PROJECT 1
PHASE 1: MARKET AND DESIGN STRATEGY
DESIGNING BRAND IDENTITY IDSN-599
BUILDING A BRAND
Building a brand requires business acumen and well-informed decisions. The first priority is to understand
the organization: its mission, vision, values, target markets, corporate culture, competitive advantage,
strengths and weaknesses, marketing strategies, and challenges for the future. Understanding comes from
various sources – from reading strategic documents and business plans to interviewing key stakeholders.
Requesting the appropriate information from a client is the first step and should precede interviewing of
any key management. This is true of small and large brands.
YourName_DBI_P1.1
VALUE PROPOSITION
Deliverable(s): Submit your final work through the LMS as an 8.5x11 (portrait) .pdf file.
Details: Create a value proposition sentence for your assigned company. We create [products or services]
with [features or specs] ensuring [customer] enjoys the [benefit of the product]. Write 3 paragraphs on
what values define your market category.
YourName_DBI_P1.2:
BRAND CATEGORY RESEARCH
Deliverable(s): Submit your final work through the LMS as an 8.5x11 (portrait) multiple page .pdf file.
Creating this document identifies the basis on which we expect consumers to purchase our brand in
preference to competition. This strategy emerges directly from the company or product and the basic
consumer need which it was designed to fulfill. It may also be based on the company’s mission statement.
A strategy should clearly state the basic benefit which the brand promises and which constitutes
the principle basis for purchase. The strategy brief provides guidance and direction for the brand’s
identity and advertising. It should be considered a long-term document. It prescribes the limits for
imagination, while being sufficiently flexible to allow for fresh and varied executions.
KEY FACT:
What facts about the company and its products are most important?
COMPANY MISSION:
Describe the principles on which the company is run.
COMPANY/PRODUCT ATTRIBUTES, FEATURES AND BENEFITS:
List for the company and its products.
PRINCIPLE COMPETITION:
Research. Describe the current marketplace category. What is making the competition successful?
What are any problems within this category?
TARGET CUSTOMER:
Write a series of short descriptive phrases that define to whom you want to talk in demographic
or lifestyle terms. Persona. What do we know about them? How should we talk to them/not talk
to them? (TONE)
AUDIENCE:
What does the audience think/feel about us? What do they think/feel about the competition?
(continued on next page)
PROJECT 1
PHASE 1: MARKET AND DESIGN STRATEGY
DESIGNING BRAND IDENTITY IDSN-599
PURPOSE:
Write a brief statement of what you want the identity and advertising to accomplish
or what you want the consumer top do after exposure to the messge. What will they
think/feel about us after the communication? What do we want them to do after the
communication? Why will they change their minds?
YourName_DBI_P1.3:
VISUAL IDENTITY RESEARCH
Deliverable(s): Submit your final work through the LMS as an 8.5x11 (portrait) .pdf file.
Details: Find 10 companies that are in your Brand Category - competition. These should include
Speed, engineering, solid but sexy — this is the Ducati brand
in a nutshell. They are known for their racing, so speed and
engineering are most important, but they are also know for their
The recently redesigned logo for The Maryland Institute College of
Art is a combination of classic and contemporary. The idea derived
from the 2 main art buildings on campus — a classic historical
established as well as startup options. Design one page that has all their logomarks. Next to each
impeccable and enticing design. Ducati is equal parts Brains,
Beauty and Brawn.
building and a new, modern glass and steel structure. The angle
between the “C” and “A” reflects a strong angle in the new building.
logo create swatches of the color palette used.
In this recently redesigned logo,
elegance and longevity come to
mind. Black and white, and the
Find 3 companies that are in a brand related category. In a multiple page document, layout all of their
typeface selection say classic
elegance, but the cropped and
stacked nature of the typography A long-standing department store known for it’s fashion and style,
this logo conveys a more youthful appeal. Recent store make-
brand elements - logomark, website, advertising, and all applications you can find. List their names
say modern and contemporary.
overs create more of a uniquely modern, youth-driven experience
while maintaining it’s upscale appeal for this retail giant.
and URL links on a single page for review in class.
Volvo has long been known for being the safest cars in the world. National Public Radio is known for it’s trust-worthy, reliable report-
The highest standards in Swedish engineering result in a car that ing. The use of the square blocks butted next to each other in a
is known for reliability and safety. The squat, stocky letterforms feel formidable fashion conveys this. However, the use of lowercase
solid and reminiscent of the squarish, tank-like cars. letterforms makes it more approachable.
The visual representation of A new beginning — a new Variety — the various pro- Green innovation — it is about
the San Francisco Opera day, with the sun rising over gramming choices they offer change, transition, and evolu-
looks like an explosion of the horizon. With a new day, is conveyed in the analogy of tion — which is exactly what
fireworks — indicative of the comes a new chance to a peacock’s colorful plumage. this oil company is doing with
powerful aural experience do things better. Hope and it’s research and development
of opera singing. change are strong ideolo- of alternative and bio fuels.
gies behind Barack Obama’s The organic, plant-like mark
campaign for president. takes a very different stance
from other oil companies.
‘BP” formerly known as “Brit-
ish Petroleum”, now goes by
their tagline “Beyond Petro-
leum”.
