5 ways branding

will add value to your

business in 2020

Common Studios
Hackney Downs Studios,
London, E8 2BT
+44 (0) 7473 45 88 77
kelsen@commonstudios.co.uk
www.commonstudios.co.uk
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Brand matters

In business, as in life, change is the new normal. In the face of rapidly

shifting customer expectations, it can be hard for brands to maintain
relevance. Everyday, there’s talk of change: new competitors, new market
shifts, new channels, new audiences, new data. In a post-digital age,
consumer behaviour has now been completely re-calibrated, and if you
can’t connect – you won’t survive.

The majority of consumers will make a decision about you within

seconds. Your brand needs to be able to connect with consumers almost
immediately and with clear purpose. Your brand is about what you do, not
just what you say; and your business is about trust, not just delivery.

The risk: brands that stand still lose relevance – fast.

Brands are taking on a greater emotional currency than ever before.

Customers want to know how they’ll look, how they’ll feel, what they’ll get
and what others will think of them. Put simply, the most valuable brands are
those that can deliver emotional relevance.

Branding can increase the overall value of your company by reinforcing

your position in the marketplace, attracting better quality customers with
higher retention rates and raising the perceived value of your products or
services. Great design is ultimately about solving problems, and the scope
of your rebrand will depend largely on the problems you’re trying to solve –
this is the real aim of any rebrand.

The new brand experience – brands need to be trusted, relevant,

unmistakable and essential.

+44 (0) 7473 45 88 77

kelsen@commonstudios.co.uk
commonstudios.co.uk
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01 Find your North Star 4

02 Reinvent yourself 7
03 Reach new audiences 10
04 Overhaul your image 13
05 Stand out in a crowd 16
06 Common Studios 19
07 Let’s talk 21

+44 (0) 7473 45 88 77

kelsen@commonstudios.co.uk
commonstudios.co.uk
 4

01
Find your
North Star

+44 (0) 7473 45 88 77

kelsen@commonstudios.co.uk
commonstudios.co.uk
 5

01 Find your North Star

When choosing brands to do business with, today’s consumers care about

more than just what products or services they offer—they care about the
impact brands are making in the world. If you want to take your brand
to the next level, you need a sense of purpose—one your audience truly
connects to.

If a company can define their ‘North Star’, the direction and definition of all
their communications will be infinitely more powerful. This guiding purpose
can have a major impact on how your brand is viewed in the market and,
ultimately, can be the driving force behind your success.

In this new world, brand principles have evolved to offer more dynamism
and deeper connection. What we traditionally have thought of as brand
attributes is better articulated as personality; brand promise becomes
relationship and brand awareness becomes meaning. In this world, your
business trajectory will be in step with what your customer believes you
can deliver.

A rising generation of consumers are looking for brands to stand for

something bigger than the products they sell. Your North Star is bigger
than your brand vision, mission, or values – it is your foundation. When
articulated right, it will make you irresistible to those you hope to serve.

+44 (0) 7473 45 88 77

kelsen@commonstudios.co.uk
commonstudios.co.uk
 6

Brand Idea:
‘The Wellness Alchemist’
XOI Botanicals
 7

02
Reinvent yourself

+44 (0) 7473 45 88 77

kelsen@commonstudios.co.uk
commonstudios.co.uk
 8

02 Reinvent yourself

Rebranding has a simple goal: to keep your brand relevant.

The key benefit of any rebranding project should be to boost your bottom
line. Reaching new clients, standing out from competitors, showcasing your
expertise and expanding your influence and reach are all effective ways to
increase your profits – just by giving your brand a new look.

For some companies, changes in a market situation can put their existence
under threat. The digitisation in society, in particular, is making it necessary
for certain sectors to reinvent themselves. Different requirements call
for different products. Some fashion brands have closed their physical
stores to only sell clothes online, and companies like Amazon have
evolved incredibly over the last few years by becoming a completely digital
department store.

Reinventing yourself is also an essential part of retaining your audience –

strengthening your brand’s message and allowing it to evolve. Rebranding
should support your core message while enabling you to connect with your
audience in new and authentic ways.

It’s important that your website is fully flexible, easy to update and
maintain, and works across a range of devices, especially mobile. A brand’s
website is often the first port of call for many people when they’re looking
to find out more information about a company.

+44 (0) 7473 45 88 77

kelsen@commonstudios.co.uk
commonstudios.co.uk
 9

+44 (0) 7473 45 88 77

kelsen@commonstudios.co.uk Web design:
commonstudios.co.uk XOI Botanicals
 10

03
Reach new
audiences

+44 (0) 7473 45 88 77

kelsen@commonstudios.co.uk
commonstudios.co.uk
 11

03 Reach new audiences

One of the biggest advantages to refreshing the look and feel of your
brand is the ability to reach new customers. Rebranding presents an
opportunity to enhance and enliven a business – drawing a brand closer
to target audiences and drawing in new audiences.

Target audiences, positioning and market share can all change during a
product or company lifecycle. What was once highly effective may now
be holding you back, which means your branding needs to be updated to
reach a new audience.

It’s important to ensure that your new customers and prospects can
connect with your brand. A good strategy will allow you to not only reach
that audience, but speak their language.

1. Change your voice

At its core, good branding is good storytelling. It is a conversation with your customers. As
with any conversation, you need to shape what you say to who you’re speaking with. 

2. Branch into new content

To reach new customers, you may have to shift to new platforms and try new types of
content. For example, if you’re looking to reach a younger demographic it could make sense
to add more digital touchpoints and increase your use of new media – with new customer
interactions come new brand specifications.

3. Overhaul your imagery

93% of consumers consider quality imagery to be the key deciding factor in purchasing
decisions. Even if you’re happy with your current imagery, a change can draw new attention.
More importantly, if your image has never shifted with the times, customers may start to
tune it out. 

4. Interact with your new audience

When you focus on new aspects of your business and promote them correctly – people will
take notice. Rebranding can offer the stimulation your business needs to create new growth
in an ever-evolving market.

+44 (0) 7473 45 88 77

kelsen@commonstudios.co.uk
commonstudios.co.uk
 12

+44 (0) 7473 45 88 77

kelsen@commonstudios.co.uk Brand Images:
commonstudios.co.uk Dandy Restaurant
 13

04
Overhaul your
image

+44 (0) 7473 45 88 77

kelsen@commonstudios.co.uk
commonstudios.co.uk
 14

04 Overhaul your image

Sometimes, change is a good thing. Perception is reality when it comes to

branding. A change of pace, a fresher look, a surge of energy – rebranding
can be exactly what is needed to bring positive momentum to a company.
Simply updating colours, typefaces or your logo can all have very positive
results on the overall engagement rates of your business.

Over time, cohesion can be diluted and a brands image can lose touch
with it’s effectiveness. Consistency within your brand will help increase
the overall value of your company by reinforcing your market position,
attracting higher quality customers and raising the perceived value of your
products or services. In contrast, inconsistent behaviour quickly leads to
confusion and mistrust.

A new brand = new life

Your brand should inspire confidence in pre-sale situations. It should also

inspire confidence in you as the business owner, and your staff team. You
should be proud of your brand.

With growth comes the need for a well thought out brand, closer
understanding of your audiences and continued focus on service and
experience across all touchpoints. It’s a new world out there and people
need to know who you are, today.

+44 (0) 7473 45 88 77

kelsen@commonstudios.co.uk
commonstudios.co.uk
 15

Brand Images:
Finlay London
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05
Stand out in
the crowd

+44 (0) 7473 45 88 77

kelsen@commonstudios.co.uk
commonstudios.co.uk
 17

05 Stand out in the crowd

It may seem obvious, but it’s a highly competitive market and you need to
stand out to survive. What makes your company special in a competitive
landscape?

As you grow, your capabilities may begin to directly compete with those of
your competitors. Maybe there’s a new player on the market that provides
a product comparable to yours, but with aspects that are more in line with
customer desires. You now either need to catch up or recreate yourself in
order to stay in the game. Your rebrand should enhance your brand identity
in a way that appeals to both existing and new customers.

Rebranding can be the most effective way to reinforce individuality

and set your company’s offers and approach apart. Differentiating your
brand shows potential clients that your services are unique—and that
you’re the experts.

The range of options is always widening, and in a rapidly digitising world,

those choices are literally at our fingertips. While we may trust or even love
a brand, exploring and trying new options has never been easier and often
more engaging.

Your company needs a unique voice, look and feel to communicate why it’s
different from its competitors and gain a greater market share. Rebranding
will help establish your business as an industry leader with a personality
that appeals to your audience.

Claim your space and steal the spotlight.

+44 (0) 7473 45 88 77

kelsen@commonstudios.co.uk
commonstudios.co.uk
 18

+44 (0) 7473 45 88 77

kelsen@commonstudios.co.uk Brand Identity:
commonstudios.co.uk DNA Global Events
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Common Studios

Now, more than ever, a brand’s ‘why’ is key to it’s success. Common
studios started from the idea that people benefit when business is a force
for ‘the common good’. If a brand can identify it’s purpose and connect
meaningfully with the right audience, it can go where it needs to go. We
strive to create clear ideas that resonate with your audience.

Having worked in multiple creative disciplines across the world, creative

director Kelsen Findlay established Common Studios on the belief that
good design and powerful ideas can create a lasting emotional experience
between a brand and its audiences.

Common studios is committed to crafting work of value, sensitivity and

purpose. Putting imagination at the center of all we do, we aim to challenge
the unknown with optimism and enthusiasm. Finding opportunities in
challenges to meet your brands goals.

We are culture-savvy innovators, executing purposeful design strategies

and intelligent concepts across brand identity, art direction, print,
packaging, illustration, digital & web design.

We’re here for the journey.

+44 (0) 7473 45 88 77

kelsen@commonstudios.co.uk
commonstudios.co.uk
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“Partnering with Common Studios

has allowed us to produce some
of our best looking assets and has
completely elevated our business"
Nicolas Ramirez, East of Normal

+44 (0) 7473 45 88 77

kelsen@commonstudios.co.uk
commonstudios.co.uk
 21

Let’s talk

kelsen@commonstudios.co.uk
+44 (0) 7473458877

+44 (0) 7473 45 88 77

kelsen@commonstudios.co.uk
commonstudios.co.uk