Brand identities are vital, as is how they are rendered through advertisements. However, as screen sizes have become more varied, the “one-size-fits-all” approach for branding is no longer a viable option for business owners.
Due to the necessity of adapting to displays of various sizes a new concept was born: responsive brand identities. The basis of this principle is that brands use designs that shapeshift and resize based on the screen size they need to display. The changes to the branding elements can also be in color, resolution, granularity, and level of complexity.
These days responsive brand identity is a principle adopted by every branding development agency. Click here to see some examples of such agencies. Whereas one could argue it was once a fad, it is now a necessity. With more places than ever to render your brand identity, the rule of “don’t change your brand logo” has become an antiquated concept and one that will set anyone still sticking to it behind their competitors.
Whether this is the first time you have been exposed to the concepts of “responsive brand identities” or “responsive logos” or you are already on your way to utilizing these elements for yourself (by hiring a design company), this article will provide you with everything you need to know about this trend. But what is it really, and why do you need a responsive brand identity? We are going to take a close look at these and other matters below.
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Contents
The Tale Of Responsive Brand Identity Trends
“Responsive” is not exactly a new buzzword in the industry. Initially, the term referred to how a website “responded” to varying screen sizes. In other words, regardless of the screen size, the website should be rendered to its most optimal display. More recently, the term has come to be used in the branding sphere, referring to the capability of the design and identity adjusting to shifting screen sizes.
However, logos and designs that fit this definition have existed longer than the websites for which the term was originally coined. Companies have been experimenting with various aspects of brand identity and how it can appear best across different print mediums for the better part of the last century. Black and white newspapers often drew companies into committing mistakes of draining the color from their brand’s logos, forcing them to flourish and decorate their logos extraneously.
Application of functional changes to logotypes is common and has been before smart devices even came along. The key is to make subtle, pragmatic changes to design, establishing an array of choices of similar yet slightly distinct logo design models that could fit various contexts differently, rather than creating a highly diverse set of logos for your brand.
Throughout the evolution of branding, businesses recognized that while some concepts may change, the original core of the brand’s design must remain intact, or the company stands a high risk of abandoning brand recognition. But while sticking to the principles of similarity have real value, going too draconian on sticking to the original design has its pitfalls. The critical aspect to keep in mind is that design needs to adapt to context. It is not simply for fitting a logo on a small business card or a giant one for a billboard.
The mentality of keeping the logo fully intact has weakened with the rise and proliferation of small screen intelligent devices. This has pushed the branding niche to evolve differently, setting up a new process for developing responsive branding designs that were not conceived before contemporary times.
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Why Is Responsive Brand Identity Necessary?
Essentially, placing a brand logo in multiple places without any types of adjustments is virtually impossible. This makes responsive brand identity vital to any company’s design. We need to look no further than mobile browsing to prove this to be true. Mobile utilization requires the need for adaptive website elements. If your brand is to market itself effectively, any place you cast your design must be able to house an adaptable logo.
Considering that modern and future displays will only get smaller, having brand logos adaptable across those devices becomes even more pivotal for design planning and overall retention. Think about smartwatches, bracelets, and before we know it, smart glasses. These will all need to reflect a brand’s logo, which means if it looks flat on a mobile display now, things will not improve on an even smaller scale.
Also, think about advertisements you see on websites in full-size screen displays. They are typically smaller and shrunken in size. These will need to be exponentially smaller on smaller rendering spaces, which means that it is even more imperative to consider responsive brand identity when planning out any modern design.
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Responsive Brand Identity In Conventional Media
Electronic screen displays are not the only concern when it comes to brand identity needing to be responsive. Print and other forms of conventional media also call for considering identity that comes in various sizes. Think about promotional swag like t-shirts, bags, and pens, for example. There is simply no way to make the same logo look good or even fit on all of those items.
An often overlooked medium also involves guerilla marketing, where brand logos appear in public spaces like graffiti murals. Any physical media on which your brand must be displayed will also require yours to fit and show on it.
One of the most underutilized branding tools is video. This is especially relevant for those brands that heavily leverage video content, especially across the brand’s social media channels. With animated logos, for instance, they can now utilize the same motion as those used by film studios in years past.
Final Thought
Regardless of your brand’s size, utilizing a responsive identity is becoming imperative. Large, lucrative businesses are constantly experimenting with their brand designs to test their designs’ levels of recognition to their customers. This makes responsive brand marketing one of the essential contemporary tools. The only factor you should take care of as a company is to find a reliable design firm that will provide you with adequate services. Hopefully, the points described above will help you understand the logic behind responsive brand identity and let you use this information to your brand’s advantage.
