“Efficient brands are less about rationality than they are about desire. Having your company appear chic and cool may quickly burn out. Human beings are highly emotional with complex psychological preferences. They base their choices on an extremely complex set of previous experiences. The brand must appeal to emotional needs. With this in mind, it is clear that objective reasoning is less effective. Appealing to more subjective psychological realm of decision making provides much more resonance with the individual. People make decisions based on a number of immeasurable processes and prejudices, it is not relevant to appeal to the logical brain when persuading the consumer. Purchasing products as branded identities, responding to a brand trait, subconsciously hoping these values and associations will be projected onto themselves. Branding is an extremely powerful means of persuasion. Consumers view a branded product as one with a certain added value. The modern brand, can be seen as made of almost completely symbolic qualities. What is intangible (the brand) is now far more important than what is tangible (the product). Consumers rarely purchase a particular brand of athletic shoe based solely on the performance of the shoe. Much of the purchase decision is based on the brand, how it makes you feel.
Graphic designers often possess a rare vantage point for analyzing culture. They are often in charge with determining new trends and identifying what works, and what doesn’t in terms of consumer reactions to certain approaches. Designers learn how to communicate subtle feelings and make associations to specific attributes. They possess a sense of culture that is unlike many other persons in society.
A well thought out, emotionally charged presence makes the consumer want to join in the brand story. People want to be part of clubs and be part of trends. A branded presence allows a product to rise above the mundane everyday by bringing a relevant, emotionally charged visual and experiential realm of the brand to life. Some would say that marketing and branding is manipulative and even sneaky, making false promises and charging more money for basic commodities, the truth is people are positively enticed to participate in these aspirational story lines. Far more fun than a generic, utilitarian, commodification products, branded products allow us to dream, and to express ourselves with our brand associations, or non-associations. Everyday activities are enhanced, uplifted.”
M. Hanson 2006
Visual component of my BDES Hon thesis demonstrates the concept of branding and anti-branding (think blackspot shoes), they revolve around the exact same set of desires and cultural issues.