Consultancies don’t just design pretty identities

I read with interest your Vox Pop on whether or not groups should offer strategic advice to their clients and this has prompted me to write and expand on the issues.

A brand is a promise that goes beyond just logos or messages that have been communicated. It is the sum total of all ideas, expectations, images and feelings present in a stakeholder’s mind when they see or hear a brand.

Good consultancies have always been channel neutral in their brand building approach and it should start with insights into how people interact with the brand in its ‘universe’. They recognise that identity, environment, packaging and so on are just some of the channels by which the brand could be communicated to its audiences.

Business strategy drives brand strategy and design consultancies work with their clients to understand, manage and live the brand promises, not simply expressing brand promises through pretty design. To do that, design consultancies need to understand the consumers and businesses.

Andre Yong

Head of business development (branding)

CGI BrandSense

London WC2