INSIGHTS

Nope. Although they all work together to give you a strong brand, there are differences that are important to understand. When you are looking to refresh or rebrand, it’s key that you engage with a brand strategist. Designers are highly skilled, but brand strategy can be a different ball game.

Let’s clear up the difference and help you understand how Vicky (brand strategist) and Debbie (designer) work together with our clients at different stages.

Your brand (Vicky) refers to the overall strategy, message, and identity of your business (underneath the iceberg if you will). Vicky works with you on your brand values, personality, and messaging, helping you to define those unique attributes that distinguish your brand from your competitors. This is important as it defines the core elements around your business and it’s what your customers will engage with. It also helps your designer create a visual identity that truly reflects your business — having something pretty with no substance makes it a longer path to achieving your goals.

Your branding (this is where Vicky and Debbie work together) includes elements such as your brand name, logo, colours, fonts, imagery and tone of voice (The tip of the iceberg that everyone will see and engage with). It is the fun part of the process after your strategy where we work to blend the emotional (underneath the iceberg) with the tangible elements (tip of the iceberg) of your brand. We then start to create a distinctive image and build the right foundational reputation for your product or business in the minds of your consumers.

Design (Debbie), on the other hand, refers to the visual and functional elements of your brand, (this is also where we work with Carol on the marketing side of things) such as the layout, typography and colour rules, graphics, and user interface. Design is Debbie ensuring the well-thought-out creation of an attractive and user-friendly visual identity that meets the needs of your target audience. Good design is essential for creating a positive experience and reinforcing your brand message.

So, in summary, your brand is your strategy, your business personality, what its values are, how it behaves and the perception you want it to give your customers. While branding is the process of creating a unique identity for your company. And finally, design is the process of creating visually appealing collateral that aligns with your brand identity.

Simple. 🙂