The design process consists of several important stages. I discussed the first one in the previous article. If you haven't had a chance to read it, I encourage you to do so. I wrote about the moment of defining the project, which is important to meet the client's expectations, but only then does the real fun begin.
The design process consists of several stages. Is one more important than the other? It is not worth looking at it this way. They are connected and constitute a path that leads us to a creative solution to the problem or challenge we face. However, it is worth remembering that depending on the circumstances, it may also be necessary to adapt it to reality, e.g. limited time, money or other resources.
Design process and research
The design process in which we have the opportunity to conduct research is more complete. Conducting research allows for a better understanding of the brand, who its recipients are, what they need and what values guide them.
One example of research being a saving grace for a brand is the history of the FedEx logo. In 1973, Federal Express Corporation launched a day-to-day delivery service. At the time, it was an innovative and extremely competitive solution. But it didn't stop there. By 1992, the brand had introduced a number of other services to its offer, including two-day economy shipping. The number of countries served had increased to 186. However, a problem that hadn't existed before appeared. Competitive companies sprouted like mushrooms after rain on the market, and price became the main criterion for selection. Federal Express Corporation's services were the most expensive, and as a result, their market share began to decline.
How did the management staff react?
In 1994, the Landor agency was hired to create a new brand image and a new brand positioning strategy. Its representatives assumed that the key to success would be marketing research. And so it was. It lasted 9 months, and its result was the discovery that consumers and business clients were not aware of how wide the offer of this courier company was. The prevailing belief was that it delivered only within the US and only overnight.
Additionally, research has shown that the very name with the word “federal” in it has negative associations with the government and bureaucracy. There were also voices that the word “express” was overused and did not have any real value. In the United States alone, this term appeared in the names of about 900 brands. However, it turned out that customers shortened the name Federal Express to the short “FedEx”. In this way, a new verb was created, meaning sending a package via any courier company. This word was associated with speed and innovation.
The Landor agency recommended adopting the name “FedEx” for the company’s communication needs. Its task was to effectively inform about the wide range of services provided.
Based on this research, a logo was also developed. Do you see the arrow on it suggesting the speed of delivery? ;)
We don’t always have the opportunity to conduct research like the one described above. However, conducting even basic desk research can give the designer interesting insights, point them in the right direction and open them up to new creative solutions.
But what next?
Foundations of the design process
Once we have gathered information about the brand, conducted desk research or have conducted broader research, it is time to:
- defining who we are talking to and why,
- brand environment analysis,
- capturing the values and personality of the brand.
Defining target groups and creating personas (or anti-personas) allows us to imagine who we are designing for and who we want to convince to the brand. You can read more about this topic here.
In turn, getting to know the competition and the brand's environment will allow us to find the answer to how we can stand out and where we are positioning ourselves?
In turn, establishing the brand value and its personality is the next step to fully understanding and identifying with the brand. Thanks to this, we will know what we want to convey in our project - what kind of atmosphere, message, or maybe something that is unique and distinctive for the brand? For this purpose, we can use brand archetypes.
After going through these next steps, you'll be ready to generate ideas, sketch, and transfer the design to a computer program. But more on that next time ;)