How to Create a Brand Identity - Research & Mood Board

Summary

This video tutorial offers a comprehensive guide on creating a brand identity from scratch, focusing on conducting thorough brand research and crafting mood boards. The host takes viewers through the process of designing for a fictional urban garden brand, 'Rootful,' exploring competitors, audience preferences, and industry trends. The session includes practical steps like using Milanote for research collection, analyzing competitors' messaging, and leveraging Google Scholar for insights. The goal is to present diverse mood boards to clients, ensuring the brand direction resonates with their vision and preferences.

Takeaways

• 📚 Conduct thorough brand research before starting a project to understand the market and competitors.
• 🔎 Use tools like Milanote to collect and organize research materials, including screenshots and images.
• 🌟 Analyze competitors' design, messaging, and tone to identify industry norms and opportunities for differentiation.
• 📈 Consider the audience's needs and preferences, and how they align with the brand's vision and goals.
• 📝 Document key findings and insights in a report to serve as a foundation for the design concepts.
• 📈 Look into trends and opportunities in the industry to inform brand strategy and design direction.
• 👥 Understand the target audience's lifestyle and interests to tailor the brand's appeal effectively.
• 🌱 Explore different platforms and sources for research, including Google Scholar, to gain a comprehensive view.
• 🎨 Create mood boards to visually represent potential brand directions and gather inspiration.
• 💬 Present research findings and mood boards to clients to facilitate discussion and refine the brand's direction.
• 🔑 Ask 'why' to understand clients' preferences and dislikes to guide the creation of unique brand concepts.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video series?

The main focus of the video series is to guide creatives on how to create a brand identity from scratch, including conducting brand research and creating mood boards.

What is the name of the fictional brand the video uses as an example?

The fictional brand used in the video is called 'Rootful', an urban garden aimed at fostering community and promoting local and sustainable food production.

What are the key goals of Rootful as described in the video?

Rootful's goals are to provide a space for city dwellers to meet and build community, to encourage the consumption of locally produced vegetables, and to educate people about sustainable food production.

What is the first step in conducting brand research as outlined in the video?

The first step in conducting brand research is to look into similar companies, both competitors and potential competitors, to understand how they use design to convey information and what messaging they use.

How does the video suggest collecting and organizing brand research?

The video suggests using Milanote to collect and organize brand research, including screenshots of competitors' logos, designs, and messaging.

What is the importance of analyzing competitors' messaging in brand research?

Analyzing competitors' messaging helps to understand what information they believe their customers care about and how they prefer to be spoken to, which can inform the tone and approach of the brand being created.

Why is it suggested to look at social media during brand research?

Looking at social media during brand research helps to understand the platforms that the client plans to use and how they can best fit the audience's preferences, as well as to gather insights into competitors' social media strategies.

What is the role of scientific papers in the brand research process as described in the video?

Scientific papers can provide valuable insights into consumer behavior and preferences, such as reasons people support urban farms, which can inform the brand's design and messaging strategies.

How does the video suggest using Google Scholar for brand research?

The video suggests using Google Scholar to search for trends and studies related to the industry, such as urban farming, to find relevant and recent research that can inform brand strategy.

What is the purpose of creating mood boards in the brand identity creation process?

Creating mood boards helps to visually explore and present different design directions and concepts for the brand, allowing for a better understanding of the brand's visual identity and facilitating discussions with clients.

How does the video recommend presenting the research findings and mood boards to clients?

The video recommends compiling the research findings and mood boards into a presentation, discussing key takeaways, and exploring the client's preferences and reasons for their likes or dislikes to guide the brand concept creation.