COMMUNICATION BEFORE AESTHETICS / The importance of a clear message and of an appropriate design

In business, the impact of each of your brand’s appearance can be maximized by sending the right message at the right time to the right audience. Producing too quickly a logo, a print, a Website or any other marketing piece without having defined the axis of communication and personality of the product can significantly decrease the results of the intervention. You want the customer to see you and more importantly, to understand you.

Creating a brand image should begin with a thorough analysis of the product it represents. This analysis is used to define its personality and how to present it. A communication specialist must acquire a thorough understanding of the product in order to communicate it simply.

Once the communication direction is established, it is important to follow it in order to ensure the recognition and credibility of the brand. Whether it’s a website, a brochure or a kiosk, the product must maintain some consistency. It is important to respect the graphic and communicative lines, whichever the medium. A brand evolves over time, but a radical change of communication direction is expensive and repositioning the product on the market can be long and arduous. It is therefore essential to establish a solid foundation in communication prior to the completion of its logo and its various promotional pieces. This base clearly positions the product in a market where consumers are constantly bombarded with images. This approach requires investing a little more, but it becomes profitable very quickly. The communicative parameters remain relevant for a long time and all stages of subsequent communications are simplified. For example, a well designed logo will cross the ages and only after a long period will it need to be slightly refreshed. Consequently, the public will recognize your brand.

Each product is unique and identifying the best way to promote it is a challenge. The solution lies in its subtleties and peculiarities when compared to the competition. One must decode the product and find its secret in order to make it unique and original. If when launching a brand we do not have the required budget to make a complete branding study, calling on the services of an experienced graphic communicator can be very effective. The latter is able to conduct a complete analysis of your product and to determine the specific communication needs. Once these foundations are laid, he can put his creative talents at your service to highlight the uniqueness of your product.

The choice of typography, colors and shapes in your logo is often the result of a almost scientic analysis rather than of an artistic inspiration. Each font, for example, has a personality that is more or less representative of the brand. To each product its typography. A logo can be beautiful but not convey the right message. Similarly, a less attractive communication piece may be perfect for the product. For example, a design too refined is inappropriate for a cheap product. Beware of personal taste which often outweighs the real communication needs of the brand. The work of the visual communicator is to address the right audience as clearly as possible. In an era when most computers are equipped with software design and layout, it is important to create a clear communication and an effective design, to work with a communicator and not only with someone who knows the appropriate software.

To ensure that your brand has an impact on your audience, make sure you build the foundation of your communication prior to producing it. Having a good-looking product is important, that it convey the right message is vital.

François Morin, Art director FRANKOY D.A.