strong identity: how to occupy the pedestal in people minds

Our team at the branding agency held an online lecture where brand designer Yulia Sukhareva discussed the relationship between positioning and design, as well as how the power of identity can penetrate the minds of the audience.

This lecture was special. It marked the first time we revealed the new incarnation of ICU. So those who attended the webinar were lucky — they were the first to see and experience the fresh identity of our agency.

At the beginning of the lecture, our speaker, Yulia, recommended the book «Positioning: The Battle for the Mind» by Jack Trout and Al Ries. In a person's mind, there are certain niches occupied by brands, and all of them strive to take the top spot. This insight is something designers should keep in mind. But to reach the pedestal, it’s essential to convey the brand’s position through strong design that reflects the character and values of the brand.

There is a lot of informational noise around us, and to avoid getting lost in it, a brand needs to build a strategy, positioning, and identity:

Strategy. In other words, the brand platform or development trajectory that allows for communication with the target audience and helps stand out among competitors.

Positioning. The implementation of the strategy in the consumer's mind through brand attributes, shaping the desired perception among the audience.

Identity. The reflection of positioning through a visual concept that conveys the essence of the brand, its key images, and messages to the audience.

It is important that all design elements are consistent and work towards a single position. Positioning and identity are on the same team, meaning they shape the brand’s cohesive image at every touchpoint with the consumer.

Successful and recognizable brands do not need an introduction. Even if the logo is removed but other elements of the identity are kept, such as color, graphic solutions, patterns, and typography, the audience will still be able to identify the brand.

At the same time, a strong identity should be minimalist yet expressive: the simpler the image, the easier it is to recognize and remember. A successful example that illustrates this idea is the Apple brand. The company’s first logo contained many different elements, both graphic and textual. Apple underwent a long evolution to arrive at the unified emotional image of the bitten apple.

Another successful reference is Amazon. Initially, the company visually communicated a river and the letter A, but the positioning and key image were not clear. Now, their logo includes a smile in the form of an arrow from the letter A to Z, symbolizing «In our store, you can find everything from A to Z».

It is important to create a flexible identity that can easily scale across different mediums, formats, and adapt to changing conditions, while maintaining the unity and integrity of the style.

Let’s return to Amazon, which has a vast number of sub-brands, but remains recognizable thanks to its strong identity. For example, the key brand element, the arrow, scales and adapts to different creatives and brand objectives. The color, as an additional layer, becomes the accent that differentiates one sub-brand from another. Another unifying element is the Amazon font, which is easy to read across different language systems. This approach makes the brand cohesive worldwide, not just in a single country.

We buy from people, which is why brands humanize themselves and evoke emotions. A strong identity triggers immediate feelings and emotions, allowing the brand to occupy that empty slot in a person’s mind.

The negative experience of Pepsi, which released two product lines with different styles, proves that a lack of coherence leads to a loss of recognition.

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