Developing a brand

...bringing your culture and objectives to life

A brand is more than a logo

One of the most common mistakes people make with branding initiatives is to underestimate the task at hand. If you are setting out merely to create a new logo for a department or initiative, think again.

Brand development is a lengthy process that distils your organisation's culture and objectives into a communications vehicle. As such, it requires a significant investment of time, money and staff. What's more, long after you have created a brand, you will still need to dedicate resources to managing its implementation and evaluating its success.

Any attempt to cut corners could seriously damage your department's reputation and affect its chances of fulfilling its objectives.

How well do you understand branding?

Before you start developing a brand, you should have a thorough understanding of what a brand is and how it functions within the public sector. If you haven't already done so, you might find it useful to visit the Understanding branding section of this website.

Making the most of branding experts

The most successful brands are produced in partnership with branding agencies, each of which has its own way of working. However, you will need to have an understanding of the most important issues behind successful brand development. This section introduces those issues and gives general guidance that will be useful for working with branding agencies.

Do you really need a new brand?
Key stages in brand development
The five elements: building blocks of visual identity