Brand design (re) create its core value

Design or the art of establishing the perfect balance between aesthetics and function. At first, brand design exists to meet a need for brand differentiation. Nowadays, the concept is quickly evolving and takes on a whole new meaning in today’s context. It is a co-creative exploration which involves customers, employees and managers in a quest for meaning and authenticity.

There is no longer place for an only selling Marketing in a society made up of communities, or more precisely of segments that naturally emerge and define themselves. These communities are immune to advertising and reject a unilateral relationship with brands. Commitment to a brand must be natural through identification and, above all, recognition of its authenticity. This is the whole meaning of contributing perfectly illustrated by Simon Sinek’s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtpgsqhxURk) with his famous why: beyond the financial aspect, why does my company exist? What is its contribution to society? Here, design levels up to a new stage in order to combine the beauty and the usefulness, aesthetics and practicality, substance and form. For several years now, major brands have been working on that idea, more and more have already taken the leap and redesign their brand positioning. “The most important for us is to ‘create stories’,” explains Yvain Ducrocq, head of digital communication at Interflora, “a bouquet is not offered only because it is pretty but because there is a story behind”.
For example, the American fast-food giant has changed its logo from red to green. A rebranding followed-up by an emblematic action: the disappearance of plastic straws in its restaurants.

The branding is no longer just a matter of marketing. The CEO is now involved in the process of inspiration, creation and implementation. The strategic brand platform will be the cornerstone for the company roadmap. Startups have been among the first to understand that brand design will guide both the business model and its communication (see the example of Alan below). Disrupting becomes a combat sport. From large groups to SMEs, the key is to unfold more than follow the – old -marketing methods. Furthermore, for the board the creative process becomes a place of reflection. Obviously, the guidance is essential in order to conceptualize and turn the company’s unique model into brand design. Perhaps, the agency needs to understand that need for the future? Starting the transformation from the inside in a sustainable way and then the external communication will come along and will remain for a long time.