Brand Corporate Identity - Final Project
Chan Qian Hui 0334447
Brand Corporate Identity
Final Project - Brand Guidelines
LECTURE NOTES
Lecture 6: Brand Guidelines/Brand Manual/Brand Style Guide
19/5/2020 (Week 6)
This week, we learn in depth about what is the structure inside a brand book, the details that should be included about the design, the type of book bindings and brand applications. Miss gave some examples of graphic element and typography in existing brands as well as references for us to understand how a brand book should look like.
INSTRUCTIONS
FINAL PROJECT
Design Progress:
Brand Book Progression:
For the brand book, first I started by sorting out the brand book structure and finding layout references for the book. I also looked into the book size which I think would suit the book as well.
Then, I started applying the references and drafted a rough pagination for the book. I referred to a much more simple and minimal design for the book as I think it suits the brand image which is elegant and fresh.
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| Fig 1.0 Pagination Draft |
First attempt of book design:
The design turned out to be very empty and maybe too plain. I had to restructure the design as it was not right and does not really suit the brand image as well. The size was also a bit weird as my brand does not have much context in it and it does not require such a wide space for the pages.
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| Fig 1.0 Thumbnail of Brand Book (First Attempt) |
Second attempt of book design:
For the second attempt, the design looks much better and the use of space in the book feels much more suitable and comfortable as well. However I felt that the design was a little to restricted and compact and does not have enough space for me to put the necessary text which I need. The design and placement of elements are also inconsistent due to the different length of text.
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| Fig 1.1 Thumbnail of Brand Book (second attempt) |
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| Fig 1.2 Thumbnail of Brand Book (second attempt) |
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| Fig 1.3 Thumbnail of Brand Book (second attempt) |
Final attempt of book design:
After looking at how my classmates structure their brand book, I have decided to restructure my entire brand book and ensure that there is enough space for each elements. I also referred to new layout references online which I think is more suitable for my number of context and image.
Final Brand Book PDF:
Brand Applications Progression:
For the brand applications, we were tasked to create 7 applications or more that is suitable for our brand. Since my brand is a law firm, I looked into applications that are more commonly found in an office environment which would suit the brand better.
These are the initial applications made. When I started compiling all of them together I realized there were too many of them and some of the applications felt unnecessary and I decided to filter and only choose a few suitable ones for the brand.
Final Brand Applications:
Brand Story Animation Progression:
For the brand story, I wanted to portray the bird from the logo flying away to show the sign of freedom. Then I will show the tagline at the very end so people would know that the brand is about divorce and not mistaken it for something else. I used Adobe After Effects to create the brand animation.
First Attempt of Animation:
The feedback I got was that the additional elements should not overlap the logo and I should fade the very end to green to emphasis on both of my primary brand colours which are pink and green.
Final Brand Story Animation:
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Final Submission
Brand Book:
Brand Book PDF:
Brand Applications:
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| Fig 2.0 Brand Book Mockup |
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| Fig 2.1 Store Card Mockup |
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| Fig 2.2 Employees Card Mockup |
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| Fig 2.3 Enamel Pin Mockup |
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| Fig 2.4 Stationery Mockup (envelope, card, letterhead) |
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| Fig 2.5 Letterhead Mockup |
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| Fig 2.6 File Mockup (Legal Services) |
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| Fig 2.7 File Mockup (Consultations) |
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| Fig 2.8 Slip-on File |
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| Fig 2.9 Coffee Cup Mockup |
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| Fig 2.10 Pouch Mockup |
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| Fig 2.11 Website Mockup |
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| Fig 2.12 Office Signage Mockup |
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| Fig 2.13 Reception Counter Mockup |
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| Fig 2.14 Poster Mockup |
Brand Story Animation:
FEEDBACK
Week 7:
Miss Low asked me make sure that the choice of applications should be necessary or not since we need to be careful about budget constraints. So it is important to ensure that the applications which I want to create has a strong reasoning behind for the client. While for the interior decorations, my choice was a brass type of decoration, I was suggested to maybe look into paintings that I can apply.
Week 8:
Miss mentioned that the reference which I chose for the book layout are very image focused. She said that I can try to analyze the style which the reference arrange the elements but I need to be careful if I follow the sample as I do not have as many pictures as the reference. Miss also mentioned that I should start working on my applications and pagination since I already have an idea on what I want to do.
Week 9:
Miss mentioned that the feather pattern is interesting but I should not overly repeat it as it end up looking very tropical which does not go well with the brand. Miss mentioned that I could start working on the brand book layout and also maybe introduce one or two more sections on the website.
Week 10:
Miss adviced that I find better images for the website layout from websites such as stockimages or getty images. She also suggested that I could perhaps include websites details in the applications instead of just logo only. For the book design miss mentioned that I could try to fill the page with colour or try some other placements to avoid the book from looking black and white only.
Week 11:
The images are much more consistent now but I can try to find images that have similar things or similar angle for example the hands to ensure the consistency of image. For my brand book, miss said that the new composition is better but I need to start working more on the brand book. For the brand story animation, the references I got look good and the plan I have sounds good also, so I was adviced to start working on the animation.
Week 12:
As I made some changes in the brand applications, miss said it is good that I know what I should create and have a rationale for each of the product. For the animation of the brand story, miss suggested me to not overlap the birds on the logo, maybe it can be placed at the sides instead of the center.
Week 13:
For the mug application, miss suggested that I can maybe flip the mugs to show that one is front and one is the back so people won't mistaken it as two designs instead of one. Besides that, the new memo which I created feels abit heavy on the green and maybe can be placed at the back or reduce down on the opacity. I should also include the logo in the memo card as well.
Week 14:
For the change in colour applications, miss said it is good that I have made the differences clear as the two primary colours are now only used for identification for departments instead of randomly applied in applications. For the file mock-up, since I was not able to find mockups for it, miss suggested that I had possibly find some paper texture or add shadow to create the visual effect for it. While for the reception counter, the brand name does not need to be repeated again or can be placed smaller. For the brand story animation, miss suggested me to have the ending to fade to green so that I could maintain the brand identity until the very end.
REFLECTION
Experience: Throughout the process of the final project, I was a little bit confused as I had to constantly multitask by shifting from brand book design to applications and suddenly to animation. I definitely was stressed out as my applications constantly changed every week and due to that my brand book design was delayed as well. I didn't really understood well about the brand book design benchmark and the necessary content that I should put in until I saw my classmate's work. I was a little disappointed cause I never really knew that my initial book was actually badly designed until I saw my friend's work, but after that I definitely learnt from it and thankfully had enough time to redesign my brand book.
Observation: I observed that many of my friends were a little bit stressed out as our applications had to be constantly fixed over and over again every week and this caused us to take more focus on the application instead of the brand book design. What I noticed is that most of my friends chose only very few applications only and each has a very strong rationale whereas mine was overwhelmed with a lot of applications.
Findings: I found out that brand guidelines is something that requires a very clear understanding of the brand identity and the proper rules for each design element that you wish to implement. It's more than just creating a brand and having fun with different kind of applications, but it is more to understand the standard image that you want to maintain in a brand and also ensure that the people will follow the proper rules when utilizing the designs in the future. I was pretty confused at the beginning of the project but now I have a grasp of what this module is about.
FURTHER READING
Book of Branding: A Guide to Creating Brand Identity for Start-ups and Beyond by Radim Malinic
Book of Branding helped me to understand better about the complicated world of brand identity. The conversational, jargon free, tone of the book helps the reader to understand essential elements of the brand identity process. The book uses real life case studies to show how great collaborative work can be achieved. It is a creative guide which puts visual identity at the heart of brand strategy.
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