Some notes from reading 'Dynamic Identities: How to Create a Living Brand' by Irene Van Nes.
Introduction
The difference between a standard brand and a dynamic/living brand:
"a brand is not a logo [...] instead a brand is understood to be a collection of relationships" (page 5)
"Fifty years ago, a brand was just a single mark used for brand recognition, which set it apart from the rest. Now a brand has become a platform where like-minded people come together, and an experience that creates emotional attachment". (page 6)
"Internet, social media and technical revolutions have given brands the opportunity to behave like living organisms." (page 6)
Creating a visual identity used to be as simple as a "logo, a set of colours and a font". But with most interaction today taking place online, it has allowed brand identities to become "more vivid and variable". (page 6)
"An identity should reflect the values and aims of a company as a whole. What drives it, what it believes in, why it exists. This is not something static, frozen in time. it is always evolving, growing, adapting to new circumstances." (page 6)
6 Components that make up an identity:
Logo
Typography
Colour
Imagery
Language
Graphic Elements
"one or more of the components could consist of different variables, adding flexibility to the identity. Fixed components help the user recognise their brand; it is the variability that gives is room to live and evolve" (page 7). This means that there needs to be fixed elements in order for the brand identity to work, but deciding which of the components are fixed or variable is up to the designer, and is fluid in the process of creation.
Manhattan Design was one of the first to create a dynamic identity in 1981 for MTV. "They created a system where 'M' and 'TV' have a fixed shape and position, but can be built with thousands of variations of colours, patterns, textures, animations and illustrations." (page 7)
There are six different methods to creating a dynamic identity: container, wallpaper, DNA, formula, customised and generative.
There is an issue, however, with dynamic identities: "they are hard if not impossible to patent. Companies might be afraid to take a leap with a corporate identity they cannot protect under current intellectual property legislation. In this fast changing world, IP laws are not adapting fast enough." (page 9) However, this should not hold progressive designers back. More companies should start to embrace dynamic identities, as the world is dynamic.
Container Method
This approach to creating a dynamic identity is to make the logo "a box that can constantly change its content. Playing with just one variable, such as colour or imagery, can already create great variety while remaining recognisable." (page 11)
Wallpaper Method
This approach to creating a dynamic identity means "placing variables behind a constant logo. The total shape may vary, but the impression is still a single identity." (page 41)
DNA Method
This approach to creating a dynamic identity is "supplying a toolbox containing several core ingredients. Various recipes can be created using these ingredients, resulting in a different outcome each time." (page 55)
Formula Method
This approach to creating a dynamic identity means "instead of letting the ingredients being the core of the identity, one could also let the system be the constant. Whether it is a grid or a set of rules, it forms a language, a formula, that brings everything together." (page 97)
Customised Method
This approach to creating a dynamic identity "lets the client interact and be part of the brand. It makes the client the owner of the brand. Customisation is the first step towards letting the identity reflect a certain sense of community, creating an emotional bond." (page 143)
Generative Method
This approach to creating a dynamic identity means that "opening up at least one of the elements of the identity gives the brand a living character. Letting the identity be influenced by external data- weather, stock market, news, tweets, number of visitors, status of a project, anything really- puts it in real time. The identity can reflect the world it is living in, and adapt in response to its input." (page 155)
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