Beyond the face of things, The smart fellow Socrates was noted for saying ‘I know, that I know nothing’, what he was getting at is that things are not always what they seem. Sometimes illogical and multifaceted with seemingly logical contradictions. We don’t like presumption, we like to operate as close to fact as possible, unless the gut aka the universe of neurons and lifetime experience knows better, it's actually this pivot which creates the challenges we face when communicating.
We have a preferred aesthetic as do you, but; what will an audience really connect with, and want to interact with; and think “I like this, I want this”?
Navigating 'tribes (your like minded people), and general audiences at large, requires thought and planning. Our process differs with every project, but does follow a general budget defined phase of, thinking, talking it out, pen and paper, mood boards, experimentation and conceptual art and design. Following this stage, we go into a stage of feedback, then desigand the creation of the final mutually agreed route which is eventually digitised as a brand identity, ready to be applied to physical and digital collateral.
We’ve been doing this a relatively long time so we put a lot of emphasis on initial fact finding and research, this 'foundation' is essential.
To help navigate the brand development in the correct direction, we respectfully and logically sometimes emotionally approach questions that dig deeper into the who’s, whys, what’s and where your audience is, appreciates, and, what it is they actually want and are attracted to? The data we gather, creates a foundation for thought, that ultimately leads to decisions, ideas and finally the brand strategy and identity both now and for many years to come. We endeavour to understand and help develop the following key parts amongst many other new and traditional proccesses.
Brand position, audience groups, customer decision-making processes, problems and brand based solutions/painpoints, Market landscape and position, selling points, competitors, current perceptions, brand values.
This all leads sharpening your vision and gives us the perfect brief to design to.
Throughout the programme we will have discussed at great lengths the brief. Here we implement the brand identity, Be it the grid system on your collateral, the user experience of the website or the theory behind the colour; the ‘collateral’ is the physical design and art at work, the results of the decisions, design and labour refined into your brand identity. Some examples would cover:
Graphic style and devices, (consistent unique graphic design). Layout and grid systems, ratios and layout. Typography; be it a selected font plus editing or the creation of a bespoke set of characters or a complete font. A colour palette based on factual science and theory. An illustration style, be it abstract or detailed, photography style and direction, iconography, copy-writing and a tone of voice that speaks of values and principles perfectly.
Like brand identity 'Graphic design' is an umbrella term for many parts, where the quality resides in the detail of these parts.