Brand Tuned - Rounded Business Design Shireen Smith

In this episode of the Brand Tuned podcast, we welcome Paul Fernandez, CEO of The Growth Guys, to discuss the journey of starting and branding his growth marketing company during the pandemic. Paul shares insights from his past experiences, the challenges of defining and living up to a brand promise, and the importance of adapting branding strategies as a business evolves.

This episode shares an interesting point of view of branding through experiences including:


An Agency That Delivers Results


A Brand Is What Customers Tell You


Developing The Visual Identity


Creating A Team Culture


The Perspective on Branding Over Time

How The Market Perceives Your Brand



Website: The Growth Guys
LinkedIn: Paul Fernandez



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In this episode, Emmanuel Probst, a Global Lead, Brand Thought-Leadership at Ipsos and an adjunct professor teaching consumer market research at UCLA, shares with us how to create a transformative brand.

Emmanuel has 17 years of background in marketing and market research experience, such as at IP source. He is also the author of Brand Hacks, and Assemblage - The Art and Science of Brand Transformation, which releases this coming January 2023.

Among other things, we discuss:
that brands can no longer just sell products. They must aim to be transformative for people and the world they live in. That brands are no longer in control of the narrative, so they must harness the power of the community and make a greater and more sustainable one.the importance of noticing what existing brands are offering the market. Then consider creating something new and unique to offer in the category. creating your market positioning.The trick is really to understand your audience and  get a deep understanding of the market.three Dimensions of Brand TransformationWhat is Programmed Obsolescence?How to Create a Transformative BrandUnderstanding Trends in the Society

www.emmanuelprobst.com
Twitter: @Emmanuelprobst
Linkedin Emmanuel Probst

Resources mentioned on the podcast
Brand Hacks
Assemblage - The Art and Science of Brand Transformation
marketingweek.com
adage.com
adweek.com
mediapost.com
Challenger Project - Eat Big Fish
Financial Insights at Ipsos.com

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Having recently asked people what their top questions are about branding and IP (Intellectual Property), I decided to record my answers in this episode.

The questions answered in this episode include:


What are the different ways I can protect my brand?Do I need international protection or is UK protection enough?How do I explain to graphic designers I work with the importance of checking they are not infringing on anyone's IP?How can you be sure that graphic designers you work with hand over the rights to all the assets they create? How can you be sure they have done this fully?What do you regard as the best branding campaign(s) of all time? And why?Do you think the Internet is actually effective for brand building?

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In this episode I discuss some thoughts  following the recent podcast with Sean Adams,  an internationally recognized graphic designer, and the chair of undergraduate and graduate graphic design at Art Center College of Design in California. 

I found Sean's approach refreshingly client focused and empathetic.  For example, Sean takes clients on the design journey and explains what he is doing and why. 

This collaborative approach, and avoiding a big reveal at the end of the process, is more likely to result in an identity that the client finds acceptable.

I think if the designer can also talk about the IP dimension they would be the ideal adviser to clients. While the word ‘design’ is commonly associated with graphic designers, in truth it includes anyone who advises on business structure. They can help plan how a business should work in all respects, not just visually.

Given that visual identity needs to be permanent I’m often baffled that  designers radically change the visual identity of established businesses just because the business’ strategy changes.

Surely tweaks to the identity is all that's needed, unless there is something radically transformed about the business. It’s vital to leave the identifying elements so you don’t disturb memory structures.

This episode tackles:
Importance of taking clients on the design journeyWhat makes a good logo?When is it the right time to radically change a visual identity?Drawbacks of changing your identityMeasuring brand equity to make identity design decisionswww.seanadams.design
Resources mentioned on the podcast
The Designer’s Dictionary of Color 
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In this episode, Sean Adams, an internationally recognized graphic designer, and the chair of undergraduate and graduate graphic design at Art Center College of Design in California  tells  us to succeed with identities without really trying.

Sean Adams is the author of multiple best selling books, including  The Designer’s Dictionary of Color.

Brand Identity is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It's a toolkit, an approach to solving problems, an equation. It's not a thing that you can just slap onto your business and hope for the best. You have to understand it and use it correctly in order to succeed with brand identities without really trying.

If you're just starting out, the process can seem overwhelming at first. Where do you even begin? What kind of logo is best for your business? How do you go about creating an identity that speaks to your customers and attracts new clients?

There’s no one right answer, but there are three kinds of identities that you need to understand to start with: word mark, monogram, and symbol. Your branding strategy may use one of these approaches, so it’s good to explore them all and know what they mean.

One of the trickiest aspects of branding is building equity over time. If you think about the Apple identity, it has that little bite out of it, which forces you to think a little bit, the more you think, the more it sticks in your head. 

Design is an important part of branding. You can't just have a nice logo and expect people to buy your product. You have to make it appealing in other ways too, Branding isn't just about beauty and aesthetic, but it should be how we can make it unique. 

We focus on certain colors because they've become emotionally loaded with meaning for us. How do we get those emotional meanings etched into our brand image?

This episode discusses:
Three kinds of identitiesBuilding equity with symbolsChoosing your branding fontsVisual attributesHow to know you have a great designer/ designers sensibilitiesThe cultural impact of color choicesSemioticsCurrent challenges facing designers
www.seanadams.design
Resources mentioned on the podcast
The Designer’s Dictionary of Color 
How Design Makes Us Think
Debbie Millman books
Sean Adams' LinkedIn leaning course on branding
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Is being unique your ultimate goal in your business? How, exactly, do you stand out from your competitors and make sure that you remain a purple cow?
 
 A crucial part of a business’ success is being distinctive and visibly different from its competitors. This is the main objective in creating business brand. Having a recognizable and distinctive name helps ensure you will be able to stand out from the crowd. 
 
 Distinctiveness is about the identifiers we use. These identifiers are how consumers recognise brands. They associate them with you. It’s your name, and brand elements you choose, such as your logo, any distinctive symbols, characters, shapes, sounds, colours etc. 
When you’re creating your business' brand, understanding what competitors can and can't legitimately copy is key to creating a unique brand. Your focus should be as much on what to create as whether you can prevent copying of the elements you create..
 That’s why creating slogans and taglines that are ownable is key to protecting our messaging strategy. We stand a greater chance of being associated with the message behind our strategy. 
 
 In today's fast-paced world, it is not enough to raise awareness of how we differ. We need to know and understand about intellectual property rights, and how this can help us achieve design choices that set us apart from competitors. 
 In this episode I touch on the laws governing the ownership of ideas and trademarks, as well as how to use them to protect your brand. I discuss:
Two components for a business to stand outDifference between personal and business brandsIntellectual PropertyConcept of distinctivenessPopeye the sailorHow important trademark rights are in protecting business brands Famous personalities and their distinctiveness/uniqueness
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