Visually Communicating the Brand by Jeremy Loyd

This article is derived from the second presentation by Jeremy Loyd

Communicating your brand doesn’t stop with the completion of the brandmark or logo. In fact, it never really stops. Absolutely anything––a pamphlet, a sign, an employee, a website––communicates your brand. The technical term is touchpoint, and it’s any way a potential client or donor comes in contact with your brand.

A successful touchpoint:

• communicates the brand message in a memorable way (visual or visual and verbal)
• sets a first and lasting impression of the “essence” of the brand
• resonates with your target audience
• is one part of a unified whole that makes up the brand

Successful organizations communicate their brand message through a set of unified, memorable touchpoints, and meticulously manage the brand over time.

In larger corporations, there are “Brand Managers.” Essentially, these Brand Managers are like policemen, patrolling to check that the brand styling is being used appropriately. Since most organizations do not have this specified position, it is important to keep an eye out for brand consistency.

An alternative to adding a Brand Manager to your payroll is a Brand Standards Manual. This manual should contain guidelines on how the brand is to be conveyed. In addition, the Brand Standards Manual will serve as a:

• document containing brandmark usage, colors, typography, etc.
• vital tool for managing the brand
• guide to maintain consistent brand voice and visuals
• handbook that can be given to vendors

Something you can do, specifically, is to include a high-quality logo on your site along with a short list of rules or guidelines on how to use it. This will avoid any circumstances where someone may do a Google search for your organization’s logo, and use a poor quality image.

No matter what steps you take to make it happen, you need to defend the visual integrity of your brand.