3 Identity Traits
March 12, 2008
This is a repost from my Brandtats personal blog, but thought it was important to educate our Tricycle audience on the same subject. This is something that supports the knowledge needed to build a 1000 Year Brand.
There are several traits that are common among strong visual identities. These similarities are basic design principles to a creative, but can seem unintentional to those that aren’t. Knowing what these traits are can help you identify the good from the bad. The strong from the weak. And create an unforgettable brand.
The 3 Identity Traits are:
- Simple
- Applicable
- Unforgettable
Simple.
Strong identities are easy to understand. They make sense. When you look at them you almost have a “no duh” moment. In fact sometimes you might even look at the logo and think to yourself “I could’ve created that!” Even though you know better. You know that they did something so creative. So clever. Yet so simple. It was a mirror image of their business. A perfection reflection of the product or service. And it didn’t take a lot of bells or whistles to create. Not a lot of make-up. Just someone that really understood the business and the way to illustrate that experience accurately.
Applicable.
When you look at the logo your mind automatically sees it on buildings. On trucks. Airplanes. Billboards. TV commercials. Etc.. You know that this logo would look great on a shirt or a web banner. Sometimes logos can look fantastic in full color on TV but look horrible on letterhead. (Mostly because they use the same file for both, but you get the point.) When you see this identity you can see your business now in the present. And in the future years to come. It also applies to yourself. To what your business does. To your employees. And to your target audience.
Unforgettable.
A little test. Can you picture these logos: Fedex. Nike. Starbucks. Apple? Why those and not others? These identities follow the top 2 traits and enhance them with their experience/product quality. Their logos do look good on shirts. On print advertising. On products. They do represent their business accurately and effectively. And they do stick in your mind. This trait more then the others cannot be taught in school. The traits above are taught in design school. It is the standard that all designers should adhere to. This third trait is different. The ability to execute on this powerful trait and develop an unforgettable identity is a talent. Something some people are born with.
The ironic part is that there aren’t many businesses out there that are unforgettable. Only a few brands make it to that level of customer awareness and respect. What’s even odder to me is that there are some companies out there that are unforgettable but look very common. And forgettable. The power of branding really lies in the ability to match the talents of a business with the talents of a designer. You then can align an unforgettable identity to an unforgettable experience. Which equals …
An unforgettable brand.
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