Brand guide: the core of your organizational identity in one overview [download]

[jrineakter]

When designing a new corporate identity, communication strategy or other visual communication tools, it is important to first get a clear picture of the organization. You can only develop a suitable brand design if the essence of the brand is clear. Getting to the core of the identity starts with mapping the organization and the (communication) issue. You can also call this the exploration phase. In this article I will tell you what this exploration phase looks like and which effective business tools you can use for this.


Exploring the organization
During the exploration phase, you and the client will brainstorm about the organization. Every company has its own story. I start by searching for and capturing the brand: the DNA. What does the client stand for? What makes the organization powerful, distinctive and credible? This is about the soul of the company and the promise to the target group.

I examine the organization and map it out in a clear way using the Business Model Canvas (you can read more about the BMC in my previous article ) and the Brand Guide. These tools provide a foothold during the brainstorm and make it clear to everyone where we are in the process.

The Brand Guide
With the Brand Guide you investigate the true identity of your company. It is a guideline to enter into a structured conversation about the brand interior, brand exterior, the target australia telegram number list group and ultimately the creative briefing. So you zoom in even further on your organization than with the Business Model Canvas.

You can use the Brand Guide at two different times: as a follow-up to the Business Model Canvas or as a separate brainstorm to specifically expand the brand.

Before I start working with the Brand Guide, I usually have a brainstorming session using the Business Model Canvas. If this session provides a clear picture of the organization and there is a need for more depth, then a switch is made to the Brand Guide canvas.

Brand guide-Dutch-PortfolioThe Brand Guide: in the form of a canvas
In practice, I experience that it can sometimes be difficult to clearly summarize the wishes and expectations of the customer in words during a conversation. That is why I started using the Brand Guide. It is inspired by the Brand Guide from the book Brand Design (aff.) by Ruud Boer. We transformed this tool from a 'pyramid' to a canvas. In addition, the target group was added in the middle of the canvas. The adjustments were made on the initiative of my design and communication agency. The Brand Guide canvas can therefore be downloaded and used freely .

This small adjustment makes the Brand Guide fit perfectly with the Business Model Canvas. For me it is a tool that makes it easier to keep a common thread in the story in conversations.

What is the Brand Guide?
You can use the Brand Guide, just like the Business Model Canvas, to further investigate the identity of your organization. For example, if there is a need for growth or a different direction within your organization.

In the various parts of the Brand Guide, the basic elements of your organization and identity are organized in a structured way. You investigate and describe the vision, mission and personality, but also the visual, audible or tangible elements of the organization are discussed. And in the target group, for example, you divide the actual user group from the communication target group. The completed canvas can ultimately serve as a good basis for the briefing of the implementation.