Branding & Identity
Overview
Our clients often find that branding and visual identity are the next logical steps following a strategic communications plan, to ensure your messages are powerful and consistent, enhancing the value of your communication investment.
Marketing research reports that our audiences are more brand-aware than ever before. The under-30 age group is the “most marketed to” generation in our history. Brand represents status, security, value and relevance. It reassures them they chose wisely. Your brand should flow from your mission, vision and strategic plan.
Process
We’ve approached brand and identity projects in different ways to fit the unique situation at each institution. For most schools, an important first step is to gather audience data. How do they perceive your brand now? What and where are the gaps? (This work is sometimes done in a communication audit, but can be a standalone first step leading to a brand.)
From there, we may plan a workshop process that results in a brand promise and key messages. Or you may prefer an approach where Zehno’s creative team generates brand possibilities for your feedback.
We encourage the testing of brand portfolios back with your key audiences to ensure that they are undeniably engaging, relevant and meaningful. Launching/re-launching a brand also deserves an intentional strategy. Zehno can recommend tools for getting the word out.
We did it, too
Zehno went through some rebranding of our own in 2000. Anyone remember when we were Design Partners?
