branding

Firestarter treats branding as a fusion of art and science. Science lends the methodology to ensure a holistic approach to branding. Art is the sensitivity to logo design, choice of colour, typography and unity.

The result is more than just a logo, but a narrative that builds mindshare. The narrative provides the space which allows the corporate identity to evolve and work in many ways.

To develop a comprehensive brand, Firestarter spends time conducting brand workshops with stakeholders to calibrate perspectives, assess territories and gather market intelligence.

 

Brand narrative

Firestarter views branding as more than a visual representation, but as something which is spoken about. It is the story, or the narrative surrounding the brand which is being communicated. Therefore, a brand with a narrative has an advantage over one without.

It can carry meaning in more places – such as a blog, a forum or an editorial piece.

With each brand Firestarter shapes for a client, the firm injects narrative. The results is a communication platform which describes how customers, employees, suppliers will relate and talk about the brand.

Brand narrative permits more than an intellectual connection with the brand - it fosters an emotional one. Brand narrative is as important for B2C as it is for B2B businesses. Relying on facts and figures to create brand recall is not as effective. Facts are temporal and become difficult to maintain since they change rapidly.

Brand narrative lends multinationals a sustainable point of difference which all media can scale from.

 

Scalability of the brand

An identity has the latitude to evolve, as well as the foresight to work in many places.

The test of good creative concept is the brand’s ability to be expressed in many places. Be it a small or large space, Firestarter architects a brand to work in retail, advertising, online, events and direct mail.

Firestarter can also suggest other media which can be modified to become a cost effective advertising space. This includes media such as notepads, coasters, shirts and stickers.

 

Brand panels

This can be a useful strategy when repositioning a brand for a new audience. Firestarter uses a microsite and develops competitions as a focal point for collecting insights and participation around content, products and values.

Brand panellists provide real-time research.

By keeping the brand development separate from mainstream communications, Firestarter avoids alienating the mass majority with the new look and feel.

The brand panellists each may reside in different parts of the world, and may be loyal customers or professionals with valued opinions.

 

Branding online-only businesses

Branding an online entity requires a whole new approach compared to traditional branding. Here, the priorities are different. Whilst traditional brand strategy incorporates the brand proposition, tagline and colour, online brand strategy needs to consider an additional set of criteria such as domain names (URLs), SEO and website functions. Marketers who build brands in a traditional sense, make the mistake of treating URL and SEO research as an after-thought.

When creating an online-only brand, the science of how the brand is remembered and discovered is king.

 

Corporate style guides

Each corporate identity created by Firestarter comes with standard practices, illustrated in a corporate style guide. The style guide governs logo usage, co-branding, white space, typography, colour palette and examples of grids.

Firestarter designs style guides in Microsoft PowerPoint to make it easy for clients to edit and evolve the brand.

Apart from defining rules, the style guide explains the intent of the logo and the brand narrative. This gives users scope to interpret and apply the brand under different circumstances.

Written 16th Sep 2008