Underneath every great brand is a plethora of research, data and strategy. It’s not a stretch to say that the science of psychology also plays a big role in achieving an overall brand strategy platform. . Every detail of the brand is meticulously thought out with human behavior in mind. If it’s done well, you won’t even notice what happens behind the scenes to set your brand up for success. From color to social psychology, brands (and their creative agencies) use atrategy to create a lasting emotional connection with consumers, well, the good ones do.

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“During these unprecedented times” has become almost a meme-worthy sentiment. It’s clear the pandemic has had very profound impacts in all aspects of life, with everyone having varying experiences and varying degrees of obstacles to overcome this last year and a half. It’s no wonder the repetition of the same phrases and blanket statements in traditional advertising media outlets have felt disingenuous and impersonal while more brands are pushing their advertising dollars into digital based media.

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Giving back is a great way to show you’re more than talk and it can serve to reinforce your brand’s identity while you serve your community. We aim to talk the talk AND walk the walk. After all, a successful company is only as strong as the communities and people it cares about. Some brands, like TOMS shoes, are building charity right into their business model. A lot of brands are giving back in other ways, whether it’s part of the way they do business or not. Using their powers for good has become a trend that we can definitely get on board with.

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Your logo is not your brand…… but it’s still an important piece of the brand. That is to say, branding goes well beyond your logo. It is a mark of your brand, a visual representation, but the brand itself goes much deeper. Your brand is the emotional response that it creates in a person. Your brand is your voice, your mission, your values and the stronger these are the stronger of a brand you will have. In order to cultivate this emotional connection your brand needs clarity, distinction, and trustworthiness. 

Clarity in your brand’s voice means consistency. As we’ve mentioned in our last blog, being genuine is important for a brand as well as being consistent. The key to consistency is clarity. Having a clear vision as to who you are and the values that you carry are the cornerstones of building a successful brand.

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As another pride month comes to a close with a culmination of celebrations this past weekend, it’s wonderful to see some familiarity coming back into the world. Public spaces are reopening and rainbow flags and signs can be seen all across the city, inviting guests in to join the festivities.

 Over the last few years we’ve seen heated discussions about corporations changing out their normal brand colors for rainbows. With many in the community questioning their intentions and authenticity it certainly begs the question: Is this truly creating visibility and representation for the LGBTQ+ community? 

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2020 saw a massive shift in, well, everything. As COVID-19 spread across the globe many cities issued shelter-in-place orders in an effort to curb transmission of the virus among its populations. Almost instantly, previously packed city streets and offices became quiet, eliciting a feeling of the uncanny formerly reserved for surrealist art. Many businesses were forced to close their doors to the public while office buildings and studios lay vacant as the acronym WFH (Work From Home) became commonplace in our vocabulary along with the phrase “unprecedented times” being beaten into us in an attempt to sell anything from pizza to cars.

 With the times slowly becoming “precedented” again a lot of companies are looking at WFH as more of a permanent solution rather than a temporary setback. A big part of this push is coming from the tech industry with jobs in development, it’s curious to see how remote work affects the creative process in a highly collaborative field. Now many are wondering whether it’s the future of the design industry. There are certainly both positive and negative aspects to working remotely and creative agencies–both in Boulder, CO–and all over the world–will need to adapt to the changing workflow of the graphic design industry.

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Every agency should have a roadmap for clients to refer back to in order to ensure that the agency will deliver the right end product. These methodologies are developed over time and experientially based so that the agency can recognize clear progress markers as they work with an array of clients. 

At Oblique, the SLNT (slant) Method™ is our roadmap to lead brands down an actionable, strategic path so you can get the clarity and results you want. Our approach is purposefully linear and methodical as we fully immerse ourselves in your brand’s objectives, giving your values the proper context to shine. Each step along our path builds on the previous in order to create and sustain momentum for your brand for years to come. 

Now, let’s get into the nitty-gritty.

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You know that moment when you go to a website and can’t figure out how to navigate it, and then all of a sudden that business is dead to you?

Well, that’s a dramatized version of what happens when you encounter bad user experience (UX). Your attitude about the whole product or business in its entirety is shifted by a friction-filled, almost antagonizing website. No one wants that.

In order to avoid that worst case scenario, you need a plan in place to ensure a consistent, seamless, user experience across all of your platforms and products. This plan, or UX Strategy, is the conceptual roadmap for how and why your products and website are going to keep people coming back for more.

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This is a meta blog post- we’re talking about the importance of maintaining a company blog as part of building your brand. You’re currently reading the proof that we practice what we preach.

Blogs serve multiple important functions in terms of brand building and growing your online presence. They are certainly a worthwhile investment in creating an organic audience and maximizing your SEO rankings.

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“Just Do It” 

“I’m lovin’ it.” 

“We bring good things to life.”

You hear these phrases and you just know to whom they belong before we even have to tell you. In case you didn’t, “Just Do It” is Nike’s tagline, “I’m lovin’ it” was coined by McDonald’s and “We bring good things to life.” is GE’s famous tagline. So why can we remember them in a split second?

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