Category: Branding

I’m not going to lie, when I first started my freshman year in College, I had little to no idea what graphic design, let alone branding, was and went into my first design class thinking that I’d spend the next four years creating apparel graphics, posters and logos – needless to say, I couldn’t have been more wrong…

A common misconception when it comes to graphic design and branding is that they are basically one and the same. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth, and it is this misunderstanding of the two terms that often gets both brands and designers into a world of trouble.

The reason is that graphic elements — whether it’s a logo, typography, website and/or brand assets — while great to have, are really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to branding. Put simply, think of your brand as the emotions and ideas that lie right beneath the surface, while its logo, website and brand assets are the visual cues used to communicate and share it with the world.

In other words, unlike graphic brand elements and photos that you can see, “feel,” and sometimes even touch, branding is made up of intangible thoughts and emotions, which are a lot less sexy and harder to sell. And this is where the disconnect happens…

Even after graduating college, I was still very much under the impression that a logo was the brand, and approached my early logos and branding projects under the impression that I needed to illustrate and communicate exactly what the business did, rather than what it stood for in people’s minds.

However, if you were to look at a logo like Nike or Zippy’s, without any context, there would be literally no way of knowing the brand they represented, let alone what they sold.

Why This Confusion Happens

The primary reason why the two (objectively different) terms get confused is mainly due to the fact that graphic design is a tangible asset that is easily seen and even easier to monetize. Branding, on the other hand, is slow, abstract, and lives entirely in people’s minds rather than a website, t-shirt, or signboard.

In other words, just like I spent four years of college (as well as the first few years of my career) treating projects like I would a fine art or illustration project, many designers (and now AI agents) approach branding projects and design briefs the exact same way, focusing entirely on illustrating the brand’s story while largely ignoring the ideas and emotions driving it.

Putting The Cart Before The Horse

When it comes to local businesses and community nonprofits in Hawaii, the desire for immediate profitability and results tends to make them put the cart before the horse.

In other words, in the interest of saving on design and advertising costs, the gut instinct is almost always to focus on illustrating literally everything the business does in a single logo or design, rather than honing in on the very ideas and emotions that set them apart from the rest of the crowd.

But the thing is, just because you have a poke shop, doesn’t mean you need to have a poke bowl and chopsticks as your logo — while it might check all the boxes on paper, it’s actually the opposite of what strong brands do.

Nike doesn’t need to put a shoe in its logo, in the same way Zippy’s word mark has nothing to do with bentos or plate lunches (other than the fact that it might be fast — which it kind of isn’t), and that’s actually the point.

Because when a logo doesn’t rely on literal imagery to explain itself, it gives itself the opportunity to take on a life of its own — the true secret to branding isn’t the brand aesthetics, but the emotional connection and positive reputation it’s built through consistent experiences over time.

The Takeaway

Whether you’re an owner, organizer, brand manager, or graphic designer, the next time you’re evaluating a logo, a website, or a full brand refresh, be sure to ask yourself: are we designing what we do, or building what people feel?

While your logo, graphics and photos are obviously what everyone sees first, at the end of the day, they’re only the tip of the iceberg. What’s underneath, whether it’s intentional or not, is what actually determines whether people will remember, trust, and choose to do business with you again and again.   – JZ

When it comes to business, people are using AI (Artificial Intelligence) to do everything from writing emails to writing ad copy and, in some cases, even their logo design and brand management.

While AI can definitely be a game changer for businesses (especially those with limited margins and resources), it can also become a liability if proper human guidance and oversight are not applied.

So let’s take a moment to break down some of the pros and cons of AI, along with some of the things you can do to avoid the pitfalls of using it to create and manage your Brand.

Pros:

Speed, Efficiency & Affordability

One of the biggest reasons why businesses don’t make Branding a priority is because, unlike marketing, it usually requires a significant investment of time and money, with little to no immediate ROI (Return On Investment) to show for it.

In other words, hiring a professional brand strategist or agency is a long term investment, often costing tens of thousands of dollars.

AI-powered tools, on the other hand, provide businesses with a low-cost alternative, making brand strategies and design much more accessible – especially if you’re a startup or small business owner.

Research & Implementation

Before the Google, algorithms and AI, businesses spent a significant amount of time and money in market research. With AI, however, small business owners are now able to not only access, but also analyze large amounts of market data and consumer trends to make important business decisions in a matter of minutes.

In addition, AI can then take this data and use it to create comprehensive brand strategies, design systems and even strategic positioning statements with just a few short prompts and a click of a button.

Cons:

Creativity and Nuance

While AI excels at pattern recognition, at the end of the day it’s still just a computer program that’s literally incapable of conveying real human emotion and thought.

Put simply: AI is incapable of understanding, let alone conveying, emotions, storytelling, and cultural nuance – basically everything that makes a brand memorable.

For this reason, if you are using AI as your personal Brand Coach or Brand Consultant, it’s important to take a step back and ask yourself whether or not the information or ideas its giving you not only support, but also align with the mission and vision of your brand – BEFORE putting anything it says into practice.

Hallucinations & Sycophancy

An “AI hallucination” is a term that was coined to describe what happens when AI confidently generates information that is factually unsupported, incorrect, or completely fabricated, which is often stated with the same confidence as stating an objective fact.

The reason for this stems from the inherent nature of AI and the way the models are trained, creating two very real issues:

1) AI models are prone to sycophancy, shaping an answer toward what your phrasing suggests you want to hear rather than what’s accurate, and

2) They’re known to produce fabricated citations, often inventing or misattributing a source to make a made-up claim look verified, which is often what convinces people to stop questioning it, even after initially questioning the “facts.”

Needless to say, this is extremely problematic when used for brand and market research, and even worse when dealing with sensitive topics such as cultural symbols and appropriation.

This is why if you are using AI for research and brand development, it is very important that you stress test your assumptions and take everything the AI gives you with a huge grain of salt — no matter how logical, compelling, or well-cited the information might sound.

Independent Thought

Developers train AI on pattern recognition and existing data, so while it may sound “human,” the best AI can do is produce/replicate what it “thinks” looks and sounds good to you.

This is why Generative AI produces outputs that often look generic, derivative or (even worse) infringe on existing copyrights. It’s not innovating or creating…simply regurgitating what everyone else is currently doing.

While we’d personally advise against replacing your Designer or Creative Team with AI, if you do, never take anything AI gives you at face value. Take your time, do your due diligence and ALWAYS be sure to use multiple sources to help generate different ideas and perspectives for you to reference.

In other words, use AI as a creative tool and source for inspiration – not your personal in-house Designer.

Your Brand Starts and Ends With YOU!

There are a lot of things AI can do, but Creativity and Critical Thinking aren’t one of them – at least for now. At the end of the day, only YOU (and maybe a Professional Brand Strategist) are capable of bringing your brand’s story, values, cultural nuances and vision to life.

Want to create a memorable Brand strategy for your business but need help getting started? We’d love to help! Click here to schedule a free 30 minute strategy session today!