Finding it difficult to get through the maze of Brand decisions?

Ensuring that brand design is a competitive advantage can be a challenge. design4brand has a simple, but thorough 4-Step process to guide you through your brand strategy and brand design decisions. We help ensure that the design of your products and services personifies your brand identity and supports your brand portfolio.

We can help you balance your brand investments to maximize your share and profit.

Why Design 4 Your Brand

Consumers, on average, take about eight seconds to make a purchase decision. That's eight seconds you have at point-of-purchase to form an emotional bond with them. Eight seconds for them to form an impression of your brand and product, not only in the midst of all the other competitive offerings, but with all the other distractions in their lives as well.

Ray Davis of Umpqua Bank understood this when he convinced his Management Team to see their competition not only as other banks, but every other retail experience that shoppers encounter on their busy day. When I opened my account at my local Umpqua branch, I was warmly greeted by a teller who had the training, authority and accountability to open up a business account that met my needs. He asked me questions about my business and seemed genuinely enthused and anxious to help me succeed. Along the way he introduced me to the Bank Manager and to the Small Business Liaison, who each made me feel right at home, with fresh coffee and cookies. The decor was relaxing. It felt more like being in a comfortable home than a stuffy bank. Through an open door I saw restrooms, clearly there if I needed them. There was even a water dish on the floor, in case I had brought along a dog. I carefully scanned the brochures and compared Umpqua's Small Business services and fees with rival banks. Umpqua was competitive, but it was the emotional and collegial connection they made with me that got them my business. Before I left, I was handed a bag of their own freshly roasted coffee beans (whole beans - my choice). And if there's one thing we take seriously in the Pacific Northwest, it's coffee beans.

In short, like every other consumer, I buy on emotion and justify with logic.

Will I be a long-term, loyal customer of Umpqua? We'll have to see because they will have to earn that loyalty. When you design for your brand, you take into account not only that first impression but every other customer experience down the road. You want to ensure that the emotional and functional promises hold up. This is true for consumer products as well. Do you want Moms to print photos or create scrapbooks using your software? If so, you are competing not only with other manufacturers, but with household chores, bill-paying, children demanding attention, and digital entertainment options that provide a few welcomed moments of distraction. You'd better communicate your brand's value proposition and design your customer experiences accordingly. That may mean sacrificing cool new technology for easy-to-complete, interruptible tasks. When busy Moms get that you get them, they are much more likely to form a bond with your brand, and not only keep buying your products, but serve as your ambassadors to other Moms. And guess what? If you wanted teens to use your product to create their own self-expressions, it could have many of the same functions, but a whole different brand positioning and social connection.

It's this deep understanding of the emotional connection that you need to make with your customers that will truly drive your brand value. You make these at each and every interaction. These are "moments of truth," where your customers form an impression about you: good, bad, or indifferent. Unless you have unlimited resources, you cannot afford to invest equally at every moment of truth. So you have to decide on a strategy to get the biggest bang for your buck. Designing your products and services around this understanding is what creates true brand differentiation. It will win your customers' hearts and minds. It will grab them in that critical eight seconds and keep them for the next purchase.

It's why you must design for your brand.