GUIDE

Brand identity can be thought of as a whole that reflects a brand’s unique characteristics, personality, and values. This identity is formed by the integration of marketing components. First of all, branding and corporate identity determine the basic character of the brand and create visual and verbal elements. Logo design, color palette, typography, and corporate communication standards shape the visual identity of the brand. These elements contribute to the formation of corporate identity by leaving an impression that reminds customers of the values and quality of the brand.

How the brand will appear from the outside is determined and secured by the brand identity. The logo, slogan, color, font, advertising samples, web design, and social media concepts of the institution are specified in the brand identity guide. Brand identity can be expanded depending on the scope of the company. The brand identity process is a branding exercise. Building a brand from scratch is a very critical and professional task. Strategy should take an active role in the entire branding process. The insights gained from the strategy should be applied to the website, advertising efforts, color scheme, or font selection.

Typography is the typefaces that will appear in the visuals that the brand will use in its marketing activities. Each font has a specific character. Choosing fonts suitable for the brand will reinforce the character of the brand.

Shapes are as important as the logo, font, and colors. Figures are supporting drawings for the brand to take its place in customers’ perceptions faster. The important thing is that the shapes to be used are designed to be close to the basic identity of the brand and to explain its function.

Icons are visual elements that are included in various design works of Brands and strengthen the narrative. Their icons strengthen the written expression. Although the shapes used by brands are similar to each other, their styles differ for each brand.

Texture and pattern are supporting elements. Each brand has certain visual elements and textures in its photographs. Patterns, on the other hand, make it easier for customers to perceive the brand in visual areas such as icons and shapes.

Photographs are visuals that brands have to use in many areas. These images must be used in accordance with the basic visual structure of the brand. The usage styles, tones, and angles of the photographs should be determined.

Determining what the brand’s design elements will be only gives it a character. Corporate identity design is an identity booklet that also includes the visual elements of the brand. It is the most valid way to make a business individual and preserve individuality. The brand’s communication, values, culture, visual elements, corporate behavior, forms of advertising, printed materials, and employee uniforms are included in the corporate identity. In this form, the brand achieves a unique structure by distinguishing itself from other brands. Thus, the brand gains a unique place in the minds of its target audience. In addition, the correct use of the brand by different media companies, collaboration companies, agencies, or 3rd party employees is ensured.

All elements within the corporate identity should be processed in coordination with each other. Together creates the corporate image.

Brand identity consists of the brand’s purpose, values, vision, mission, positioning, and architecture. The brand’s purpose is the company’s internal motivation for its purpose. What is the main purpose of the brand other than making a profit? Brand values refer to the values that the brand has acquired throughout its life. Vision is about what the company wants to achieve. It is forward-looking and inspiring. The mission is about what you do. It explains what added value is. Brand positioning expresses the position of the brand in the market. Positioning is the differentiator of the brand in the market. Brand architecture is the determination of the positions and areas of activity of other sub-brands belonging to the brand within the main brand.

Corporate Communications is based on a company’s communication strategy. What kind of image does the institution create in its communication activities? What are the distinguishing elements in internal and external communication? What are the company’s tone and language rules? Every brand has its own tone of voice. The important thing is for brands to achieve a tone of voice that will be most accurately understood by their target audience. A brand story is a narrative within corporate communication.

Corporate design is created by including the visual elements created for branding in the corporate identity guide. In addition to the branding work, the printed products to be used for the institution are also included in the guide. In addition to logo, font, and color preferences, letterhead, envelope design, business cards, file holders, vehicle and office dressings and employee uniforms are some of the corporate design elements.

Users log in to websites to perform an action or get information on a few topics. The more importance is given to usability and user experience when designing a website, the more interaction rate will increase. Any intervention that hinders simplicity will cause users to leave the website within seconds. Simplicity is the most critical feature to look for in a website. The simple use of colors as well as design elements will take the website design to a good point. Making fonts readable will increase the user experience. Graphics should not only be added visually but should be kept functional.

Just like magazine or newspaper designs, it is necessary to create a design that complies with the visual hierarchy in website designs. The size and positioning of images, titles, and texts should be designed to make it easy to navigate and read the website. The most critical feature of a website is that users can easily find what they are looking for. With the navigability feature, users should be able to navigate the website pleasantly and perform their transactions in a simple way. To do this, a site map must be added to certain points of the website. Additionally, a search bar should be added to the top of the site so that users can find what they are looking for with keywords. All pages of a website should be designed in the same format and manner. Consistency will allow users to understand which page they are on within the website. Websites have specific templates for certain pages, if not for every page.

Websites are viewed by many different devices today. It is not possible to access websites designed only for computer screens and make quick transactions from tablets or smartphones. That’s why websites should be designed considering each device separately. Optimized websites receive more traffic and engagement. It is necessary to design websites that can work not only on different devices but also on different website browsers. Today, users have formed certain website experience habits. Acting in accordance with these habits will increase the website experience. The website slider area should always be at the top. Contact information is usually at the bottom of the website. Buttons must be clickable. A website that complies with each of these recommendations is deemed trustworthy by visitors. Users only spend time, get information, and shop on websites they find reliable. We can say that the user experience is high for a website that meets reliability and expectations. There are specific online tests for this. It is necessary to get feedback by running user experience tests on the website.

Content is the most space-consuming element of a website. Texts placed in harmony with visual elements will increase the readability rate.

Header and menu form the top parts of websites. It allows visitors to quickly find what they are looking for. The logo is located in the header area.

The footer is the bottom part of a site. This is the section where basic contact information is located. Additionally, icons that direct you to social media pages are located in this area.

Blogs are pages containing articles and writings on various topics related to the brand. Blogs, where the brand can show how knowledgeable it is in its field, are also important in terms of SEO.

Visuals are important because they make the information that needs to be conveyed supportive and interesting. It is necessary to select visuals that are appropriate to the corporate identity and appropriate to the nature of the communication that needs to be conveyed.

Navigations are indicators of what websites have to offer for visitors. Navigations are necessary to ensure easy access between pages and to maximize the site experience.

C2A are actionable items. It is very useful for the website to achieve the desired conversion and for visitors to take action towards the desired pages.

Display advertising is the most common type of advertising published in the digital world. Appears on websites, blogs, landing pages, and pop-ups. They are not included in search results. Display ads that can be designed in different sizes can be placed on any website. The relevance of such ads for target audiences is quite low. They are published without any targeting thought. However, since they are low cost, the number of people who see the advertisement is high. Display ads can be scheduled through different channels. Digital PR companies, programmatic advertising, and display ads through Google Ads can be published on planned sites.

Native ads differ from display ads in terms of audience targeting. Native ads do not look like any other advertising image. They appear as content of the website or blog pages on which they are located. Since they are placed on certain pages with a strategic decision, their interaction rates are quite high. Since the advertisements are directly related to the subject discussed on the visited page, the rate of visitors clicking on such advertisements is quite high. Some native ads contain the word “sponsored” in certain places.

Social media ads are paid advertisements that social media platforms display to registered audiences. The structure of these ad types can be display, native, and video. Advertisements published in line with advertisers’ targeting appear before the masses depending on the price paid. The word “sponsored” appears in certain parts of the advertisements. They can be of different sizes and structures depending on the content types of social media. Advertisements are published only within the social media platform for which they are placed.

Search engine marketing is sponsored advertising that users encounter based on the keywords they search in search engines. They look just like the results we see in organic search. Their only difference is the word “sponsored” at certain points. They have no visual structure. Textual expressions are designed to get users to click on the ad. Search engine marketing designed with the right strategy provides a very high rate of conversion. Pricing models vary. The critical thing here is to choose a pricing policy that suits the strategy.

Video advertisements are the way brands appear before their target audiences on certain video platforms with promotional videos. Viewers click to watch a video. Video ads appear before the video you want to watch. Additionally, video ads can be integrated into certain websites and blogs like native advertising. Videos can also be preferred as an ad type in social media ads. Although video is a very effective type of advertising, its production requires effort and time. However, video advertisements are very useful for promoting products and services.

Mobile advertising is a type of advertising planned for mobile users as mobile usage increases. SMS can be sent via mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets. Additionally, display banner ads can be shown within applications. Push notification is a widely used type of mobile advertising. Information about campaigns is provided by sending notifications to permitted data.

Brands use social media channels to communicate one-on-one with their target audiences, send instant messages, publish paid advertisements, and celebrate important days for their customers. The important thing is to correctly perceive the structure of social media channels and establish the social media strategy correctly. Determining a brand voice and tone that fits the strategy is one of them. All content should be created as if it originates from the same source. The jargon to be used, the scope of the language, the structure of the sentences, the way Emojis are used, and expressions containing C2A should be specified beforehand.

Short videos are one of the most engaging social media content formats. Can share information with followers very quickly. Since they are small in size, they can be easily shared. Many social media channels support the short video-sharing format. It is an ideal format for preparing fast and entertaining content. Nowadays, short videos are the most preferred format type. TikTok videos, Instagram Reels, and YouTube shorts are ideal for such formats. Social media has made it easier for users to create content with their own templates.

Long videos are shared from online video platforms. It is the ideal sharing type for educational and informative videos. In-depth topics are shared with customers through long videos. YouTube and Facebook are the first video platforms that come to mind.

Images are one of the most frequently published content formats on social media. It is very useful for branding. With static images, brands can present their logos, colors, typography, and slogans to their customers in the easiest way. Images are more memorable than words. As mobile devices upgrade their camera features, the rate of content created with photographs has increased. Instagram and Pinterest are the most frequently used visual-sharing platforms. Content can be personalized by adding filters, effects, and emojis.

Text-based posts are ideal for messages that are better conveyed through textual expressions rather than visual content. For some customers, text-based content is still their most consumed content category. Brand tone and voice are very important here. Starting a conversation for feedback and suggestions from customers is more effective than text-based posts. Twitter, LinkedIn, and Reddit are ideal social media channels for text-based sharing.

Live videos are a type of event where businesses and their customers come together in real-time. Nowadays, live videos have become very popular. Brands can organize webinars with their customers and make presentations at virtual events. Real-time responses can be used by brands to gather customers’ opinions. Live broadcasts can be recorded and turned into ready-to-share videos. Facebook Live, Instagram Live, YouTube Live and LinkedIn Live are platforms where live broadcasts can be organized.

Brands contact their customers with contact information via e-mail. Apart from different digital marketing methods, email marketing is one of the oldest types of marketing. An effective e-mail title and design increase customers’ interest in the e-mail. In this regard, brands need to resort to very creative ways. A standard email sent by the brand will remain unopened in customers’ mailboxes. At this point, it is necessary to apply innovative techniques and new strategies.

Segmentation is critical for email marketing. Choosing the right audience to send emails to is the primary way to reach audiences relevant to the subject. Issues such as location, age, purchasing preference and time, and membership history can be used to create segmentation. After segmentation, it will be necessary to work on separate texts and visuals for each group. Thus, a more precise marketing communication will be made.

Personalization creates the perception that customers are being contacted directly. Mentioning the customer’s name in the email is the first thing that comes to mind for personalization. The important thing here is to carefully select the topic to be personalized. It is debatable to what extent customers want brands to have an opinion about them.

Automation has become one of the important features of email marketing in recent years. The increase in the number of data has made it difficult to control and track the customers to whom e-mails will be sent. Emails created using automation are more practical than those created manually.

Conversions are the most critical issue in email marketing. Did the mail reach customers? Did customers click on the email and read it? Were the links placed in the email clicked? Did customers arriving via e-mail show purchasing behavior?

Interactive elements increase the time spent on e-mail. Images and GIFs placed in the e-mail make the e-mail more interesting. With AMP, mailers can be transformed from designs into mini websites. For this, email service providers must allow this. Apple and Outlook do not display AMP content.

The user interface is an interface design designed to enable customers who experience the mobile application to carry out their transactions more easily. The layout of the buttons, the harmony of color schemes, and the flawless appearance of images and animations bring the user interface to a good point. A good user interface allows users to navigate mobile applications flawlessly.

Navigation has gained a new style with mobile applications. With smartphones, scrolling down was in common use. With the innovative design, downward scrolling combined with sideward scrolling broke the monotony. Thus, a more entertaining user experience emerged.

Easy login makes mobile applications more useful than websites. Logging into a website is not as easy as mobile applications. Websites require authentication at every login. Mobile applications have eliminated this obligation.

Artificial intelligence has started to be integrated into mobile applications. Artificial intelligence chat robots enable faster transactions by answering customers’ questions instantly.

Animations make mobile applications even more interesting. 3D animations explain the features of products and services better.

Smooth movement is a feature that mobile applications enhance the user experience. Physical buttons have started to be removed from smartphones. The designs that mobile applications include in their interfaces enable users to navigate within the application as they wish.

Computer, mobile or web games are one of the activities that people enjoy while spending time. Brands have started to take part in this enjoyable activity. Branded games, advertising, and promotional games are a new type of digital marketing. The products and messages placed in games are marketing content that users encounter during the game. Branded games are today the most effective and entertaining way for brands to spread their marketing communications. Brands must understand the form and mechanics of the games well.

Mini-games are quick and easy games where brands give promotions to their customers at the end of the game. It is the most common of branded games. It can be developed for many different platforms.

Instant games are web-based games. Facebook, WeChat, and Google are among the instant game developers. Brands can promote their campaign launches through Facebook Games.

Educational games are a type of game in which brands share some information about their products and services with their customers through educational games. Simulations are very effective in learning some subjects. A training simulation that is visually and auditorily constructed correctly may not provide an experience that will be remembered for a long time.

Augmented realism games are realized by positioning brand-related graphics in the real world. Augmented realism, which is quite new in terms of technology, has a high memorability. Brands are increasingly using augmented reality games to raise awareness.

Virtual reality games are games that brands integrate into VR systems. Branded products or brand messages included in virtual reality simulations surround users.

Web games are among the types of games that brands have frequently used since the early days of the internet. The accessibility rates of the games are quite high. All web portals support web games.

Print designs are physical materials created using printing machines rather than digital designs. Brands still use printing extensively for marketing communications today. Although their purposes are different at some points, they are similar to digital designs in terms of both branding and marketing benefits. Today, print designs are encountered almost everywhere. Printing work is a graphic design process. Works designed in digital environments are printed on paper, cardboard, plastic, or metal materials. Someone who deals with print designs must have high material knowledge.

Printing works are very critical for the identity of brands. There are guidelines in the corporate identities of the brands about how the printing work will be done, what measurements will be adhered to, and what the rules will be. Printworks are required to create brand awareness or develop promotional products. In addition, the packaging of the products is also a print design. Branch and vehicle wrapping works are made possible with print designs.