A wordpress-car on the highway? On brand identity.

Compare the below images at 120 km / hour

brand management, corporate design

brand management, corporate design

Confused?

I was confused as well. While driving at 120 km/hour (or faster but I can’t say that for legal reasons) I suddenly thought that I noticed a car with some “wordpress advertising” labelled on to it. This was not the case though – it was a Volkswagen. The feature story however demonstrates that WordPress is a brand that is highly prioritized in my brain…

The graphic design aspect of brand identity

The identity of a brand is constructed within the head of the receiver – the intention of how it should be conceived however is inherent to the sender. The design is the first aspect by which people construct an identity around the brand. Looks matter, also for brands.

Marketing clutter: be different

To be noticed by the receiver, you need to be different from the rest. Easily said, I agree. When choosing your logo, you only look at the market that you’re in – in order to differ from your “market”. Nevertheless, the above suggests that brands are not limited to a specific market. Brands are brands. “Transmarket” analysis of brand identity may be recommended since brand confusion can have a negative effect… let’s take the wordpress-volkswagen example…

Similar look = similar feelings?

I wonder: if I had a negative feeling towards WordPress … would I have negative feelings for Volkswagen as well? Or it might just be the opposite: would I have choosen a different blog platform because I confuse the wordpress identity with the one from Volkswagen? I might hate Volkswagen…

Volkswagen transporter: my favorite VW