Branding Variables

Flexible Logos

A growing number of firms are looking to experiment with their graphic identities, motivated by the astute use of variation by media companies like the music video network MTV. As long as the message is constant—and consistently identifiable to its target audience—logos can be adaptable.

The Language Institute of Central Oregon mark’s inherent flexibility, which employs various colors and icons to represent the organization’s several sections, is driven by information. In contrast, the variants at the Ringling College of Art and Design offer little more than aesthetic appeal. One of the more distinctive features of the markings in both situations is the flexibility to alter things. But would you know where to seek if these markers were varied by additional signals?

There is a vast range of characteristics that fall between monotony and disorder. Highlights, ingenuity, inventiveness, surprise, and irrationality are in one direction, while restraint, structure, rhythm, pattern, and comfort are in the other. In the middle, you may find “good design.” At either extreme, don’t undervalue the dangers.

Using Flexible Branding

For identity initiatives to be effective, there must be enough variation to keep things interesting and relatable while maintaining enough consistency to be identified.

Programs should be planned to properly coordinate the locations of variations in addition to accommodating them. Variations are an essential component of the program, not an exception outside of it, regardless of whether they draw attention to particular aspects or facts. Organizations abandon identification programs far too frequently because they lack sufficient inherent variance.

However, identity algorithms that allow for excessive diversity lead to issues of their own. You haven’t really made a highlight if you highlight every line on every page of a book. Actually, it would be a highlight if you didn’t highlight a single line on a single page.

Its distinctive qualities will always be consistency, though.
modifications of any software, usually

Surprising Brands

Surprises annoy some individuals. Some are unable to acquire enough. In a similar vein, certain brand identities accept a lot of surprise, while others do not.

You might be upset if you didn’t discover a few in a fashion magazine, but you might not want to find a surprise on your bank statement. Absolute uniformity without variation might result in a dull experience, which is what no client wants. Individuals enjoy routine, clubs, affinity groups, and patterns, yet as Aphra Behn once said, “Variety is the soul of pleasure.”

Think about the impact surprise may have on any brand identity you assist in creating.