When it comes to branding there are a lot of tricks of the trade to get a client talking about their brand. Getting the most out of preliminary meetings means asking the right questions to encourage discussion about who they are and how they want to be perceived. Detail employs a number of strategies to get our creative juices flowing. A book that has given us some great techniques is “Logo Savvy” written by Perry Chua and Dann Ilicic.
One of our favourite techniques is using the Attribute Spectrum, a tool that lays out a scale of dichotomous attributes and asks the client to mark off where their brand personality lies between the opposing descriptions. It successfully works to have a client think about the facets of their company – their personality, how they function, what they provide and the grand vision of what they hope to be. It narrows the field and ignites a client with confidence regarding who they are.
When using this spectrum with clients who have multiple decision makers, we encourage them to fill it out individually to highlight any conflicting views of the brand that should be addressed. However, this technique revealed difficulties during our delightful spectrum exercise. The resulting picture of the company could be skewed for the following reasons: a) an individual can get confused while reviewing the attributes as many of them are very visually charged “bright, color, light, simple” which could result in answering in accordance with that tangible qualities of a logo as opposed to a brand personality and b) an individuals misunderstanding of what is being asked of them and what a “brand personality” really is.
To bring these discrepancies to light and assist our clients, Detail thought to run a series of brand analyses for some major brands in the hopes of demonstrating how the Attribute Spectrum hones in on a brand’s personality, not necessarily the visual representation (logo). A logo doesn’t have to encapsulate all of the attributes, but be guided by them. As Chua & Ilicic say, “A logo is simply the punctuation to a brand” (Logo Savvy).
Our first brand analysis goes to Apple – one of the most exceptional and well-known brands in the market today. When you buy Apple, you are buying into a culture and lifestyle. The Apple brand strategy is highly based on human emotions. It points to innovation, creativity, passion, inspiration and individuality. The brand has positioned itself as a catalyst for expression and there is an entire inclusive community of Apple supporters that encompass the vibrancy of its personality. Apple takes the complexity of technology and simplifies it. It’s easy; it’s luxurious; it’s quality.
Applying the Apple brand to our trusty Attribute Spectrum was quick and easy. What’s important to note, however, is that the logo itself doesn’t visually demonstrate all of the listed attributes. The brand is so well positioned that the logo represents much more than the obvious. Apple has had a number of logo variations in the past, but has now settled on the simplicity of the single, silver apple, with its glossy sheen and lighting effects. As you can see, we’ve checked off Apple’s brand personality as bright, colorful and somewhat exotic…but the logo itself is not representing those attributes at all. This is because the Apple brand is more than just a logo it’s an experience. The overall experience of Apple reflects these vibrant attributes.
A well-developed brand has spent the time on discerning their personality and lets it emanate everything they do – from how they design their logo to how they create an advertisement; how they deal with customers to how they promote staff morale. Accurately determining a brand’s personality at the level of an Attribute Spectrum can affect everything down the line and Detail supports a careful analysis in the early stages of our creative process to make sure our clients’ brands are strong, visionary and steadfast.
