20 Glorious Lessons in Branding Learned over 20 Glorious Years: Part 2

Welcome to the second instalment of our 20th anniversary series. We can’t think of a better way to celebrate our 20th anniversary than to share our coveted branding and design knowledge with the world (or whomever lucky thing finds this on Google!).

So we’ve created this two-part series to help fast-track your know-how in all things branding, and take your skills to the next level with 20 hand-picked tips and tricks from our fantastic and talented team. Budding Creative? Startup Founder? Marketing Manager? Whatever your reason for stumbling this way – our team have helped us see through 20 strong years – so here’s hoping their advice can do the same for you. 

Kicking off the second instalment we have our Senior Designer Chris and his design do’s and don’ts:

1.
Keep your eyes open 

Looking at good design work and keeping up to date with the latest design trends helps to generate ideas and stay current. It’s a bit like the Pablo Picasso quote “Good artists copy. Great artists steal.” To be inspired you have to keep your eyes open and look around. Then use your own ideas, creativity and the brief to transform them into something new. 

2.
Be open to design collaboration

The best work usually comes from equal input/collaboration from the designer and client. Teamwork is essential, and learning to take on board other designers’ and clients’ feedback (or criticisms) can help create the best work. Don’t take it personally. Someone may spot something you’ve missed that could take your idea to the next level and ultimately improve the outcome.

3.
Consistency is key in branding and design

Consistency is the most crucial element of branding, bar none. Consistency guarantees that the brand is easily distinguished across marketing channels and beyond. There is a certain satisfaction about developing a mark and then carrying this thinking right through the look and feel of all the materials.

Next we have Junior Designer Molly’s branding top tips

4.
In design always favour purpose over the generic  

Generic ideas don’t wash well. Clients will always ask why you have done something – and you don’t want to have to fib your way around it. There has to be a clear reason. It has to be justifiable and intentional. Remember, that everything needs consideration – even the finer details.

5.
Adopt a growth mindset

It can be easy to take things personally but don’t get disheartened by thorough client feedback; remain neutral. Put yourself in their shoes and try to understand their thought process. It’ll help you reach a happy medium a lot faster. 

Here’s Marketing and PR Director Dalia’s marketing must knows:

6.
Ask questions, but the right ones 

Understanding the commercials or objectives is vital. You need to be asking the right questions to truly understand what the client is trying to achieve. Honing my questioning techniques helped me get to the real crooks of the problem and has helped me to create marketing solutions that truly align with the clients’ objectives. After all, my theory is you only get out as good as the question you ask. 

7.
To market effectively you have to really know your audience

There’s a difference between pure creativity, and strategic branding and marketing. Strategic Branding is about applying creativity in context, putting aside your creative ego, and positioning yourself in your audience’s shoes. Often, people make assumptions about their audience, but they haven’t spoken directly to them. If you don’t know enough about your audience, you need to do more to get to know them. 

And to close our series, Design Director Tom’s shares his secrets to successful branding, learnt over a 30 year career:

8.
Is there a story? Authenticity is the key when creating a brand

In our experience, audiences respond to a brand’s story. They want to know they are buying into something authentic that they can relate to and invest in; this usually comes from a business that is true to its beginnings and it’s future path.

9.
A word on budgets and branding 

From a practical point of view, it’s always in your favour when starting a brand project to know how much the client is willing to invest. It’s not about having a whopping budget; it’s about the the creative team cutting our cloth accordingly.

10.
And finally, make sure you get some real face-to-face time in

In this new-fangled world of video calling and virtual meets, the time I value most (and is usually the most fruitful) is when the design and client teams are in the same room. To chat, debate, and laugh face to face, creates a priceless bond that’s unbeatable in terms of value to a project.

Looking to kick start your next branding or rebrand project? 
See how Glorious could help.