Visual Style, Part 2

It should go without saying that the content and style of images should reflect the brand: if your car is supposed to be luxurious and roomy, the photos shouldn’t make it look cheap and small. If your service is meant to appeal to a certain class of person, the...

Values

It’s not hard for a brand to be aligned with certain values. Being aligned with the right ones can give a boost to customer loyalty. Values are the things a brand stands for. Customers are generally savvy enough to perceive a brand’s values through the...

Valuation

Brand valuation is controversial. Putting a precise financial value on such a great intangible is impossible, although there are plenty of brand experts who are prepared to make an estimate, and plenty of corporate leaders who take the results very seriously. On the...

Typeface

Type is the clothing that dresses words, giving them character, emphasis, and a subtle, but distinct personality that the reader often senses subconsciously. Typography is the art of selecting and using an appropriate style of type, or font, in a way that reinforces...

Name, Part 2

Most firms struggle to get their names into the public consciousness and achieve the wide recognition they desire. For a bemused few, however, the problem is the opposite: their name is so handy and perfect for the product or service, it is adopted by the public and...

Trademark

A brand consists of a single insight or idea in the customer’s mind, wedded to a sign—a name and symbol—that serves as a convenient shorthand for that idea. Trouble may arise if two or more ideas (products or services) share the same name or symbol. Apple...