DFW - The Importance of Branding and Color in Business [LESSON]

Designing for the Web

Branding

A name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's goods or services as distinct from those of other sellers.

Other facts about brands:

• The word "brand" is derived from the old horse brand meaning "to burn," which refers to the practice of producers burning their mark (or brand) onto their products.
• During the Industrial Revolution, the production of many household items, such as soap, was moved from local communities to centralized factories where they were branded with a logo or insignia, extending the meaning of "brand" to that of trademark.
• All of a brand's elements (i.e., logo, color, shape, letters, and images) work as a psychological trigger or stimulus that causes an association to all other thoughts we have about a brand.
• Brands provide external cues to taste, design, performance, quality, value, and prestige if they are developed and managed properly.
• Brands convey positive or negative messages about a product. They also indicate the company or service to the consumer, which is a direct result of past advertising, promotion, and product reputation.

A brand can convey up to six levels of meaning: Attributes, Benefits, Values, Culture, Personality, and User.

Check out this "Fundamental Elements of Design" video on how to use design elements to create a brand.

 

Image: Brands CC, Brett Jordan https://www.flickr.com/photos/x1brett/6969354214/in/photostream/ Links to an external site. 

Brands are extremely important in business.  The brand is the identity of the business; it is what people think of when they think of the business.  In the image above you can see 10 of the biggest companies in the US and all the brands associated with them. See how many of these brands you recognize, How many do you use?

Color in Business

Colors have meanings; these are based on the psychological feeling we get from the color.  The psychology of color is a mixture of art and science.  Some of it is cultural, some of it is based on nature.  “The colors you select send important messages – choose wisely and apply what environmental psychologists have learned about the science of seeing color.” Dr. Sally Augustin, Environmental Psychologist

See the image below to understand how brands use color to create an emotional response from consumers.

 Color_emotion_guide.png (Public Domain) https://www.flickr.com/photos/150885343@N04/29556722067 Links to an external site.

Try this exercise to determine if you can accurately identify and use the correct colors for the web.

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