BRANDING vs MARKETING
Which should be first and when do they start working together? And what about design?
A famous brand strategist said: “There’s no reason to have design if you don’t have strategy.” (Fabian Geyrhalter)
Bold?
Well, If you want to go in business for the long term and take a significant market share, that’s the way to go.
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First you get clear on who you are, where you want to go, which are the current biggest players, who are your customers and how do you stand out.
Once you’ve gotten the STRATEGY clear, time to design.
Successful VISUAL IDENTITY should have encoded strategy in it.
There is psychology in every design. Make sure it communicates you.
Next, a strategist and a designer will prepare BRAND GUIDELINES.
To put simply, it’s a guidebook for every future collaborator, marketing team and your employees.
You want everyone to be on the same page, right?
Once the guidebook is ready, time to connect WEB DEVELOPERS and / or WEB / UX DESIGNERS.
With clear style guides and awareness of what the company stands for and what do they want to communicate, the process goes smoother and more likely to arrive at successful outcome.
Once you are done with all that involves strategy and design deliverables, you are clear on your target, brand personality, vision and message, time to start market your product / service.
That’s when the marketing agency comes in.
But branding does not stop there. You need to practice it, to live by it.
Forever.
Branding and marketing become INTERTWINED.
