Creating the identity for a business reminds me of when I
was a child learning phonetics. We were
little investigators decoding letter by letter, word by word. You sound it out feeling a rhythmic sing-song
like pattern. Letters associated with
pictures, joining A for apple, B for balloon, C for cat and so on. Now fast forward and here I sit working at
playing the same association game. Phonetics
and our visual identity work to blend patterns creating a much bigger
picture.
Where do we begin?
- · Naming our business
- · Recognizing the attributes that solidify the personality, spirit, and values of our establishment
- · Who are we serving?
- · Finding the best possible location
- · Develop a logo that synchronizes everything
We have recently started the creative process with the
lovely and talented Ms. Claire Parkin. Strategizing
our visual identity has been a welcome and demanding practice. Claire is an interpreter that takes our lofty
visions and regurgitates them into something that is artistic, meaningful and
tangible. At the core, we want our
visual identity to be in alignment with everything else. We are business owners that embody “what you
see is what you get”. We want the
branding to reflect just that.
Part of the homework Claire gave us was to complete a
creative brief to get out some of the crazy ideas in our head on to paper. I am
providing, with her permission, the areas we explored in hopes this will help
your existing/future creative projects:
·
- Overview: (project information, goals, measurable objectives)
- · Deliverables Needed: (copy, design, printed materials, website, and/or mailing?)
- · Target Audiences: (who they are---age, gender, income, geography, lifestyle)
- · Market Position: (evaluation of company’s service relative to competition)
- · Tone and Images: (funny and casual or formal, what time/imagery will be most affective, specific visual goals)
- · Message: (What’s the context of the specific message in relation to the business plan? Where possible, include information to be shown in the designed item e.g. taglines, body text, imagery, etc.)
- · Features, Benefits & Value: (prioritize top features of business, facts about the service, its value to target audiences. What’s the one sentence that summarizes its unique value? Other key points?)
- · Objectives: (what do you want to achieve? Make objectives specific and measurable)
- · Budget & Schedule: keep in mind 4 steps---consultation (research & strategy), creation (concept & design development), production (artwork & print procurement), and delivery (file handover)
· Side bar: Pinterst.com is a wonderful
new website that allows users to create and manage an online theme-based image
collection (reminds me of the collage boards on my office walls) and with
social photo sharing technology you can “connect to everyone in the world
through the ‘things’ they find interesting.”
One day soon, you’ll see postings of our future logo. I’m so excited I can barely stand it.