Companies often give their brand human characteristics. This helps customers build a connection with the brand, as they are relatable and engaging. If you need help figuring out what your brand’s personality is, ask yourself the following questions:
- How would you describe your brand, what are the core brand values?
- How do you want your company to be perceived by future customers?
- How will these values help guide the goals you have for the company?
- Will the the previous answers help position you as a market leader?
These are all questions you need to be able to answer before you begin writing to your designer. If you aren’t completely sure what you’re looking for, the designer will have little to work off of which may leave you disappointed. In other words, don’t begin this process until you’re clear on what you want. This isn’t to say you can’t ask your designer for help or guidance during this process. However, in the end this is your brand vision, not the designers.
A great way to begin developing the brand is to think of it as a person. What type of person would it be, calm and cool or energetic and bright? Mood boards are a great way to use visuals to show what you are thinking to your designer. As we all know putting the way something should feel into words isn’t always an easy task. So make use of photos, words and ideas that visually describe your ideal brand.
Another great thing to include in a brand design brief is a list of things you want your brand to have and things you definitely do not. This will help guide your designer and give them an idea of what to stay away from.
Target Audience
You’ve heard it all before, the key to a successful brand is having a strong target audience.Knowing who you’re aiming for will help you and your designer work together to create a strong brand tone of voice and ensure the language, colours etc. being used are appropriate. Target audience means not only the age of those you are targeting, but also the personality traits of this type of person:
- What type of brand are they likely to be attracted to?
- Where are they located?
- Why should they choose your brand?
If your brand is very niche it is imperative that you have a deep understanding of your consumer as the more demographic information you can gather, the more accurately your brand can reach the intended audience. These demographics will be of great use when it comes to the marketing of your brand and there are loads of great online tools to help you find this information.
After considering the above topics, you should have a strong foundation for your brand and the brief you’re drafting for your designer. Another key part of your brand brief will go over your competition. Understanding and acknowledging who your true competition is will help you advance quicker in the brand design process. It is important to figure out who your competition is, as well as who you want it to be in the future. In this section of the brief, you need to talk about what makes your brand different to the competition. Having a USP (unique selling point) is crucial to establishing your place in a new or changing market. If you do not know exactly what your USP is straight away, don’t fret. After researching your competition and cross analysing this information with your brand values you and your designer will be able to come up with a great way to position your brand.
Deliverables
The last part of your brief should include what exactly you need from the designer. This will cover whether you need an entire brand identity, or just a logo or colour scheme. During this time it is great to request brand guidelines, as this will help any future work you want to do with your brand’s image. In addition to this, you should be clear on your budget and timeline. These are crucial for the designer as they can then let you know what is realistic for the budget and timeframe available.
If you still have questions in regard to what to include in your brand design brief, don’t hesitate to give us a call.We’re always happy to help.
