To get to the heart of the brand and “dress it” in line with the season, trends and its identity, you have to be familiar with its 360-degree-look. You’ll be aware of its unique essence if you manage to see it through various images and projections. One of the most successful methods applies visual metaphors. It allows you to redirect your eyes to something ordinary from everyday life, focusing mentally on the brand.
Before visualizing the brand, you should set your goal. More precisely – the brand strategy, the client expectations, your offer and what is the nature of your brand. The idea is to get into the shoes of what you want to visualise and showcase the specifics. Doing so, just like in real-life situations, most people are aware of how it has to look like but don’t manage to find a way to this image, can not express the content. We offer you to ask yourself these five questions to find the solution yourself, there are no “right” or “wrong” answers, but only distinct features of your brand’s personality.
- If your brand were a mood, what would it be? Think about the feeling your product or service provokes – satisfaction, happiness, kindness, or inspires for something. What emotions do you feel by owning or designing it? This would be especially useful and directly applicable when you are developing an advertising strategy and want to suggest explicitly this idea. Or to target the most appropriate audience.
- If your brand were a colour, what would it be? Probably a specific nuance will come to your mind immediately. Or a colour palette will appear in front of your eyes. When it happens, start thinking about why your brain has chosen blue, yellow, or red. The colour description can be directly applicable for your logo, rebranding, or designing visual materials. But also when you evaluate potential partners – do you see your brand in the same colour as the influencer you are negotiating with?
- If your brand were a song, what would it be? Music might be more sensible than words. The notes arrangement, the melody choice and style, the rhythms’ dynamic will be crucial in the analysis of the brand. Imagine you are dancing while your product sings. What kind of movements will you perform – light and smooth or boiling your blood? The answers to these questions will be directly applicable, for example, when preparing a presentation. To get out of the frames you can use a suitable piece for setting the scene or as a background.
- If the brand were an animal, what would it be? Is your company approach an aggressive one, or you prefer the team spirit? This will be a key aspect when choosing your animal. Whether you are a black panther, a French bulldog, or a gazelle – what matters is your sense of business approach and your ways of achieving the goals. The direct application of finding the most proper animal will show you the type of your road map for development strategies.
- If you could dress up your brand, what would it wear? Find out if you are trendy. Is your brand dressed following the latest trends or rather relies on the retro classic? Is a conservative suit more appropriate for your brand, or a provocative short skirt? The answer will be directly applicable when you give a media interview or write a press release. If you think about your brand’ apparel, the visual metaphor will fit comfortably into your words and send the desired message to the people.
You can ask different questions instead of these. For example, if your brand were a car, a dish, or a city. What is important, is to see your work from a different perspective, far from the business atmosphere and much more in the daily routine. For doing so you can also use the brand identity cards for marketing oppositions as a way to find and agree upon the most appropriate definitions.
Visual associations are the roundabout and thorough method to tell the story of the brand. These analogies enhance the product behind the brand into a meaningful message, they add life to its commercial essence. Such metaphors shorten the path to the heart of the audience. Visualising this way, you offer trust while looking for such in return.
Read more:
Checklist for attractive creative writing
How does the EQ empower the business of advertising?
10 widgets to reinforce your business
Four steps to choose a proper project
10 marketing re-shapes in 2021
