Branding: Designing the Image of Newly Created Brands

Every year, we see a significant increase in new Polish brands entering the market. Each of them aims for success. A hallmark of our times is that entrepreneurs are increasingly aware of the importance of a brand’s appearance. Start-ups, as well as companies expanding their portfolio of products or services, understand that the more effort they put into branding at the beginning, the higher the chances of surviving in the market. In a world where everything already exists and can be copied, a brand is the only stronghold.

Definition of a Brand

For something to be considered a brand, it must be a phenomenon. Fundamentally, the audience must feel emotions toward it. They may like it, admire it, trust it, or even love it—or dislike it intensely. Each of us has brands we choose from the heart, because of beliefs or shared values. Naturally, we can always rationalize these choices with logical reasons, but at the core, emotions drive the relationship.

How to Build a Brand

At Papajastudio, we believe that branding—the process of creating a brand—must be based on truth. We understand branding as building a brand rooted in authenticity. This is crucial for us because a brand without its own truth will not withstand the test of time.

A Brand as a Person

The most common analogy for a brand is comparing it to a human being. Every person is born, adapts to the world, grows, matures, and eventually ages. Each individual has a unique appearance, personality traits, values, environment, and social circle. Brands function in the same way. They must have values, a name, a distinctive appearance (more or less successful), a mode of communication, periods of growth and decline, moments of mistakes or missteps, and they evolve over time.

How to Start Working with a Branding Agency

You should begin by systematizing your knowledge about the brand, its environment, and its potential audience. This can be done through a creative brief, strategic workshops, or briefing and creative sessions. Some materials can be provided by the client, some are developed collaboratively, and some can be obtained through research.

How Can a Branding Agency Help?

A branding agency offers a bird’s-eye view of your planned activities. The added value of working with a brand design agency lies in its distance from the topic and years of experience. Specialists at the agency, having worked with various clients across multiple industries, help organize knowledge and ideas, define the brand’s DNA both strategically and visually. Agencies transform strategic assumptions into visual representations, mapping the path for the brand’s future communication and development.

What Can You Specifically Ask a Branding Agency Like Papajastudio For?

Designing newly created brands typically involves several stages:

1. Analytical Work:

• Creative brief

• Desk research

• Market and brand reconnaissance

• Consumer research

2. Strategic Work:

• Briefing workshops

• Strategic workshops

• Brand workshops

• Brand strategy

• Visual communication strategy

• Overall brand communication strategy

3. Creative Work:

• Naming (creating a brand name and registering it with the patent office)

• Logo design

• Brand mark protection (trademark registration)

• Development of brand motifs and rules

• Defining color palette and typography guidelines

• Designing visual identity system (VIS) elements

• Creating a brand book (also called brand manual or visual identity guide)

4. Implementation Work:

• Developing an implementation plan for individual elements

• Supervising the rollout

• Coordinating implementation with printing houses, manufacturers, interactive agencies, social media agencies, and trainers

There are many aspects to consider when building a new brand. How professionally the brand is managed depends largely on the client’s aspirations and budget.