A logo is not simply the emblem under which a company trades, nor the outward facing image that describes what a company does - to customers, it is a symbol that subconsciously connects them to their emotions, desires, loyalties and preferences via the brand identity. Basic level operations If a business operates effectively on a basic level with little branding or personality, it might be challenging to understand the impact of sharing a resonating brand story, guiding core principles, an authentic mission statement and relevant visual tools with which to communicate them. Numerous companies exist at this basic level, such as local businesses that appear to have minimal marketing needs, with a familiar client base and who's regular workload is considered reliable. For these businesses, a logo that appears adequate is often deemed sufficient for maintaining a professional image. However these are the companies at highest risk of being left behind - they tend to operate using out-dated practices, not seeing the need to stay current due to their steady clientele. In the rapidly changing world of enterprise, traditional roles like copywriters, artwork retouchers, and illustrators have become obsolete in less than six months, as AI has rendered many of these skills redundant. This also implies that companies capable of simplifying the user experience and employing more agile business methods to keep pace with rapid advancements can easily capture the market. The dangers of a "lovely" logo design You may be delighted with your logo - it may have been crafted by a talented creative and incorporate concepts that mirror certain facets of your business, however superficial logos are often contrived, relying on a surface level grasp of how to visually represent the business. The risk with such a functional logo is that, despite the effort and creativity involved in its design, it is more likely to fail in connecting with audiences on a semantic or emotional level. This means reduced brand recognition, reduced loyalty and reduced repeat business. A logo contributes to a brand's visual identity, yet the visual identity is just one aspect of the wider brand identity. This encompasses the brand's story, personality, name, products or services, and tone of voice. The logo should therefor be influenced by these crucial elements of the brand identity, as they help establish a deeper connection with the audience. How should a rebrand be approached? Prior to the rebrand of a visual identity, an audit should be conducted by a branding specialist to determine the brand archetype, key personality traits, and guiding principles, along with essential background details that influence the sequence of cognition (shape, colour and content of the logo). These elements of the visual identity will be meticulously chosen for their psychological link to the business's core personality traits and values, ensuring they leave a lasting impact on the target audience. To start your rebrand journey, get in touch with Fiona@roccoco.uk or visit the courses and resources pages to learn more about brand psychology, brand alchemy and how to design meaningful identities that resonate.

Brands are complex entities that cannot be fully understood from one perspective. The crucial role of psychology in branding should be viewed from the perspective of the corporation that owns it, and from that of the consumer. Branding psychology is the tool that connects these two worlds, creating a unified and lasting brand experience.  Page contents What is brand psychology? From the perspective of the company From the perspective of the consumer Brand psychology methodologies Brand archetypes The sequence of cognition Brand alchemy What is a brand expert? What is a brand psychology? Psychological connections define the human condition; our senses, memories and perceptions significantly influence decision-making before our conscious preferences are revealed. Advertising and marketing firms have dedicated decades to perfecting a mix of memorable jingles, enticing products, dopamine-triggering strategies, and hypnotic anchoring, but brand psychology starts prior to these marketing efforts, drawing inspiration from the brand concept before any other materials are developed. Therefore, it is crucial and imperative to establish it correctly before embarking on the building of a brand. A brand expert is a creative brand specialist who understands the importance and value of brand psychology, along with the ethical obligations associated with its application. By employing brand psychology techniques, professionals like myself can harness the power of visual language to make lasting impressions on the intended target audience. From the perspective of the company The brand is not the company itself; rather, it serves as a tool for the company to compete in the market. It is an outward-facing entity that helps the business create a favourable image with its customers. Through intellectual property like logos, taglines, slogans, and distinctive product designs, it distinguishes itself from competitors. It also provides distinctive value that goes beyond the functionality of the product or service and contributes to enhancing the brand perception when compared to others. Brand psychology becomes a crucial role when the company wishes to appeal to the consumers. From the perspective of the consumer To the consumer, a brand is a set of automatic associations from the semantic to the emotional. Semantic associations refer to the connections we make cognitively based on a brand's unique attributes, values and our own subconscious preferences. Emotional associations are based on how a brand makes us feel. Brands that truly excel in consumer loyalty are those that focus on establishing strong connections with users beyond the utility, function or advantages of their product or service. These brands tend to have honest and authentic values, an interesting, ethical or purposeful origin story and a clear understanding of their user experience. They then use these to shape the brand image using brand psychology as the visual tool with which to communicate. Brand psychology methodologies There are a number of tools and techniques that brand experts use to communicate the essence of a brand's personality but chiefly it begins by selecting a brand archetype to reflect the brand's values, strengths and weaknesses. From here, a personality will start to emerge, with key traits being used to inform shape, colour palette, typography, graphics and image style. In design terms we refer to this as brand theory and the sequence of cognition. Brand archetypes Beginning with brand personality, a primary archetype can be selected that embodies the brand, it's voice and it's motivations. These archetypes were conceptualised by Carl Jung, the eminent psychologist and colleague of Freud. By identifying with one of these archetypes as a business, brands can communicate with their intended audience with clarity, creating a common and strong thread that holds together the brand story, message, tone, intonation, aesthetic and values. Thus fostering a deeper connection with audiences beyond mere transactions. This gives customers an expectation of who they understand you to be and this makes them feel safe. The sequence of cognition The sequence of cognition refers to the three foundational elements of a logo and how the mind unifies them to form a whole, conveying significantly more meaning than the sum of it's parts. Understanding the sequence of cognition is the difference between using a homemade or stock bought logo versus a thoughtfully crafted, impactful symbolic design that subconsciously conveys a brand's personality and values. These three foundational elements are shape (logo mark or icon), colour and content (brand name and font). Shape - we associate different shapes with unique meanings, for example circles convey community, partnerships and endurance while straight edged shapes convey strength, stability and balance. Colour - we associate tints, tones, shades and hues with unique personality traits. Youthful brands that wish to convey imagination and insight are best represented with light and bright colours while dominant brands that are market leaders should utilise strong pure hues to convey these attributes. Content - when deciding on a brand name, it should be brief, impactful and unique. Popular brands often opt for single-word names with positive psychological associations. The choice of typography can also impact how the audience perceives the brand. Selecting a font that reflects desired personality traits will reinforce the subconscious impression of the logo and brand identity. Brand alchemy Brand alchemy refers to the culmination of the personality, tone of voice, vision and values using the application of brand theory to the brand identity. When all these elements are perfectly in sync, the brand identity is whole, and every aspect of its creation should strengthen our subconscious associations with the brand. What is a brand expert? A designer's job is to take a creative brief and work within a set of existing brand guidelines to deliver an "on brand" solution that sits comfortably alongside other brand collateral. While many designers excel at creating beautiful logo concepts and identities, they may lack the brand psychology expertise needed to form subconscious connections that reinforce a brand 's personality with its intended audience. A brand expert is a creative or designer who has acquired the knowledge of captivating the subconscious mind through the visual language of brand alchemy. If you are a designer, wishing to learn more about brand psychology and how to apply the strategies mentioned in this article, feel free to explore the courses page or visit the brand resources page for free templates and brand tools. If you are a business wishing to work with a brand expert to rebrand your business or conceptualise your new venture, please get in touch to book an appointment today.

With so much subjectivity around the classic car company's new look and positioning, it's worth looking at this soon-to-be-famous rebrand from a less subjective perspective. Page contents Motivation behind the rebrand What people are saying Dissecting the rebrand The brand personality In summary Motivation behind Jaguar's rebrand Jaguar's latest decision to transition to entirely electric vehicles by 2026 is bold and likely motivated by their position as the weakest performer in the Jaguar Land Rover Group. Owned by Tata Motors for over a decade, JLR currently benefits from Range Rover and Defender generating the most profit for the company. This high profile rebrand might be the final effort to rejuvenate the classic car brand, yet it shouldn't be perceived as a desperate measure. The change has not only addressed the company's bold move towards cleaner transport, but also demonstrates the ability to shed preconceptions if we have evolved past others' expectations. I personally see this rebrand as an evolution. What people are saying? The teaser advert's release has sparked significant criticism and negativity, despite Jaguar's request to "trust and reserve judgment" regarding their rebrand. With figures like Elon Musk commenting on X and journalists claiming that Jaguar has "gone woke," I can't help but smile and tip my hat to Jaguar for sparking such a provoking public conversation. Whether you love or hate the new direction, if you believe there's no such thing as bad publicity, Jaguar has certainly succeeded in capturing a vast audience ahead of their major reveal on 2nd December. The primary argument from critics seems to be that the 102-year-old classic car manufacturer should not change, even though their recent modern car designs have fallen below favour with buyers over the past fifteen years. While the beauty of the 1960s E-Type or XJ, celebrated as some of the most iconic cars ever, is undisputed, these styles have not been designed or produced in over fifty years. In the late eighties, the XJ6 became the typical vehicle for middle-class grandads and remained popular among golfing retirees of that era. However, most of them are no longer around, and with baby boomers and Gen Xers choosing smaller, more economical cars, with many leaning towards EVs, it is logical for Jaguar to revamp its design to attract new and evolving markets. Dissecting the rebrand The new Jaguar font is modern and dynamic, with characteristics that subliminally convey a brand that is modern, elite, structured and progressive. Using a mixture of upper and lowercase letters signifies a subversive nature but will likely reveal itself to have a deeper meaning than merely aesthetic. The seeming incorporation of refreshed brand values in the ad is designed to generate curiosity about the company's major unveiling, indicating that the absence of actual car images in this ad is entirely deliberate (addressing one of the main critiques of the teaser). In my view, the use of unique looking models is not particularly important; however, I believe their outfits hold greater significance than whether they appear gender-neutral. The avant-garde clothing is more symbolic of the direction the company intends to lead their customers. The brand personality I can't help but notice numerous similarities with Virgin Atlantic's branding - the colors, the brand value definitions, and even the music and performance art. The sleek, futuristic font also brings to mind the upper class and premium economy branding, which suggests to me that Jaguar has shifted from a Sage/Ruler to an Outlaw/Hero brand archetype. In summary... As a brand specialist, this is one of the most fascinating rebrands in recent times and has me excited to see what's next - the likelihood is that Jaguar are also shifting their user journey and brand experience as well. The fact of the matter is, we all love classic cars, but they haven't produced a true classic for a very long time, so why not shake things up and go out with a bang - it could be the best thing that ever happened to Jaguar. One thing's for sure, I already admire them far more today than I did two months ago when they were barely on my radar. I'm rooting for you Jaguar, the world loves a rebel even if the conformity police has you believing otherwise. If you would like to discover more about the psychology of branding and how it can shape the user experience or to work with me direct on your branding, please get in touch.

Become a brand expert Brand alchemy online course Learn how to apply brand psychology and perform a bespoke brand audit for your branding projects. Brand alchemy is about pulling together all the audit results together to create the perfect brand identity for any chosen audience. Select whether you are a business owner or a designer to download the ideal course for you and let brand alchemy elevate your next project. Get started Elevate your brand Brand alchemy workshops For those who learn better with feedback and guidance, I run seasonal workshops where you can learn the brand alchemy method. I also help attendees to apply their learning to their own business, completing the workshop with beautiful designs, perfect for their brand. For teams and groups, I can create bespoke workshops based on your organisation's needs. Book your place One to one brand alchemy Let's work together on your branding If you are in need of a brand expert to work directly on brand concepts or a rebrand, please get in touch. I can also help with brand strategy and development as well as onboarding sessions with teams prior to rebrand handovers. Visit the work with me page for more information, to download my client guide and to book an appointment for a free consultation and fee estimate. Work with me How the course works Provide a general description of the items below and introduce the services you offer. Click on the text box to edit the content. Choose the course relevant to you Describe your service here. What makes it great? Use short catchy text to tell people what you offer, and the benefits they will receive. A great description gets readers in the mood, and makes them more likely to go ahead and book. Receive email confirmation and course plan Describe your service here. What makes it great? Use short catchy text to tell people what you offer, and the benefits they will receive. A great description gets readers in the mood, and makes them more likely to go ahead and book. Begin your course and complete at your own pace Describe your service here. What makes it great? Use short catchy text to tell people what you offer, and the benefits they will receive. A great description gets readers in the mood, and makes them more likely to go ahead and book.

Save your place Fri, 21 Feb Brand alchemy webinar / Webinar Buy Tickets 21 Feb 2025, 10:00 – 11:30 Webinar An introduction into brand alchemy, the psychology, the tools and the application process.

Register your interest for our next webinar release An introductory presentation by brand alchemist Fiona on her techniques, the origination of brand alchemy, the necessary tools for employing her method, and the procedure for applying it to active projects. Price of online admission will be £35. Subscribe Thanks for submitting!