What Is Branding in Graphic Design !

What Is Branding ?

The creative and functional design of branding is one of the key contributors to the success or otherwise of a business, product or service. The brand enables one company to separate and differentiate itself from those of competitors and 'me-too' businesses. The ultimate aim of branding through effective graphic design is not just to create a brand image and collateral that differentiates your business or offerings from the competition; but to design and manage the branding process to create a perception in the marketplace that your business or product is the only real option.

The process of branding comprises of two key elements; focusing on the internal and external factors that impact on the perception of the customer. The internal brand elements include personality, culture and Self image. Personality refers to the customer's perception and description of the brand; culture refers to the social context in which the brand is perceived, and; Self image encompasses the way the brand evokes emotions and feelings from the customer.

The external elements of the brand include physique, reflection and relationship. Physique refers to the physical characteristics of the brand that creates desire within the marketplace to drive consumers to find out what the business is and what they do; reflection refers to the way that the current and potential customers are being managed or nurtured by the branding image, and; relationship refers to the manner in which current and potential customers develop a relationship with the brand.

With the internal and external components of branding in mind, the objectives of a good brand to achieve success are therefore:

1. Clearly delivers the message and unique selling proposition to the marketplace

2. Creates and confirms the perception of credibility and trust

3. Is designed to create an emotional connection between the business and the target market

4. Drives motivation in current and potential customers

Creates a sense of loyalty toward the business and brand

Graphic design forms a crucial component of all aspects of the branding process. The world is full of stimuli and the battle for consumer attention is increasing. To stand out in the crowd, the use of innovative visuals and graphic design is essential. Branding as an overall strategy is only possible through the effective design of logos, brochures, business cards, websites, print design, signage and advert design. If the graphic design team does not have the experience to deliver proven and successful branding collateral, the risk is this process may have to be done again; at best the branding efforts will be diluted and ineffective at creating brand awareness and loyalty; or at worst, it could damage the business, its reputation and position in the marketplace.

Business branding is the term used for establishing the identity of a business' products or services in the market and for consumers. Firstly you have to communicate with your customers, you may ask yourself, HOW? The answer is, with the help of a professional logo design. Logos help in communicating with all the customers and the logo attains a lasting impression of your business in the customer's mind. In order to get noticed, you need to enjoy working with graphic designs. Being creative will go a long way, and help your business stand out from competition.

When you have to convey your business identity or to express the message behind the business, the old cliché will most definitely be true in that case: A picture is worth more than a thousand words. Words are important to communicate but a graphic design holds the true potential to gain attention. The image leaves a lasting impression on the viewer's mind, and they may feel a bit of visual attraction while looking at your company's logo. It is your business' brand identity; the image serves as a face that is easily recognizable in the market.

Professional graphical designers work hard to produce creative concepts when they design a logo, and your business' profile. They need to select very accurate images to represent your company. With a combination of symbols, texts, and colors, they have to think out of the box when it is all about setting up your business' brand identity, There is no doubt that you will be able to express your message through words, but imagine your company was represented by just a symbol, a perfect logo design and the viewers and customers easily get attracted to find out what is it your company actually does.

Your company needs to attract attention from every potential customer. You will need a brand stamp on every single product your company sells. The logo design should be different and unique. It should consist of clever graphics and colors and transform into something far more superior than just your business' profile. Take an example of McDonalds, the logo design just consists of the letter "M" but it is different and people notice it around the world with having just a glimpse of the icon.