Branding and “Design Bonding”
There is a lovely Spanish saying that reminds us how we only seem to pray to Saint Bárbara when it thunders. It means that during moments of prosperity, the future doesn’t seem to bother us so much. Well, in terms of business and brands, I think there are too many occasions in which we forget about “Saint Branding” — even when it thunders.
During my daily routine as Head of Strategy at Erretres, I often face challenges that demand a great ability to teach and explain, as on many occasions we have to make a great case for the application of branding to projects which are already going very well.
Exercises involving branding or rebranding which have strategy at their core, and which have the end goal of procuring and maintaining active and loyal clients: this is what we dedicate ourselves to at Erretres, whether the outlook is nice and sunny or threatening and stormy.
To support my ideas herein, I will start with a paradigmatic and very relevant example.
Recently, and whilst analysing a specific case study within the financial technology market, we discovered a successful startup which is currently growing well. The problem is that its ability to be disruptive and innovative is under a threat posed by large banking competitors which are hot on its heels. They are imitating the company’s original services, replicating the features of its app, infiltrating its user group and putting its potential growth at risk.
This is a good example for which the use of a consistent brand could help the company to secure and reinforce their value to their target audience, and to work to improve their identification and recognition. They could design a more efficient visual and verbal identity which is better integrated between platforms and services, and where every touchpoint holds brand impact, converting the target audience into loyal followers of the brand.
This is all especially relevant in a competitive market such as the financial technology sector, where indistinct apps and websites are abundant, and in which the brand elements seem to have to sit in line with the norms of the market. The result of this? Everyone looks the same, nobody rises above the rest with a clear or unique presence, and nor does anybody offer customer relationships which can be appreciated on an emotional level. Bad news, then, which is unfortunately very common and widespread.
We’re living in a time when technology as a tool has become a holy grail which now holds utmost priority. To lose sight of its importance would be a blind and careless attitude to take, but what I am trying to say is not about merely trusting everything to technology. We must accelerate the transition from design backing technology to design defining the experience of using the technology, and then finally to a scenario in which design creates and reinforces human relationships.
“Design Bonding” is a concept that I like to use when articulating the keys for generating the deepest and most long-lasting connections with every target user of every brand and project. These are relationships (or bonds) which are facilitated by technology but are based on a very human relationship.
Key 1.
To create lasting bonds, a brand must also create a relevant and clear promise to its users which remains stable with the passing of time, but which is also able to evolve with the brand’s users without betraying their trust.
Key 2.
To create lasting bonds, a brand must design an identity which is attractive, recognisable and traceable back to the brand, and which is constantly ahead of its time and context.
Key 3.
To create lasting bonds, a brand should speak with its own distinct, honest and credible voice. If it can also be clear and friendly with the customer, this is better still.
Key 4.
To create lasting bonds, a brand must design its services and products based on the user, placing their needs and wishes at the core, and its technology working hard to create more accessible, simple and personal solutions.
In the Design in Technology Report 2017, overseen by John Maeda, the milestones of design evolution are addressed, an evolution which is traced right up to the arrival of computational design. This refers to a method of design in which the outcome is addressed to hundreds of millions of users, one which produces instant results, and one which is in constant iteration and evolution.
But this analysis also uncovers the importance of several decisive factors when generating deeper relationships between brands and their users. Human and social sciences are now forming a basis for the training of new designers, verbal design is increasingly becoming a useful tool, and the preference of values such as “human”, “simple” or “inclusive” are being increasingly applied to the design of our times.
These are the values which we share here at Erretres, and which guide us as we work. This is because our challenge is to create relevant and long-lasting relationships, and there’s no more profoundly human assignment than this.
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Javier Torres is Head of Strategy at Erretres.
From Erretres, he has worked on projects for clients including: Canal+, El País, Movistar, Viesgo, Hammam Al Andalus, El Corte Inglés, Ecoalf, Everis, Visa and Sido Japan.
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