The Complete Graphic Designer

The Complete Graphic Designer

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Branding Basics

Types of Brands

Depending on the product, service, or target market,

there are many ways to approach the process of brand-

ing. The brands of older, larger organizations already

possess tradition and heritage, while young companies

or start-ups usually require brands fl exible enough to be

adapted for product or service extensions. Taking into

account the history, needs, and target audience of the

client will enable the designer to determine what type

of brand he is working with and thus what strategy will

be most effective:

The “Mach 3” series of men’s shaving

razors is an example of a subsid-

iary manufactured and endorsed

by Gillette. “Turbo,” “G-Force,” and

“Extreme” are subsidiary brands

identifi ed by different packaging

designs and colors.

Design: Wallace Church

Arcelik is a Turkish company that

manufactures and sells home

appliances in Europe and Russia.

Its monolithic identity is applied to

all of its products, retail stores, and

collateral because its established

reputation in the market promotes

recognition and credibility.

Design:

Chermayeff & Geismar Studio

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Branding

153

1. Monolithic Brands

Brands with a dominant, established

presence in the marketplace and

within the minds of consumers

are known as monolithic brands.

Products and services are marketed

under this brand name due to its

recognition value and customer loy-

alty. The brand name is used in con-

junction with a descriptive product

name, such as Kraft® Macaroni and

Cheese or Campbell’s® Chicken

Noodle Soup.

2. Subsidiary Brands

Subsidiary brands are those in

which there is a parent organiza-

tion with a branded subsidiary or

division. Each brand is equally im-

portant to the consumer and must

work in tandem to build a positive

brand experience. Automobiles

typically designate their products

with sub brands; for example,

BMW uses number designations

for their automobiles, such as the

“3-series” or “5-series.”

Various models of automobiles use subsidiary

brands to differentiate and develop equity in

both names.

Seaboard, a pluralistic brand, is a multinational

agribusiness and ocean transportation company.

Seaboard Foods is one of the largest pork produc-

ers in the United States and encompasses two

consumer brands, Prairie Fresh and Daily’s.

Courtesy of Seaboard Foods, Inc.

3. Endorsed Brands

Endorsed brands are products or di-

visions that have their own power-

ful presence in the marketplace yet

still benefi t from being associated

with their parent organization or

brand. The Macintosh computer and

iPod each have their own market

share in the computer and consum-

er electronics categories but are still

referred to as Apple products.

4. Pluralistic Brands

Pluralistic brands are large corpora-

tions like Procter & Gamble, Tyco

International, and Mitsubishi that

are conglomerate holding compa-

nies for many established consumer

brands. When this occurs, often as

the result of a merger or acquisition,

a brand becomes pluralistic. The

parent company’s brand is transpar-

ent to the end user and unknown to

most people except investors.

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The Complete Graphic Designer

The Fossil brand takes a unique approach to

branding in that its actual logo is not applied to any

of its products’ packaging. Instead, the Fossil brand

achieves consistency and recognition through

inconsistency, relying on nostalgic imagery and

illustration to appeal to its core audience.

Design: Fossil Design Team

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