This workshop bridges practical, research and theoretical methods as a way to approach branding. We'll take a look at what makes an effective brand, inconsistencies according to its target audience and what happens when a group who thinks it's part of your core audience turns away from you. Branding can range from a website, logo, to the way people answer the phone, customer service, emails, etc. We'll do some analysis of bigger brands and smaller ones to understand how their symbolism affect public perception. We'll also look at the design costs of starting up your individual company and some steps you can take to help the the designers you hire. In total, we will cover: - Understanding your target market - Competitive research - Keywords and phrases for your product or company - An exercise in dissecting some brands – a semiotics of branding if you will - Cost, online applications, etc You'll walk away with a more analytical view of the world, some real world costs for launching your project and a creative brief you can give to designers to help the process along.

1. Branding and!
Visual Literacy

2. ABOUT
Tricia Okin!
+ designer based in Brooklyn since 2001
+ designs and builds web and mobile sites/applications for companies within
the food, green and tech startup fields
+ BFA in photography from University of Florida and an MFA in Design &
Technology from Parsons The New School for Design.
http://papercutny.com/
@papercutny

3. Branding & Visual Literacy
Launching a ground-breaking new web app? Branding is
crucial to the success of tech companies.
A meaningful brand identity will help you:!
• Express your brand attributes visually
• Develop trust and credibility by creating a system
• Stand out in an increasingly crowded marketplace
• Forge a lasting connection with your desired audience
• Appeal to potential investors

4. Branding & Visual Literacy
What is Branding?!
• Users and Audience: meeting their needs, solving their
problems, their stories
• Purpose: focused and flexible in the long term
• Design: colour, typography, forms, logo, systems, images
• Writing: voice & style
• Customer Service: accessibility, helpfulness, guiding users

5. Branding & Visual Literacy
Exercise 1: What is tech and
start up (to you & others)?!
!

6. Branding & Visual Literacy
Name some keywords!
and buzz words!
• scrappy
• self-sufficient
• local
• agile
• sustainable
• innovative
• home grown
• homemade
• authentic
• micro-business
• creative
• diy
• lean
• independent

7. Branding & Visual Literacy
What Problem Are You!
Trying to Solve?!
• Is this is a problem “everyone” has?
• Who is “everyone”?
• Are you creating a need/desire but not really a problem? Ex: Foursquare
• Has your idea already been in the market for a while?
• How much are you improving on an existing idea?
• Can you easily create a following behind this and gain traction?

8. Branding & Visual Literacy
Who’s Your Target Audience?!
(Income & Demographics)!
• Age, Urban or Sub-urban, Ethnicities?
• What Careers / Professions?
• Technology usage?
• What issues do they care about that would draw/force them to use your idea?
• Luxury product for a few or mass market?
• Government or institutions?
• Students or anyone on a budget?
• Early career folks making around £30.000 with small precious disposable
income?
• Couples making £50k - £90k who are used to paying more for quality?
• Affluent / luxury – household income of £120k - £205k?

9. Branding & Visual Literacy
Exercise 2: Brand Comparison ( 5 min )!
• Who do you think the target audiences for each of these brands?
• What expectations/perceptions do you have based on branding
• What do you expect to pay at each place?
vs.

10. Branding & Visual Literacy
Exercise 3: Brand Story Comparison ( 2 min )!
vs.

11. Branding & Visual Literacy
Exercise 3: Brand Story Comparison ( 2 min )!
vs.

12. Branding & Visual Literacy
Exploring Brand Attributes:!
What makes a brand distinct from existing brands on the
web and in the marketplace?
• The problem it solves
• Ease of use
• Mass market
• Specialty
• Only for beta testers / exclusivity
• Accessibility (customer service)
• User knowledge and data along with user cachet

13. Branding & Visual Literacy

14. Branding & Visual Literacy

15. Branding & Visual Literacy

16. Branding & Visual Literacy
Visual Elements of
Branding!
• Logo/Identity Design
• Wordmark vs. logo
• Typography
• Use of color
• Creating and Choosing an icon

17. Branding & Visual Literacy
Product & Brand Environment:!
Where will your product live?
– Web app
– Mobile phone app (which platform, if any?)
– HTML 5 app
– SaaS
– Lifestyle
– Business/Productivity
– Analytics
– Creative
– Luxury / Shopping

18. Branding & Visual Literacy
Exercise 3: Name Your Favourite Apps
and / or Brands
• Why do you like them?
• Name the price you’re willing to pay for it
!
Exercise 4: Your Competition & Aspiration
• Write down your competitors and aspirational
brands
• Do a Brand survey

19. Branding & Visual Literacy
Applying Branding to Collateral:!
• Business cards
• Stationery
• One Sheets
• Digital or Printed Press Kits
• Address labels
• Stickers / promo items
• Banners/Signage

20. Branding & Visual Literacy
Hiring a designer: !
• How to find a designer
– Students
– Graphic Designers
• independent vs. small shop vs. branding agency
– Crowdspring/99 Designs
• What to ask a designer
– Portfolio
– References
– Process

21. Branding & Visual Literacy
Scope of Work: !
!
• Logo/Identity
• Website (app/product vs. brochure),
• Icon system
• Mobile/Responsive
• Social media (Twitter, FB, Email newsletter, Foursquare, etc)
• Blog
• Collateral & Marketing (cards, stationery, one-sheets)
• Packaging

22. Branding & Visual Literacy
Applying Your Brand Identity:!
• Social Media – inhabiting your brand persona and bringing
it to life via content-rich, platform appropriate posts on
multiple channels
• Understand which platforms will help you most: blogging,
Twitter, FB, Tumblr, Pinterest, etc

23. Branding & Visual Literacy
Price Range!
Logo/Identity
£1600 - £2500
Website (Brochure)
£2000 - £4000
App/E-Commerce
£5200 - £10000
Social Media
£650 - £1300
Collateral
£800 - £1800
£40 - £50 per hour would be a good estimate for quality & efficient work.
* These would be some ranges for an individual designer vs. a student or a small studio
** The prices above are only for design, not for printing costs

24. Branding & Visual Literacy
DIY It + Sweat Equity - £1200 - £3000!
• Logo - Wordmark & Colors
vs. full logo
• Brochure Web site - WordPress
• E-Commerce Website - Shopify / Etsy / Big Cartel / PayPal
check out
• Collateral - Business Cards & Postcards – Moo.com
• Blog & Social Media - FB, Wordpress.com, Twitter
• E-Mail – MailChimp (free plan is great)

25. Branding & Visual Literacy
Examples

26. Runa by Mucca Design!
Work: http://www.mucca.com/work/runa-2
Analysis: http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/runa.php
Site: http://www.runa.org/

27. Seedhouse Stationers by Stitch Design!
Work: http://www.stitchdesignco.com/blog/seed-house-stationers/
Site: http://www.seedhousestationers.com/

28. Good Energy by Studio Makgill!
Work: http://www.studiomakgill.com/disciplines/brand_identity/good_energy
Analysis: http://designworklife.com/2012/03/07/studio-makgill-good-energy-branding
Site: http://www.goodenergy.co.uk/

29. CONTACT
Tricia Okin!
tricia@papercutny.com
http://papercutny.com/
Follow me on Twitter @papercutny
I’ll put these slides up on Slide Share in the next 36 hours:
http://www.slideshare.net/papercutny !