Branding – successful brand development from strategy to implementation

To achieve this, we start by working out this brand personality and begin with the brand’s DNA, its founding history, its services and the people and employees who make it unique. This is the basis for the individuality that makes the brand visible, tangible and audible, regardless of whether it is a refresh, the relaunch of an established brand or the first appearance of a new product*. Because one thing is true either way: it is brands with a strong identity that ultimately prevail.

Four steps to a new brand identity

Showing a clear edge – the brand DNA

The first step in our work together is to uncover the core of the brand. This is based on a careful analysis of the status quo: How does your brand currently present itself? Which competitors does it have to assert itself against? Where does your company’s unique potential lie and how do we make it visible? This work step is carried out together with our clients out of conviction – because we believe that the truly constructive solutions arise in the area of conflict between the customer’s perspective and the external perspective.

On this basis, we work out the short and long-term goals of your brand and decide together which steps are necessary to achieve them. In doing so, we understand branding not only as design consistency; rather, we see brand development as a finely tuned orchestra of different measures, from packaging to tonality. All these instruments have one thing in common: they result from a well-founded brand strategy designed just for you. In this way, we develop a brand personality that is unique and capable of growth – and is able to stand out from its competitors in a positive way.

More on the development of your brand identity and strategic positioning of your brand.

Brand naming – the development of the brand name

If you want to take off with a new brand name, we will develop the right solution for you. In doing so, we are guided by the brand personality and the characteristics that we defined in step one and create suitable suggestions for your company or product name with a feel for language and experience. So that your brand can also make a name for itself on the Internet, we naturally research the availability of domains and carry out a trademark check. As a result, we condense the perfect brand name from all suggestions and availabilities – in close consultation with you.

More about brand naming, brand names and claims.

Auge, Hirn und Herz – die Kreation

Klar ist: Ein einheitliches Erscheinungsbild sieht gut aus. Klar ist aber auch: Das genügt nicht. Für uns ist ein gelungenes Corporate Design viel mehr als Raster und Farbpalette. Es muss Identität schaffen und bewahren, klare Werte kommunizieren und ein solides strategisches Fundament aufweisen. Deshalb verzahnen wir den Designprozess eng mit der Konzeption – um eine gestalterische Sprache zu finden, die nicht nur das Auge überzeugt, sondern auch Verstand und Gefühl bewegt.Das erreichen wir, indem wir unsere Leitidee unmittelbar aus der Marken-DNA ableiten. Da bedeutet, wir entwerfen nicht einfach ein Designkonzept, sondern eine vollständige Markenpersönlichkeit mit Eigenschaften, die uns auch an Menschen fasziniert. Und diese Persona ist stimmig, wenn sie gleichermaßen die Zielgruppe anspricht, zu Branche und Unternehmen passt und die richtige Botschaft vermittelt. Erst dann profitieren Marketing und Vertrieb von der Strahlkraft der Marke.

Mehr zur Corporate-Design-Entwicklung.

Gute Gedanken gestalten – Markenentwicklung umsetzen
Stilsichere Typografie, erstklassige Bildbearbeitung, ein zeitgemäßes und funktionales Design: Das sind die Grundlagen unseres gestalterischen Selbstverständnisses. Und damit hören wir nicht auf, sondern fangen gerade erst an. Ob es darum geht, ein neues Logo zu entwickeln oder einzelne Maßnahmen, ein Corporate Design oder ein innovatives Packaging – vierviertel plant den gesamten Gestaltungsprozess nachhaltig und praxistauglich. So behalten wir nicht nur zu jedem Zeitpunkt die Kosten im Auge, sondern beraten Sie auch gern zu effizienten Produktionsprozessen, die Budget und Umwelt entlasten. Dabei können wir nicht nur schön, sondern auch produktiv: Websites entwickeln wir von der Konzeption an mit Augenmerk auf Responsivität und Bedienbarkeit und optimieren sie im Hinblick auf Conversions mit den passenden Tools. Das Corporate Design verstehen wir als Gesicht der Marke, als sichtbare Klammer aller Elemente – kurzum, als Grundlage für einen stimmigen Auftritt in Form und Inhalt.

Weil wir davon überzeugt sind, dass gute Gestaltung nicht beim Design endet, legen wir großen Wert auf intelligente und hochwertige Texte. Denn auch die richtige Tonalität dient als wichtiger Baustein der Markenidentität. Das kann eine smarte Headline auf dem sprichwörtlichen Bierdeckel, sein, oder auch ein fundierter, gut recherchierter Blogpost*. Wo immer es nötig ist, arbeiten wir mit erfahrenen Textern zusammen, die Ihre Botschaften präzise auf den Punkt bringen.

Als Resümee aller Gestaltungsprinzipien dient der Styleguide: Darin definieren wir Basiselemente wie Typografie, Farbklima, Bildsprache und einiges mehr. Das erleichtert die Arbeit mit der neuen Corporate Identity sowohl intern als auch für externe Dienstleister und hilft beim Bewahren eines konsistenten Erscheinungsbilds. So entsteht, Stück für Stück, Ihre ureigene Markenarchitektur.

How ideas take root – the implementation

If the target group loves the new face of your brand, the website attracts traffic and the product attracts attention on the market, then we have done something right. To shine in the long term, however, a brand must not only be carried from the outside, but also from the inside. This means that the best, most passionate brand ambassadors are your employees. They are the ones who breathe life into your brand and represent it. The better your team knows, understands and identifies with the brand, the more honest enthusiasm will be generated in the process. We develop internal communication tools such as presentations, brochures, flyers or an employee magazine to improve brand understanding.

To ensure that everyone in the company can easily work with the new corporate design, we provide you with practical templates for the basic communication tools in the common programs. Of course, we will support and train your employees in the use of the templates until a reliable routine has been established. We not only take care of the technical requirements, but also convey the basic values of the new brand personality.

More about brand and corporate design implementation.

With us you will:

… know where you stand

Together with you, we analyze the status quo of your brand. On the one hand, we look at previous communication, and on the other, we examine the current positioning in the competitive field.

… find the optimal positioning

What are the characteristics of your brand that effectively set it apart from the competition? Together, we uncover hidden potential, sharpen the brand identity and thus support marketing and sales.

… develop a characteristic appearance

Every successful brand needs an unmistakable personality. From the font to the visual language to the color palette, we tailor all design elements and means of communication to your needs.

… Writing history(ies)

A carefully developed brand claim gets to the heart of your message in just a few words. We will also be happy to formulate a brand story for you: this summarizes the corporate goals, the new identity and the positioning in an emotional story – making your brand tangible for employees and customers.

… a fundamentally new start

To ensure that you benefit from your new corporate design down to the last detail, we revise the existing means of communication for the launch. This usually includes the website, but also printed materials such as letterheads, business cards, brochures and flyers.

… keep the overview

In order to maintain the consistent appearance of your brand, we create a design manual or brand book for you that clearly summarizes all design guidelines and describes the brand personality in an understandable way.

… Control communication yourself

We provide you with professional design templates for all common graphics and image editing programs. This allows you to manage your marketing communication internally.

… Get your employees on track

To ensure that your team gets to know and understand the brand identity, we help you to communicate the new look internally. We will also be happy to teach your employees how to use the templates safely.

Ready to go?

Intensive exchange of information – the kick-off workshop

Our joint project begins with a detailed preliminary discussion with Christoph Weimann, CEO and partner of vierviertel. Together you will:

• create a project overview and outline your individual requirements,
• determine the extent to which managers and employees of their company are involved in the branding process,
• Get to know your vierviertel team,
• compile all relevant information for your employees.

From talking to doing – our collaboration

As soon as we have defined the framework for the corporate design and agreed the kick-off date, we get down to business. Step by step, we design your new brand architecture:

• Analysis: Determination of the basics, market analysis, competition analysis, environment research, company history, etc.
• Brand workshop: Clarification of brand and company personality, self-image, attitude and values. Definition of target groups and persona, identification of USPs
• Concept: Drafting and specifying the positioning, working out the unique selling point
• Claim and brand story: Formulation of brand messages, claim and brand story Development of corporate design: Relaunch of brand logo, figurative mark, word mark, design of basic elements such as colors, typography, grid or visual language
• Implementation: Revision of existing communication materials, training of your employees, creation of style guide and design templates

What does branding from vierviertel cost?

We determine how high your budget should be based on your objectives. This allows us to estimate the effort required to achieve your goals efficiently. Cost factors in brand development are the instruments and the type and number of communication tools you want to use.

Do we fit together?

Of course, our services are not limited to certain industries or company sizes. So far, we have achieved the best results with companies that have fulfilled the following criteria:

• B2B healthcare and life science, B2B software providers, real estate project development, financial services, NGOs, business & professional services, consulting companies, construction and trade companies
• Annual turnover: from EUR 3 million

Resources for marketers

If you would like to delve deeper into the topic of brand development and branding, we recommend our e-book on the subject!