By Laurie Jo Miller Farr

Your favorite outfit isn’t you. Of course not. But what we wear every day certainly does go a long way in creating the presentation each one of us makes as an individual. While clothing doesn’t define us, it definitely styles and packages what’s inside…or pretends to.
Similarly, a logo, packaging and design can represent a very definite statement about brand identity. However, a design identity is just one of the ways to help us identify a brand…but it’s only part of the overall branding which includes purpose, values, messaging, personality, mission and vision.

Generic vs. Brand: Spot the Difference?

Good design matters, and it matters a lot. Design is a defining element of your brand.

Design is most impactful, of course, with luxury items. Just ask Tiffany & Co. Or Maserati.

Walk around the pharmacy, the department store, or up and down the grocery store aisles for examples of how product design presents the difference between a generic product and a famous brand, even when product purpose is aligned.

Great Brands Deliver Meaning Beyond the Logo

It’s easy to say that packaging is the difference in these examples, but it goes far beyond design. We trust brands that we know, understand, and feel emotionally connected to. With some long-lasting household products and services, our parents did, too.

Strong branding is underpinned by a compelling mission and vision that defines the company’s purpose and standards. Like these:

• To refresh the world…
• To inspire moments of optimism and happiness…
• To create value and make a difference.

“Science for a Better Life”

“To be the Ultimate House of Luxury, defining style and creating desire,
now and forever.”

(Credit, Mike Mozart, flickr)
“To be the best…serving our customers by providing peace of mind and enriching their quality of life through our partnership in the management of the risks they face.”