Week 5 - Brand, Concept and Style

• As a Group, read the book chapters, and the Concept and Style Web pages
  
• As a Group, get one actual product example from the classroom sample cabinet/bins
• Define the message being communicated
• Define the audience being targeted (Sex, age, income, married, children, hobbies, interests)
• Define the concept being used in your design sample
• Define the style being used in your design sample
• What would you change? (What works?, what doesn't?)
  
• Each group will present their findings to the class, (approx. 10 minutes per group)
• Include some type, but mostly art in your presentation
• All group members must speak
• Be creative. Educate us and entertain us!
  
• Other groups will take notes to compare and contrast findings

Brand

The brand is consistent and seldom ever changes.

The brand is simply: what people think about when they think of your company.

What do you think about when you think of Subway? Fresh sub sandwiches? Eat Fresh? Jared? Kids meals? All are correct answers, depending on your opinions of Subway. However, Subway hopes that one fits you and your lifestyle—especially Eat Fresh!

Concept

The brand directs the concept.

Concepts can change and often do in order to target specific target markets. The concept can be, and often is, the company's brand.

In marketing and graphic design, the concept is the big idea that sets the direction and tone of your entire marketing and design campaign.

Style

The brand and concept directs the design style.

Everything you design fits the concept and brand. Your typefaces, art, photography, colors, patterns, layouts, borders, etc. all fit the brand and concept.

Design concept and style is really focused on appropriateness. Meaning, is the design style appropriate for the client's message and target audience?

Examples: If you really like drawing anime, and your client sells anime comic books, your design style will be a good fit. However, some designers can't break-away from their own passions and will design a web site for a drive-in hamburger restaurant using their beloved anime style—a horrible idea and a poor fit for their client.

All seasoned graphic designers have the ability to design in many different styles, and they have an inventory of skills to serve their client's needs—not just their own artistic needs.

Remember that a graphic designer works for someone else (the client). It is important to design for their needs. message and target audience (customers).

Samples

I believe that there are too many design styles to list and categorize each one—and then follow that style somewhat blindly. Instead, I challenge you to focus on your client's message and/or brand and design using a style that is appropriate for them and their customers.

Simply put: Does the design style look like goes with your client's message and customers?

If I visit a bank's web site, I should say to myself, "this looks like a bank should look." (it is appropriate). If I visit a skateboarding store's site, it should look like a skateboarding site.

Here are some examples of different design styles:

 

BRAND: Subway's brand is Fresh Sub Sandwiches (Eat Fresh!)
This hasn't changed, and is reinforced by their web site design above.

 

CONCEPT and STYLE: Subway also has different concepts (ad campaigns) to target different target markets.
A concept could also be thought of as a marketing or advertising campaign. He's a popular concept (ad campaign) featuring Jared, a man who lost weight eating Subway sandwiches. Subway targets a niche target market (people who want to lose weight and eat healthier) with Jared as their spokesperson.

 

CONCEPT and STYLE: A third Subway concept (ad campaign) targets kids. They have their own web site and lots of fun and interactivity to involve them in the Subway kids brand experience. This site is Flash-based and "cooler" that the basic HTML-based Subway web site.

Notice how the design style changes when the concept changes. The designers now target kids. Colors, art, interactivity, type, layout, etc. all change to reflect the different concept.

Note that the brand is still intact. It is still influencing the concept and style. The Subway logo is still used. The green and gold colors are the same. The wheel on the left reflects the brand with categories including information about the food and healthy activities.

More Style Samples

 

Rudolphs restaurant choose the 1920s silent films (with Rudolph Valentino) as their concept and theme. Their brand and web site design reflects this. Look at the typeface, colors, border art, and wallpaper pattern in the background.

 

Johnny Rocketts fast food diner choose the 1950s hamburger, malts and drive-in scene as their concept and style. Their restaurants and marketing reflect this as well. The Flash movie playing on the web site harkens back to the 50s drive-in movie short films that played during intermission.