Service · Branding
Branding, made in Barcelona
A brand grows when it knows who it is.
At Mariona Agency we build brands from strategy through to their visual and verbal expression. We define what makes them relevant, how they should present themselves and what they need to keep their personality at every touchpoint. Branding connects business decisions with the way people recognise, understand and choose that business.
Giving shape to a brand idea
A company can have a good product and still be hard to explain. It may communicate one way on its website, another in its presentations and another in its spaces. Branding brings those expressions together around a shared idea.
We work with brands that are just starting out, companies that are evolving and teams that need to regain consistency. We study their context, their offer and their relationship with people to define a direction that can hold beyond a single campaign. The identity follows from those decisions: it has a reason for being the way it is, and a system that makes it usable.
How we think about branding
A brand isn’t lost overnight. It scatters, piece by piece.
We start with the idea that explains everything and let it bring order to every piece.
When everything grows from the same idea, the brand becomes effortlessly recognisable.
Animation: six pieces of a brand (website, packaging, space, presentations, social media and stationery), each with a different sign, arrange themselves around a brand idea and end up sharing the same system.
Clear Flow and Human First
A clear brand speaks for itself. We design systems that are understood at first sight, so applying them doesn’t depend on interpreting a manual, and every new piece adds to the whole instead of opening an exception.
A brand exists for the people who use it and for those who receive it. We build it by listening to the team who will sustain it every day, and by thinking of whoever comes across it with no context, at any touchpoint.
From strategy to touchpoints
Positioning and value proposition
We pin down who the brand is speaking to, what it offers and why it deserves attention. We set out the ideas that should guide its communication and help the team make consistent decisions.
Name and language
When the project calls for it, we develop the name, the narrative and the key messages. We define a recognisable voice that suits the context and is easy to carry into real content.
Visual identity
We build the logo and everything around it: typography, colour, composition, graphic devices and image direction. The whole has to work in small, large, physical and digital applications.
Applications and usage guidelines
We bring the identity to the priority applications and document its rules. The scope can include stationery, presentations, packaging, website or spaces, depending on the needs of the project.
An identity the team can use
A brand also proves its worth when someone else has to put together a presentation, commission a piece or publish content. That is why we think about everyday uses from the start. The handover is built around the agreed applications, the files needed and a guide that explains how to stay consistent without turning each adaptation into a new problem.
How we build your brand
Understand
We review the business, audience, competitors and existing materials to arrive at a shared diagnosis.
Clarify
We define the positioning and the central idea that will give the project its direction.
Design
We develop the visual and verbal language and test it in representative applications.
Refine
We check legibility, differentiation and consistency, and refine the system with you.
Launch
We prepare materials and usage guidelines to roll the brand out across the agreed applications.
Case studies
Positioning and identity
Tutichip
For Tutichip we worked on positioning, the rebrand and the visual identity. The brand platform connected the company’s know-how with the way it treats its customers; the graphic system grew out of the silhouette of its own snacks.
See the case study: Tutichip
Naming and brand system
Sand Farcit
The name Sand Farcit ties the product to its setting in Sant Cugat. From that idea we developed the visual identity and its applications, with a language of colour and shape that echoes the generosity of its sandwiches.
See the project: Sand FarcitQuestions about branding
What is the difference between branding and visual identity?
Branding defines the brand as a whole: positioning, personality, language and experience. Visual identity is the part that makes it recognisable through design. It can be tackled as a project in its own right when the strategy is already clear.
Do we need to change the logo to work on the brand?
Not necessarily. The diagnosis may show that the problem lies in the message, in the applications or in a lack of shared criteria. First we identify what needs to change and what is worth keeping.
What determines the scope of a branding project?
The starting point, the complexity of the offer, the markets and the applications needed. With that information we define deliverables, phases and priorities before developing the project.
Let’s start with what your brand needs to say
Tell us where your company is right now and what no longer represents it. We’ll find a direction to build from.
Let’s talk about your brand