I love the comment on fluffy copy. There is so much copy out there that doesn’t say anything and is just an excuse for the writer to show how smart and clever they are. Their coworkers might like it, but copy like that doesn’t do the job it’s supposed to do.
She points it out wisely and I also think within teams it also a common effort to stay on brand or stay rooted to the brand's voice. It is not an easy task to maintain with new people and ideas coming into play. It is everlasting educational process to remind those foundations.
I remember talking to a founder of a branding agency who stated a key trait in flexibility in branding. The brand styles guides being a 1 sheet document that allows more organic use of what a brand stands for. I think for new organisations and companies who are in a redefinition moment it can be so pivotal and help them gain more authority over that new identity (visual, voice, speech...).
What do you put in your brand style guides and must there be a "brand police" (in a mindful way or a brand sage) looking over it all for congruency? Is it even viable to put such a task one a sole individual?
Yes, when the brand is first being established, there has to be a "brand police" who, most importantly, has the authority to enforce the guidelines. That person has to be able to say, "no" to the highest people in the company if they want to do something that is off-brand. Brand guidelines are a great shield against dumb ideas.
Indeed, that person does have the authority to remind others of "what they have as a group," which is defined as "This is us."
Yet, I believe in and respect ideas in all shapes and forms. Some of our perceived "dumbest" or craziest ideas were beacons for better ones.
They all serve and have value in that passing of the baton.
In a company, if on person states an idea that is off-brand and a group of people validates that idea, it then becomes a collective choice. Branding is for sure organic and impregnated with mistakes and misunderstandings at some point because of it's ''revealer trait''.
I love the comment on fluffy copy. There is so much copy out there that doesn’t say anything and is just an excuse for the writer to show how smart and clever they are. Their coworkers might like it, but copy like that doesn’t do the job it’s supposed to do.
She points it out wisely and I also think within teams it also a common effort to stay on brand or stay rooted to the brand's voice. It is not an easy task to maintain with new people and ideas coming into play. It is everlasting educational process to remind those foundations.
This is when brand style guides - which is so much more than logos and colors - become even more important.
I remember talking to a founder of a branding agency who stated a key trait in flexibility in branding. The brand styles guides being a 1 sheet document that allows more organic use of what a brand stands for. I think for new organisations and companies who are in a redefinition moment it can be so pivotal and help them gain more authority over that new identity (visual, voice, speech...).
What do you put in your brand style guides and must there be a "brand police" (in a mindful way or a brand sage) looking over it all for congruency? Is it even viable to put such a task one a sole individual?
Yes, when the brand is first being established, there has to be a "brand police" who, most importantly, has the authority to enforce the guidelines. That person has to be able to say, "no" to the highest people in the company if they want to do something that is off-brand. Brand guidelines are a great shield against dumb ideas.
Indeed, that person does have the authority to remind others of "what they have as a group," which is defined as "This is us."
Yet, I believe in and respect ideas in all shapes and forms. Some of our perceived "dumbest" or craziest ideas were beacons for better ones.
They all serve and have value in that passing of the baton.
In a company, if on person states an idea that is off-brand and a group of people validates that idea, it then becomes a collective choice. Branding is for sure organic and impregnated with mistakes and misunderstandings at some point because of it's ''revealer trait''.
Thank you for sparking this conversation!