The Commoditization of Branding

Recently, I have been noticing a trend on the internet that has me a little concerned. I like to call it the commoditization of branding. I’m not sure if it is in response to the idea that people who run companies just see graphic design and the entire process of branding a company as a necessary evil and want it as cheaply as possible; or if it is because anyone with software can now call themselves a designer and has started to offer their services so cheaply that people uneducated in proper marketing and branding practices simply can’t resist the price.

Whatever it is. It does a huge disservice to the company being “branded” as well as the number of marketing professionals who have spent allot of time and money going to school for such fields as Marketing and Graphic Design.

There is a reason why Universities have spent years developing programs that teach an individual to understand the need for proper market research and what to do with the results of that research. There are reasons why students of the field spend several years learning this, as well as how to understand the human psyche, why people buy what they buy, and how to create an advertising campaign around the results of such learning.

There is also a reason why graphic design students spend years learning color theory, good use of fonts, what effects certain font styles have on people, how colors relate to messaging, and what the difference between good and bad design is. Then, there is the whole education process that goes into learning how to design something that actually prints well or is usable for embroidery. Not every cool design translates into a good printed piece. And there are ways to make something look just as nice and cost less to produce.

Good branding involves all of these things. Branding isn’t simply going to a web site that acts as a place for people calling themselves designers to use a company’s brand as a contest. It isn’t just about a company picking the coolest looking design out of 20 choices because the owner or CEO happens to like it. There have been several times in my career where the owner liked a logo or branding look, but his potential clients didn’t relate to it and the company ended up choosing what resonated with their target audience.

We, as branding professionals owe it to our clients to, at the very least, explain to them what the proper process is and why they need to consider it. If they then choose to go about it as cheaply as possible, then that is their decision. However, we should remind them that the same reason they drive a high-end automobile and wear good-quality clothing is exactly why they shouldn’t skimp when it comes to investing in the image and the future of their company.