Environmental Branding & Architecture
and why it matters to you…
When it comes to hospitality design (restaurants, bars, hotels, retail, nightclubs, etc..), it’s the customer’s experience and brand identity that ultimately drives sales.
Patrons with an emotional attachment to their favorite places / brands are more likely to return, possibly even paying a premium to do so.
The design of your brand identity (or the company’s image you would like portrayed) should be conceptualized, developed and integrated into the built environment from conception to the finishing touches of construction and beyond. Essentially, this means, your brand is seamlessly ‘embedded’ into the patron’s experience of a space, creating a ‘memory of place’ or ‘placemaking’. This is our definition of successful environmental branding.
At DAFA, Environmental Branding is trans-disciplinary
At one time, environmental branding was just considered the visual communication (ie; wall graphics, logos, posters, exhibits, signage) of an environment. But now with social media, the branding experience carries on far after the patron has left an establishment. Branding can now come in the form of a tweet, an Instagram post, a website, culinary design, furniture, wallpaper, interior finishes, menus, restaurant dinnerware, video, wayfinding or a combination of these. Delivering a positive experience and image cohesively across such platforms creates a successful, memorable brand.
Here are 10 key takeaways that DAFA would integrate into your next commercial architecture or interiors project.
*Look for the highlighted links to see visual examples.
The Human Relationship: Brands must not only stand out, but the effort also needs to be made to nurture the human relationship between the brand and the customer. The best brands connect with their consumers in a very personal way. Just think about Apple; the human-centered design of their products, the complimentary architectural design of their stores, and how much people love their Apple products. That’s good human relationship branding.
Seamless branding: Similar to the Apple concept, a restaurant, hotel or retail store’s interior should be constructed from the brand strategy outward. Every texture, color, treatment, fixture selection should be tied back to the brand identity.
Every detail has the ability to communicate your brand: For a restaurant or bar, even the menus, plates, glasses, mugs should be strategically chosen or designed to work with the establishment’s branding strategy. Look what we did here for the Voodoo Restaurant & Lounge.
Environment Quality = Brand Quality: The quality of the space inherently reveals the quality of the brand. And the interior space and its details can become an immersive, unforgettable brand experience.
But remember to think outside the box: A patron’s experience does not begin or end at the door. It is emotional. It is a feeling. The branding experience can carry with the consumer after they have left the establishment and engage with them until the next visit. Think about Apple again. Does their brand experience end when they leave the Apple store, or even when they stop using their Apple products? No. The experiential attachment to Apple products continues.
Consistency is key: Maintain a clear and central identity. If you keep changing the message, the message will never have time to take hold.
Evaluate your need for a Brand Guidelines Manual*: If you are thinking about multiple project locations or franchises, this is the way to go, especially if there are many different designers involved in communicating your vision across different platforms. By creating a set of guidelines, a branding design manual makes sure your brand is consistent as you expand. See how Linda designed Mathes Brierre Architects website back in 2012. Or check out this small brand guidelines manual we did for a Triathlon sports team.
Switch it up: Keep a consistent yet broad identity for your brand that still allows room to incorporate a surprise or two along the way. The brand identity shouldn’t be so rigid that it can’t change or evolve as you grow. At DAFA, we will develop a brand strategy that can’t get stagnant.
Environmental branding can be economical: Embedding branding into the interior design can actually save money in the long run. You can create a great space and a great brand on a budget that saves you from investing more later on. You’re basically killing 2 birds with one stone. For instance, see how we helped save money for the Julia Street Port of New Orleans Project here.
Make it emotional. The branding should create an emotional connection with the patron in order to create a lasting memory so they return or spread positive reviews about your establishment via word of mouth. See how our Client from Sarahlu Confections is doing this through her instagram feed here.
At DAFA, we can assist you in inventing or refreshing your brand identity through an analysis of your audience and a deep understanding of your vision. And better yet, we can do it while we are designing your space.
*A Brand Guidelines Manual- is typically an owner approved design manual provided by DAFA to create brand consistency by documenting specified design guidelines which include a set of designated colors, materials, typography, symbols, language, fabrication techniques, details, mounting conditions, etc. It ensures a consistent application of the branding strategy is maintained through updates by future designers down the road. The design manual is also economical where in-house staff can take over creating various marketing collateral for the business, yet maintain the business’ branding image in accordance with the original design intent. A Guideline Manual is almost always used for franchise branding, in standardizes the approved branding strategy across businesses with multiple locations.