Lectures
Branding & design – 2023
Table of content
WEEK 1.......................................................................................................................................................... 2
Lecture 1 – what is corporate branding...............................................................................................................2
Lecture 2: Branding & identity.............................................................................................................................4
Week 2: names, claims and colors................................................................................................................ 10
Lecture 3: word branding: names and claims....................................................................................................10
Lecture 4: Visual branding ½: colors and Hues..................................................................................................15
Week 3 Logos, Sounds and Music................................................................................................................. 22
Lecture 5 ‘visual branding – all about logos’.....................................................................................................22
Lecture 6 ‘Sound and Music’..............................................................................................................................28
,WEEK 1
Lecture 1 – what is corporate branding
Brand: “a name, term, symbol or design, or combination of these, which is
intended to identify goods or services of one seller, or group of sellers and
to differentiate them from those of competitors”
Symbol: any object, word or action that stands for something else. There
is a physical way in which brands are symbols: the logos, names, and even
color choices of a brand make it recognizable and distinctive But there is
more: brands engage in many symbols at the same time, which are
interpreted by consumers and which, ultimately, convey meaning.
The meaning of meaning
When a brand works, each element associated with it reminds its audience
of the associated organization.
Brands & identity
Stakeholders include corporate brands within their identities. This can
mean, for example:
- Driving an expensive car to (subconsciously?) communicate status
- Looking for a part time job at EKOplaza rather than Albert Heijn
because more sustainable
- or...trying to engage with brands as little as possible (is still an
attribution of meaning, and a rejection of whatever that meaning
stands for).
Product vs corporate brand
Products and corporate brands can both convey emotions, ideas and
memories and can be associated with substantial value. They are,
however, very different.
Product brand: (pringles)
- can have a completely different identity than the organization
behind it (Pringles was owned by Procter & Gamble until they sold to
Kellogg’s in 2012).
, - only really concerns one product, or a small group of products.
- targets consumers only.
- is only meant to survive as long as the product survives.
Corporate brand (hema)
- if endorsed (such as HEMA) it influences all the products of an
organization, no matter what kind.
- originates from the company’s heritage, its values and beliefs, and
what members of the organization have in common.
- targets all stakeholders, including employees, managers, suppliers
and even politicians.
- is meant to be long lasting.
Corporate branding is hard to change
VCI alignment model
Example with a tale of two airlines: britisch airways & southwest
Where British airways went wrong
Culture/vision gap:
- Management did not involve employees in the decision making behind the airplane
redesign and
- planned an expensive airplane redesign as well as a plan to cut costs (likely, resizing
personnel)
Vision/image gap:
- Management ignored how UK consumers would react to the airplane redesign
- discounted the appreciation consumers from the rest of the world had about the
Britishness of BA before
Measuring the value of brands
Intangible assets:
Economists measure the value of organization based on their assets (NL:
activa), that is, the capital that they have generated. Assets typically
divide themselves in two categories:
, - Tangible assets: buildings, cash, investments, equipment etc
- Intangible asset: elements of value that do not exist physically,
such as patents and indeed brand equity
Brand equity
Brand equity represents the value of a brand in the marketplace. It is
defined by 5 elements:
Market Behavior, Awareness
- Rational considerations (Market Behavior = market share, price and
distribution, awareness = extent to which a population claims to
know that brand exists.
Association and differentiation, quality, loyalty
- Subjective measures, dependent on consumer perceptions
Symbolic values
Consumers (but more broadly stakeholders) of a certain organization
attribute a value to its brand because it defines a degree of belonging
based on the creation of a common ground of understanding.
Based on the values conveyed by the brand, stakeholders
- buy branded products
- invest in the company stock
- work for the company behind the brand
- promote the brand, as consumers
- invest trust in the brand
this symbolic value of a brand translates into financial value.
Lecture 2: Branding & identity
Understanding branding
The boundaries of branding as a commercial activity have changed
dramatically over time.
Some of the elements influencing these trends include:
- historical and cultural events
- political contexts
- economical and financial conditions (e.g. rising vs depression)
Branding & design – 2023
Table of content
WEEK 1.......................................................................................................................................................... 2
Lecture 1 – what is corporate branding...............................................................................................................2
Lecture 2: Branding & identity.............................................................................................................................4
Week 2: names, claims and colors................................................................................................................ 10
Lecture 3: word branding: names and claims....................................................................................................10
Lecture 4: Visual branding ½: colors and Hues..................................................................................................15
Week 3 Logos, Sounds and Music................................................................................................................. 22
Lecture 5 ‘visual branding – all about logos’.....................................................................................................22
Lecture 6 ‘Sound and Music’..............................................................................................................................28
,WEEK 1
Lecture 1 – what is corporate branding
Brand: “a name, term, symbol or design, or combination of these, which is
intended to identify goods or services of one seller, or group of sellers and
to differentiate them from those of competitors”
Symbol: any object, word or action that stands for something else. There
is a physical way in which brands are symbols: the logos, names, and even
color choices of a brand make it recognizable and distinctive But there is
more: brands engage in many symbols at the same time, which are
interpreted by consumers and which, ultimately, convey meaning.
The meaning of meaning
When a brand works, each element associated with it reminds its audience
of the associated organization.
Brands & identity
Stakeholders include corporate brands within their identities. This can
mean, for example:
- Driving an expensive car to (subconsciously?) communicate status
- Looking for a part time job at EKOplaza rather than Albert Heijn
because more sustainable
- or...trying to engage with brands as little as possible (is still an
attribution of meaning, and a rejection of whatever that meaning
stands for).
Product vs corporate brand
Products and corporate brands can both convey emotions, ideas and
memories and can be associated with substantial value. They are,
however, very different.
Product brand: (pringles)
- can have a completely different identity than the organization
behind it (Pringles was owned by Procter & Gamble until they sold to
Kellogg’s in 2012).
, - only really concerns one product, or a small group of products.
- targets consumers only.
- is only meant to survive as long as the product survives.
Corporate brand (hema)
- if endorsed (such as HEMA) it influences all the products of an
organization, no matter what kind.
- originates from the company’s heritage, its values and beliefs, and
what members of the organization have in common.
- targets all stakeholders, including employees, managers, suppliers
and even politicians.
- is meant to be long lasting.
Corporate branding is hard to change
VCI alignment model
Example with a tale of two airlines: britisch airways & southwest
Where British airways went wrong
Culture/vision gap:
- Management did not involve employees in the decision making behind the airplane
redesign and
- planned an expensive airplane redesign as well as a plan to cut costs (likely, resizing
personnel)
Vision/image gap:
- Management ignored how UK consumers would react to the airplane redesign
- discounted the appreciation consumers from the rest of the world had about the
Britishness of BA before
Measuring the value of brands
Intangible assets:
Economists measure the value of organization based on their assets (NL:
activa), that is, the capital that they have generated. Assets typically
divide themselves in two categories:
, - Tangible assets: buildings, cash, investments, equipment etc
- Intangible asset: elements of value that do not exist physically,
such as patents and indeed brand equity
Brand equity
Brand equity represents the value of a brand in the marketplace. It is
defined by 5 elements:
Market Behavior, Awareness
- Rational considerations (Market Behavior = market share, price and
distribution, awareness = extent to which a population claims to
know that brand exists.
Association and differentiation, quality, loyalty
- Subjective measures, dependent on consumer perceptions
Symbolic values
Consumers (but more broadly stakeholders) of a certain organization
attribute a value to its brand because it defines a degree of belonging
based on the creation of a common ground of understanding.
Based on the values conveyed by the brand, stakeholders
- buy branded products
- invest in the company stock
- work for the company behind the brand
- promote the brand, as consumers
- invest trust in the brand
this symbolic value of a brand translates into financial value.
Lecture 2: Branding & identity
Understanding branding
The boundaries of branding as a commercial activity have changed
dramatically over time.
Some of the elements influencing these trends include:
- historical and cultural events
- political contexts
- economical and financial conditions (e.g. rising vs depression)
