The Real Knowledge Base · from our own projects
What needs to be settled before design work starts on your brand?
Before anyone designs your logo or visual identity, it needs to be clear what your brand stands for. Who you are there for, why customers choose you and what you leave aside as a result. Start designing when your team agrees on that course, customers recognise it and your organisation can deliver on the promise. If that is missing, every discussion about the design is really about the course.
What is settled first
A design translates choices into images and language. Without those choices, everyone judges the design on taste. Three choices make the difference.
- Brand purpose. What you want your brand to mean to your customers, and what you do to make that real.
- Positioning. Why customers choose you, and what you leave aside as a result. For example a market that does not suit you.
- Brand values. Principles your team uses to decide for itself what fits your brand.
For the designer, two more choices are added. Which customer you choose, and which expectation of that customer takes priority. And which existing features stay. A feature stays if customers recognise it and it raises an expectation you deliver on.
When you can start designing right away
Not every design needs a full strategy process. You can start right away if four things are true. Your management and your team say the same about why customers choose you. Your customers recognise that. Your organisation can deliver on that promise. And nothing fundamental is changing in your market, your offer or your customers. Then the design translates a course that is already there.
When the course comes first
With a new brand next to an existing one, a new market or a new phase of growth, the question shifts. First it has to be clear where the brand fits. The same applies if your people give different answers to the question of what your brand stands for. A brand audit then shows where the gaps are. Sometimes it shows that your organisation or your processes need to change first, not your brand.
How it went at Vybe
Koopmans Meubelen sells made-to-measure tables through more than 400 dealers. For chairs it wanted a second brand, lower in price without looking cheap. The name and the chairs were there, but a distinct visual identity was missing. The course was set first. Vybe stands next to Koopmans, not below it, with elegance as its promise and a price that fits. Then came the design. The logo carries that tension, a soft v next to clean letters.
Where it goes wrong
- A course intended to appeal to everyone. Whoever wants to appeal to everyone can lose what makes them distinctive, and the design becomes a compromise.
- A course that ends up in a drawer. Set it down so that your team uses it to make choices every day.
- No agreement on who decides. Then the design is passed around to everyone with an opinion.
- Renewing without knowing what is not working. Then the look changes and the problem stays.
Frequently asked questions
Do you always need a brand strategy before you design?
No. If your team agrees on the course, customers recognise it and your organisation can deliver on the promise, the design can start right away. If in doubt, a brand audit first gives you an honest picture. You can also commission it on its own.
Who should have a say in the course?
Your management and the people who represent the brand every day. We test the course with management, staff and, where possible, customers. Agree in advance who makes the choice on behalf of your company.
What if the design is already under way?
Then write the course down anyway, in a few sentences, and set the design next to it. If it does not fit, first check whether the course still holds. Adjust the course first if needed. Change the design if it still does not fit after that, so that your customer recognises what you stand for.
Sources and accountability
- This article describes our own way of working, as set out on our Brand strategy and positioning and Branding pages.
- Our advice on these trade-offs is based on this way of working.
- The example comes from the Vybe case, the brand we developed for Koopmans Meubelen.
- These sources give no measured result for what it costs to redo a design without a course. That is why there is no figure here.
A specific question about your brand?
Tell us where your brand stands now. We assess what is already in place and advise on a suitable first step for your needs.
Talk to us