We love working on and completely redesigning brands here at BizStream. However, for some clients, working through a full brand redesign may not be the right business decision for their marketing or business goals. For these clients, we suggest a brand refinement instead.
Brand refinement is a strategic decision that builds on the clients’ existing brand, no matter how much or how little of the brand may exist. The primary goal of a brand refinement is to fix or improve the parts of the brand that need updating while maintaining the brand recognition and brand equity that already exists with the current brand.
A brand refinement follows the same process as a full brand redesign. The main difference is that the amount of the brand that is modified or updated at each step is more streamlined.
The branding process includes working through each of the following steps:
Any project we work on requires some research and discovery. During this step, we take time to get to know and understand your business, your competitors, your customers’ needs, and what makes your business unique. We will also discuss how you use your brand in various media and the issues you are having.
For brand refinement we will:
For the messaging platform, we will examine how you talk about your company and how you differentiate yourself in the marketing materials you produce. We will also work on developing your brand story and determining the key messages that best support it.
For brand refinement we will:
During the brand identity step, we will examine your brand’s core visuals, including your logo, color palette, and typography to the graphic elements and photographic imagery you use. Think of these as the “parts and pieces” of your brand. This step is very exciting as the first visual aspects of the brand start to take shape.
For brand refinement we will:
The visual brand experience is how the “parts and pieces” of your brand identity are uniquely put together for your brand. The visual brand experience step is all about developing the custom layouts, design elements, and photography treatments for all of your marketing materials and customer touchpoints. We like to call these custom treatments and layouts your “brand expressions.”
This is one of the most fun parts of any brand project. During this step, there is a lot of visual exploration, trying out different combinations of colors, fonts, graphic elements, and imagery to see which treatments are the most compelling and effective.
For brand refinement we will:
Once decisions have been made for your messaging, brand identity, and brand expressions, these choices need to be documented for use going forward. The brand consistency step is all about defining your brand standards to ensure consistency and maintain the integrity of your brand. This often takes the form of a brand guide that can be used internally or externally with any vendor who will need to work with your brand.
For brand refinement we will:
Ultimately, the strategy behind any brand update should be guided by a clear vision for the future of your brand and a deep understanding of your customers and your business goals. By taking a thoughtful and strategic approach to refining your brand, you can position yourself for long-term success and ensure that your brand remains relevant and impactful for years to come.
We’d love to help you with your next branding project. View our brand work or contact us to get started!
We love to make cool things with cool people. Have a project you’d like to collaborate on? Let’s chat!
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