[BCMA] Re-Branding, anyone?

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv.]

Hi Edward;

You are very much on the mark about branding your institution.

Branding is the the current term for what has been done even before  
the first mark was impressed into a clay pot, millennia past, to  
identify the maker and, and probably by extension, the quality of the  
ware. Since then, this exercise has known many names including  
corporate identity.

In its current manifestation, branding is the expression of the  
persona of an organization as defined by its many attributes  
including values, products/services, governance, etc.

This expression is directed both internally (board, volunteers, and  
staff) and externally (clients/customers, suppliers, collaborators,  
regulators, etc.). The expression can take form in both the things  
done, and the way things are done.

As you have indicated, this is where a visual communications program,  
as one of many programs, can help express this brand. Often, a logo  
acts as a pivot around which other visual components, and media can  
be developed. A very successful logo can indeed become synonymous  
with an organization, examples of which you have cited.

At the core of your re-branding exercise, and to have it run  
smoothly, your persona and subsequent communications objectives need  
to be clearly defined and ratified by stakeholders. This becomes your  
touchstone, before as much as a squiggle is drawn. Otherwise, in lieu  
of a professional process with a positive outcome, you may wind up  
with a popularity contest based on personal preferences.

This can be a very stimulating and rewarding endeavour. Enjoy.

Chris
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chris Au
Burnaby, BC
Canada V5G 3R7
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

On Oct 13, 2009, at 11:13 AM, Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv. wrote:

> Good afternoon!
>
>
> We are going to be moving forward with a re-branding program and I  
> was wondering if anyone has been involved with a re-branding  
> project for their own institution or organization? I would  
> appreciate hearing from you about the process (from surveying and  
> gathering information to developing the corporate identity) and  
> seeing the results (if you’re willing – items such as Sponsorship  
> packages/ materials, Annual Reports, Brochures (Educational,  
> Collections/ Archives, General, etc.), Business cards/ Letterhead,  
> Invitations/ Posters/ Program advertisements and other miscellanea).
>
>
> I understand that branding is more than simply ‘a look’. Branding  
> is the visual ‘stamp’ for your organization. While branding  
> includes items such as a logo and other design elements such as  
> business cards, letterhead, brochures, website, etc. -- it is  
> really more about an organization’s values (or, as some people  
> refer to it – your promises). It’s the visual representation of the  
> things your organization stands for. That brand (the whole design  
> aesthetic) becomes associated with your organization. Think about  
> the Red Cross, Nike, IBM, Mac – they each have a ‘brand’ or a  
> promise (e.g. health, performance, experience, creativity). Their  
> logo is connected to their brand – it doesn’t sum them up, but it  
> refers to what they do and who they are. A brand is the visual  
> equivalent of who you are and what you stand for. It is somewhat  
> abstract, but it will become the [visual] anchor for everything you  
> do and everything you put out into the world. Think of it as a  
> visual mandate/mission statement. A mandate will shape everything  
> you do – a ‘brand’ is its avatar, or visual expression of that  
> mandate/mission statement.
>
>
> That being said, I’m really curious about the various materials  
> created and distributed to the public by our museums (and/or other  
> non-profits).
>
>
> Thank you for your time and consideration.
>
>
> Edward van Vliet, Director/ Curator
>
> Canmore Museum & Geoscience Centre
>
> 902B 7th Avenue
>
> Canmore, Alberta           T1W 3K1
>
> p. 403.678.2462
>
> f. 403. 678.2216
>
>
> www.cmags.org
>
>
> History Never Sleeps
>
>
> <image001.jpg>  <image002.jpg>
>
>
>
> <image001.jpg><image002.jpg>
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