Designing Change Through Branding

9 Lessons • 55m • Debbie Millman

Designing Change Through Branding

Designer Debbie Millman emphasizes that effective branding transcends capitalism, as it involves creating meaningful symbols and slogans while iterating designs that align with values and resonate with customers in a crowded marketplace.
A woman with glasses and shoulder-length blonde hair smiles at the camera. The image has pink and green color overlays in square shapes.

Designing Change Through Branding

In her video lesson, brand designer Debbie Millman emphasizes that brands serve as nonverbal signals of our identity and values, highlighting their importance for success in the era of brand democratization.

Designing Change Through Branding

The Democratization of Branding

Designer Debbie Millman explains that branding extends beyond fashion to encompass religious and cultural beliefs, illustrating how shared symbols historically fostered community and safety, while modern technology has shifted brand creation back to a bottom-up approach, empowering consumers to shape their identities.

The Democratization of Branding

How to Build a Successful Brand in the 21st Century

In a market flooded with over 100 bottled water brands, consumers increasingly favor those like Mananalu, which prioritize meaningful missions such as eliminating plastic waste, highlighting the importance of branding that resonates with modern values and social responsibility.

How to Build a Successful Brand in the 21st Century

Harness the Neuroscience of Branding to Surprise and Delight Your Consumer

In her video lesson, brand designer Debbie Millman explores how the neuroscience of the brain's limbic system influences consumer attraction to visually striking products, highlighting the importance of color, shape, and design in capturing attention amidst overwhelming visual stimuli.

Harness the Neuroscience of Branding to Surprise and Delight Your Consumer

Positioning, Mission, and Vision

Debbie Millman emphasizes the importance of aligning a brand's mission, vision, and market position to authentically benefit consumers, advocating for transparency and strategic positioning to avoid misleading claims and foster genuine connections.

Positioning, Mission, and Vision

How to Work with Key Decision Makers

In her video lesson, brand designer Debbie Millman emphasizes the importance of clear communication and addressing artificial harmony in collaborative design processes to ensure mutual understanding and effective conflict resolution.

How to Work with Key Decision Makers

Evolve Your Brand Carefully

Brand designer Debbie Millman emphasizes that evolving a brand should be done carefully and intentionally, focusing on meaningful changes that resonate with consumers, supported by vibrant storytelling across all touchpoints to enhance brand acceptance and engagement.

Evolve Your Brand Carefully

The 5 Phases of a Successful Redesign

In her video lesson, brand designer Debbie Millman outlines five essential phases for a successful organizational redesign: diagnostic, projective, exploratory, implementation, and launch, emphasizing the extensive work behind visible changes like new logos and packaging.

The 5 Phases of a Successful Redesign

Key Markers of Failed and Successful Launch Strategies

In a video lesson, brand designer Debbie Millman discusses the successes and failures of recent brand redesigns, highlighting Tropicana's backlash in 2009, Starbucks' effective logo evolution, and Burger King's successful return to its roots.

Key Markers of Failed and Successful Launch Strategies

Branding, says designer Debbie Millman, is more than just a tool of capitalism. Symbols (like logos) and slogans (like hashtags) can be used to manufacture meaning — both for people and organizations. But to do it well in today’s saturated marketplace, you have to iterate your designs in a way that doesn’t compromise your values or alienate your customers.

Learning Objectives

  • Recognize the branding influence of consumers.
  • Articulate your brand’s positioning and beliefs.
  • Explore visual design elements that engage the brain.
  • Assess the need for rebranding and apply lessons learned from previous design experiences.
  • Effectively communicate expectations for a new design and encourage honest feedback.