Brand Identity

Sketchbook - Off-White - Brand Identity (Stripes

When we think of our favorite brands, we automatically have images pop up in our heads of what they are most known for visually and socially. In one of my seminars last week, we were looking at what brands own what and I researched further into what they mean to each brand.

Off-White was a brand that came straight to my head when we discussed who owned stripes. I literally could not think of anyone else who used this bold contrasting design to brand themselves but them. I found out that Virgil Abloh defines his brand as the grey area between black and white. This to me described something which wasn't just as simple as black and white, something slightly complicated yet not confusing and disorganised. I liked the way thats the reason he chose the black and white stripes and the story to what was behind the name 'Off-White'.

The next brand identity I looked at was who owns dots? Automatically I thought of the Comme Des Garçons collaboration with Chuck Taylor Converse which are dotty with the signature red heart. I then looked more into Comme Des Garçons brand as I didn't know too much about it and thought do they really represent dots? I realised quite quickly that visually, they have so many items with dots on such as accessories, clothing and even their fragrances. Next, I saw that even their store online and physical shops are decorated with dots all over. It didn't go a miss that I was going to use this brand with the dots for their brand identity.

sketchbook - Comme Des Garçons - brand identity (dots)

Singapore Store - Comme Des Garçons

Other than patterns/motifs, I also looked at colours. Who owns blue? Tiffany's of course! The beautiful elegant robin egg blue.

Tiffany's - Brand Identity 

When looking at the reasons I think Tiffanys branded themselves with the colour blue is because it doesn't suggest anything in particular apart from the elegance and quality of the product. When I think of Tiffany's I think of love. However, this doesn't necessarily have to be the love between two people who are in love but someone that you just care for and respect such as mother/daughter relationships. If they used the colour red, the message and story would instantly shift to passion, relationships, desire, energy and even sex. So I feel whoever chose the colour blue was very thoughtful about the brand itself. If you are given a box of this exact colour with a white bow, you will instantly know where its from and what could possibly be inside. The power of a connecting something so simple such as a colour to a brand is extremely interesting as brands such as Tiffanys can be so successful at it and we instantly correlate egg blue to them.

The final brand I looked at was Selfridges and how I feel they own the colour yellow. When walking around in London as a young teenager, I remember seeing all these bold yellow bags wondering around Oxford Street. It was almost a statement piece even though it was a shop bag. I then read the contrasting black text on the bags 'Selfridges'. Even though I know the brand now, when I was young I remember being intrigued to find out more. This to me shows how the brand wants to be bold and obvious and make a statement wherever it is. Whether in store or walking around the streets of big cities with their customers. As a fashion communication and promotion student, I now realise how much of a smart move this is on the brand. 

Selfridges - Brand Identity

Not everyday we realise that two simple things can connect together, and learning about all the simplicities that actually make a big impact on a brand has really interested me. Hopefully I will be learning more in my time at university about branding and reasons behind certain things they do.