The world is bending towards all online platforms, and
undoubtedly digital is here to stay and it is time that everyone should begin
redefining their brand guidelines, starting with digital.
Many brands developed these set of guidelines prior to going
digital, so it’s not surprising that their guidelines are obsolete and do not
meet the flexibility required for representing their brand online.
Multiple companies completely claim to embrace ‘digital’ as
a core component of their business identity or wider commercial success, yet
the central offering of the brand or major touch point is often heavily or
completely over shadowed.
There are a few reasons listed below that might explain the
lack of digital consideration in the modern times for branding a project:
1. Print has been a solid established representative of
design for decades now
Print-led brand guidelines are perceived as untouchable.
They cost a lot of time and money to produce and are therefore not to be played
with.
This kind of strict adherence of rules puts a lot of
pressure on digital agencies to come up with creative ways of applying a rule
set not fit for the medium. Forcing the application is often impossible,
technically un-advisable or just plain unaccounted for. The ultimate result is
either a poor brand experience built on un-intuitive brand design decisions, or
a conflicting aesthetic which is at odds with the traditional, above the line
marketing style.
2. Branding agencies lack expertise in digital
Companies are still going to go traditional, by taking help
of print-focused Branding Agencies to define their visual identity, agencies
who have failed to acknowledge the need of the hour- digital design as a
specialism that’s worth investing in.
Digital as a medium is interactive and embraces your unique participation,
and how a brand feels is as important as how it looks. However, there is only a
handful of branding agencies doing just the same and have designers who actually
specialize in designing for digital platforms and audience, let alone any
experience creating digital products.
3. Digital brand guidelines are hard to form
The reality is that designing for digital is complicated and
time consuming. Each device has its own set of technical limitations and
challenges, screen size, resolution, input method, to name a few. They all add up
as restraints which can appear to restrict creativity for any agency or
professional. But in an age where culture is so heavily built and dependent on
unique media interaction and engagement on digital platforms, brands can no
longer afford to de-prioritize digital and give any less importance than any
other medium.
By neglecting to consider digital from the outset many
brands and companies are only left with an outdated online/ offline
presence. Understanding and building on these above lines will enable you
to create a brand that thrives in this digital age.
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