Brand Corporate Identity - Task 4

26.06.2024 - 21.07.2024 (Week 10 - Week 13)

Sorcha Griselda / 0353056 

Brand Corporate Identity / Bachelor of Design in Creative Media / Taylor's University

Task 4 | Brand Guideline

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LECTURES

Lecture 01 - 03 can be found here.

Lecture 04 - 05 can be found here.

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INSTRUCTIONS

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Task 4 | Brand Guideline

This task coincides with Publishing Design: Task 3(B).

Finding Inspiration

Before starting my project, I thought it would be a good to fine some inspiration on Pinterest. My goal was to find layout ideas that I believed would best represent the Matchacha brand. By browsing through the numerous designs created by other designers, I created a moodboard of the concepts that would help me achieve the elegant and classy aesthetic I envisioned for Matchacha.

Fig 1.1 Brand Guideline Inspo | Pinterest Link

As I explored various designs, I realized that I was particularly drawn to the use of fun columns. This layout seemed to embody the sophisticated look I wanted for Matchacha. Inspired by these observations, I decided to incorporate the idea of the columns into my own work to maintain the brand's classy and traditional appearance. I did my initial layouts on Illustrator as I was still unsure about my designs during that time.

Fig 1.2 Initial Guideline Layout Ideas | Ai

After receiving feedback from Ms. Lilian, I began my work by creating grids and setting up margins. This initial step was crucial in establishing a structured foundation for my designs. Below, you can see the four initial grids I created as the starting point for my project.

Fig 1.3 First Grid

Fig 1.4 First Grid Margins and Columns Measurement

Fig 1.5 Second Grid

Fig 1.6 Second Grid Margins and Columns Measurement

Fig 1.7 Third Grid

Fig 1.8 Third Grid Margins and Columns Measurement

Fig 1.9 Fourth Grid

Fig 1.10 Fourth Grid Margins and Columns Measurement

I ended up choosing the fourth grid layout for my final brand guideline as it created a balanced design for my brand book guideline. From here, I started to design the page layout for each chapter and I tried different arrangement for the information text.

Fig 1.11 Page Design Process

Fig 1.12 Text Information Arrangement Process

Then, I proceeded with designing the buttons, as it was essential for the book to be interactive. I wanted to ensure that users could easily navigate through the content, making their experience both engaging and intuitive. This involved carefully considering the placement, size, and functionality of each button to enhance the overall usability. This process of designing the buttons actually kinda stressed me out as I was struggling coming up with creating a clean and minimalist button design while also ensuring that it does not taking too much space on my book layout.

Fig 1.13 Buttons Designs

Finding Images

Most of the images that I used for my brand guideline are derived from Pixabay and Unsplash (they are all free to use). I search using the keywords of matcha, cafe, and desserts. The chosen pictures can be seen below:

Fig 1.14 Image #1

Fig 1.15 Image #2

Fig 1.16 Image #3

Fig 1.17 Image #4

Fig 1.18 Image #5

Fig 1.19 Image #6

Fig 1.20 Image #7

Fig 1.21 Image #8

Fig 1.22 Image #9

Fig 1.23 Image #10

Interactive Buttons

I also make sure that the PDF was more interactive by incorporating a button rollover feature. This included elements such as pictures zooming in and color changes when hovered over. By adding these dynamic effects, I aimed to create a more engaging user experience. Below is a more detailed list of the interactive features I included:

• Interactive Buttons: Buttons have been designed to respond to user interaction, enhancing the overall usability of the PDF

Fig 1.25 Interactive Buttons

• Color Changes: The brand's patterns changes colors on hover, providing visual feedback and making the navigation more intuitive.

Fig 1.26 Change of Pattern Color

• Picture Zoom-in: When users hover over certain images, they zoom in, allowing a closer look at the details.

Fig 1.27 Pictures Zooming-in

• Information Pop-ups: Smooth pop-ups animations to keep the user engaged and make the document feel more dynamic.

Fig 1.28 Information Pop-ups

Final Submission

Interactive Online Link: https://indd.adobe.com/view/a6397a00-a05c-4ca8-b676-5045c0371529

Fig 1.24 Matchacha Brand Guideline | PDF (Interactive)

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FEEDBACK

Week 11

• Show more of your brand patterns, brand value and color

Week 12

• Create a page for the brand logo do and dont’s
• Adjust the spacing for the buttons
• Do not do justify as it messed up the leading
• For the 02 Logo layout, flip the color scheme (dark green background, cream texts)
• Put a little bit of text on the logo components

Week 13

• Make the content texts to be all buttons (clickable)
• Include the RGB and CMYK code of the brand colors
• Tidy the kerning of the texts (max +20,-20)
• Include the brand website, social number, email on the last page

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REFLECTION

Experience

Reflecting on my journey, I can confidently say that I gained an immense amount of knowledge from this experience. Initially, I found it challenging to strike a balance between maintaining consistency and avoiding a monotonous look in my designs. This was a significant learning curve for me. Although I had a basic understanding that my brand guidelines needed to align with my logo and some initial ideas on how to achieve this, I felt somewhat lost on where to begin. However, the constructive feedback from Ms. Lilian and Mr. Hijaz was invaluable. Their insights guided me and helped me navigate through my initial uncertainties. Eventually, I was able to develop a brand guideline that I am genuinely proud of.

Observations

Observation played a crucial role in the creation of my brand guideline. It was essential to gather inspiration and insights from existing designs to avoid potential pitfalls. I firmly believe that without drawing inspiration from other successful designers, my brand guideline could have turned out poorly. By carefully studying and incorporating elements from designs that resonated with me, I was able to enhance the quality of my work. This process of observation and adaptation significantly contributed to the overall aesthetic and effectiveness of my brand guideline.

Findings

Through this process, I discovered the most effective methods for developing a brand guideline, particularly one that suited my needs. Finding the right style for Matchacha and exploring strategies to maintain consistency were crucial learning experiences. These steps not only helped me improve my design skills but also reinforced the importance of staying true to the brand’s identity. This journey has been instrumental in enhancing my ability to create cohesive and visually appealing brand guidelines.

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FURTHER READING

What are brand guidelines and how to create a style guide

Fig 2.1 Brand Guidelines | Bynder

What are brand guidelines?

Brand guidelines are a set of clear rules and standards that show how your brand should be presented to the world. They help businesses keep their brand consistent and show what the company is about, what it does, and what it stands for. Think of it as a brand "rulebook" that brings together the overall look and feel of your brand. These guidelines make sure that everyone promoting your business communicates consistently about its mission, values, and personality. They bring together the elements you want all your stakeholders to use when representing your brand's image.

What should brand guidelines include?

• Company information: Details of your brand’s history, mission, values, and vision.
• Imagery: Icons, image design elements, and photo types that are to be used.
• Logo design and use: Guidelines on logo usage, including color palette, file format(s), minimum and maximum sizes, contexts, spacing, and usage permissions, such as where images should and shouldn’t appear.
• Tone and grammar: Instructions on tone of voice and grammar rules.
• Cards and letterheads: Template for business card and letterhead designs.
• Fonts: Font styles and text sizes for both print and digital media.
• Color palette: Color palette information, including CMYK and RGB codes.

What are the benefits of brand guidelines?

As marketing changes rapidly and brands need to keep up, it's crucial that brand guidelines are easy to update and accurately show the brand's evolving identity. PDFs are commonly used to share brand guidelines, but they have clear drawbacks: they're static and hard to update, often becoming outdated. Plus, they’re not always easily accessible, often hidden away in unused marketing folders. On the other hand, digital brand guidelines are much more flexible. They can be quickly updated, include visual brand elements, and are easily shareable through a simple hyperlink.

What is the purpose of brand guidelines?

Brand guidelines are essential for making sure your brand is represented correctly both inside your company and to your audience. Following these guidelines helps create a distinct and consistent brand identity that stands out from competitors and stays memorable to consumers. It's important that everyone in the business knows and understands these guidelines. Even a single misuse of the logo can hurt the brand's reputation for quality and professionalism. Gathering all the brand information into a brand book is a smart move. This book can include detailed information like website templates, advertising and editorial guidelines, and advice on social media branding and tone of voice.