A brand is not just a logo or design elements. Rather, it is the thoughts and emotions evoked when the entity is mentioned. It is how an organization is perceived by its constituents; staff and service providers; law- and rule-makers; policy experts across the political spectrum; members and leaders of other organizations; the media…it’s not overstating it to say: the public at large.
Great brands build strong bonds with their audience by being consistent. They are instantly recognizable and immediately stand for something. And they speak a common language, despite the fact that they may be speaking to very different people from very different places.
A logo is just part of a brand. Branding encompasses much more: the language used, the fonts and colors, the tone, the environment, events and level of service. Perception is established on multiple levels, not only the way the entity looks but also through experience.
By creating a strong brand, an organization can continue to shape the way people think and feel about it. It is vitally important that, as a brand is built, all stakeholders are disciplined and consistent in the way it is presented both internally and to the outside world.
I’ve worked with established brands that needed a bit of clarification in their execution. And I’ve gotten the opportunity to develop new branding from scratch.
Full Branding Guidelines
I inherited logos and a general “look and feel” at a couple recent professional homes. Neither, however, had much internal discipline in enforcing any kind of consistent use. As expected, this resulted in inconsistent brand awareness across the organization and their chapters, publications and divisions. I created full branding guidebooks for both.
An Essential Educational Brand
One of the more common association offerings is its educational opportunities. These usually come in the form of conferences, publications, online resources, live webinars and an online community. But because these are staffed and created by different reporting units, they may be constructed and marketed very differently and disconnected from each other. But most associations have a great opportunity to unify their “educational brand” to better serve their members.
A Printed & Mailed Newsletter
In an age where almost everything is electronic, it's great when an organization has a physical touchpoint like an actual mailed newsletter. This great partner-client has a long-standing newsletter that goes to about a thousand recipients across New York State. I was in great need of a makeover. I moved it from being quickly thrown together last minute by their printer's staffer to a fully-designed in InDesign professional-looking almost magazine.
Get Out the Vote
This municipal campaign required a more colorful update to their prior election year logo which was designed to be very serious in blacks and greys. Luckily this candidate has a great campaign name: short to fit on any format. I designed multiple versions to fit on everything from yard signs to social media to letterhead.
A Private Club
I’m on the board of the Delta Kappa Epsilon Club of New York - the only post-graduate club for any fraternity in the world. For most of its 135 years, the Club has had no branding of its own, using instead the Crest of its brother organization, Delta Kappa Epsilon.