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Summarization of – The Brand Gap by Marty Neumeier

What is a brand? Well first of all I will tell you what a brand is not. Let’s clear up some misconceptions.

A brand is not a:
1. A brand is not a logo.
2. A brand is not an identity.
3. A brand is not a product.
So what is a brand? A logo, identity, and the packaging surrounding the products or services a company or organizations sells/provides is part of creating a brand, but it does not define it.

A brand is:

“A gut feeling about a person’s product, service, or organization”

This means that however you present yourself (whether you have stunning visuals or a catchy slogan) it really boils down to the individual. Your brand is not what you say it is, what other companies say it is, what the marketplace says it is – your brand is defined by what the individual consumer or potential consumer says it is.

Having a logo or identity does help affect that individual’s gut feeling about your business or company’s brand but it cannot define it.

For example: If there are thousands of camera models on the market from thousands of different brands then which one does the consumer decide to buy?

The one he/she TRUSTS. That trust is based off of the consumer’s expectations of the product being met and reliably so.

Now that we know what a brand is and how a brand affects the consumer, what is the purpose of a brand?
“To get more people to buy more stuff and for more years at a higher price.”
Reflection:
As a designer I often have to explain what a brand is to a client and define how the visuals I will be creating for them (logos, colours, fonts, textures and associated images) will all fit into how a client will view them as a company/business. This excerpt breaks the often over-complicated idea of a brand that business owners have (especially new business owners) down into it’s simplest form making the concept easier to grasp and giving it a driving force.

Next Week: What makes a successful brand?