, branding creates context. By investing in the brand and creating appropriate context, the effectiveness of your messaging, advertising and communications campaign – and, by extension, your budget – is greatly enhanced and the chance of your targeted consumer actually acting on your message is substantially improved. Thus your campaign spend goes the extra mile over that of your competitor’s.

06. Branding is content

Content, such as promotional material, is critical to the success of a branding project, but brands cannot create masses of content and expect their message to resonate. content excellence’ is key to delivering stories that take on a life of their own through the consumer to the level that consumers actively participate in the story from the start.

07. Branding is also a journey

Branding does not follow a clearly defined path, brands need to walk along consumers to find its own destination.

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