RESEARCH ABSTRACT FOR ARTICLE 1

Subject:
TheImportanceofaBrandingandIdentityStyleGuide
Source:
Fennell,Cameron."TheImportanceofaBrandingandIdentityStyleGuideSix
Degrees."
SixDegrees
.N.p.,03Nov.2014.Web.26Dec.2015.

Analysis:
Whiletheimportanceofbrandingismadeobviousthroughitseffectsonsales
andpublicrecognition,itishighlyintriguingtoexplorethesignificanceofstyleguides:
thephysicalmanifestationofbranding.
PioneeringpsychosensoryresearchfromSixDegrees,abrandingandmarket
researchfirm,hasrevealedthatamajorityofinformationisconveyedthroughsensory
means.Thus,creatingacohesivevisualidentityisessentialtothesuccessofbrands.The
coordinationofthisidentityisthenoftensimplifiedintoacohesivestyleguideoutlining
designtipsandstandardizingthecreativeapproachtocreatingacrediblebrand.
Accordingtofirmswebsite,thereare6keycomponentstoanygivenstyleguide:
1. LogoUsage:
Logosareultimatelyrepresentationsofabrandandits
characterfundamentalprinciples,andvalues.Byestablishingidentifierslike
wordmarks,icons,andtaglines,aswellasconsistentpositioning,orientation,
proportionalrelationshipscompaniescanincreasethevisibilityandimpactof
theirlogo.Alegalproponentisalsoaddressed,asguidelinesforlogoscanensure
thatthecompanyspoliciesontrademarkingandcopyrightsareclearlyexpressed
inregardstobothinternalandexternaldistribution.

2. Typography:
Byestablishingaspecificsetofcompatiblefontfamilies,a
brandcancreateaconsistenttoneofvoice,whilealsoincreasingtheclarityand
legibilityoftextualmessages.Fontsingeneralcanbeusedtoelicitcertain
psychologicalresponsesandremindconsumersofkeyemotionalassociations.A
morepragmaticapproachwouldhighlightthathavingsetfontfamiliescancreate
aclearhierarchyoftexts:clearlyseparatingheadlinesfromsubheadsandbody
copy.
3. ColorPalettes:
Colorpalettes,whichareresponsibletodictatingwhich
primaryandsecondarycolorsareutilizedbyabrand,areessentialincreating
characterandidentity.Inmostcases,consumersrecognizecompaniesthrough
visualmeansandthusconsistentcolorswillallowformorerecognition.Specific
colorscanalsobeusedtoyielddesiredemotionalreactions,associations,and
interpretations.
4. Imagery:
AccordingtoSixDegrees,imageryencompassesallvisualassetsofa
brandandmayincludeillustrations,clipart,andphotography.Inadditionto
thevisualsthemselves,thestyleguidewillalsodeterminetheproper
implementationofcaptionsorcreditsandcanspecifydetailsrangingfrom
compositiontodepthoffield,toevenimageresolution.
5. EditorialStyle:
Brandidentityalsostretchesbeyondpurelyvisualcomponents
toincludeasystemthatguidesthedevelopmentofcopy.Aneditorialstylebook
helpsdifferentemployeeswritewiththesamevocabularyandaconsistenttoneof
voice.Specificsregardingsyntax,punctuation,andcapitalizationcanbealluded

toinomnibusguidesliketheChicagoManualofStyle,theMLAStyleManual,
andtheAssociatedPressStylebook.However,companiescanalsochooseto
operateundercustomizedhouserulesthatincludeamultitudeofbrand
specificnomenclature.
6. Templates:
Byprovidingasetsourceoftemplatesandlayouts,companiescan
createbalanceintheirmediabycorrectlyproportioningtextualandvisual
components.Thisprovisionofvisualsolutionsalsodelvesintospecifics,as
borders,paperstocks,graphicsinterfaces,andcodingstandardscanallbe
establishedtobuildabrandidentity.

Inconclusion,theelementsoflogo,typeface,andcoloroftenimmediatelycome
tomindwhenbrandingisdiscussedduetotheirhighlyrecognizablenature.Yet,within
solelytherealmofstyleguides,anentiregalaxyofnuanceddetailscanalsobe
establishedthroughtheinclusionofimagery,editorialstyle,andtemplatesinagiven
guide.However,regardlessofwhichelementofbrandingisbeingexplored,acommon
themeremains:consistencyiskey.

RESEARCH ABSTRACT FOR ARTICLE 2

Subject:
UpcomingTrendsinBranding
Source:
"2016'sBiggestBrandingTrends."
2016'sBiggestBrandingTrends
.CreativeBloq,15
Dec.2015.Web.26Dec.2015.

Analysis:
Beforeconductingoriginalresearchintothepreferencesofselected
demographics,itisimportanttoconsidertheoveralltrendsinbrandingthatshapethe
wayconsumersperceivethevaluesofanygivencompany.
Incontemporarysociety,whichremainsinastateofincreasingconnectivity,
brandingisbecomingincreasinglypersonalasbigdataisallowingforbusinessestogain
moreinclusiveprofilesoftheircustomers.Thisincreaseininformationavailableto
businessesrunsparalleltoanincreaseininformationavailabletoconsumers.
Ultimately,companiesarereachingstatesofunprecedentedtransparencyasthe
internetallowsforaccesstoaplethoraofpreviouslyinaccessibleinformation.Thus,
brandsarebeingforcedtoleavebehindelitist,impersonal,andunapproachableskins
ashumanizationtakesholdinthemarketplace.
Withtheseunderlyingshiftsintheindustry,thereareafewkeytrendsthatwill
affectbrandingin2016,accordingtotheCreativeBloq.Forexample,focuswillbe
shiftedtowardsprovidingevenmoreimmersivecustomerexperiences.Withtheonset
ofnewtechnologies,avenuesforcompanyinteractionaregrowing.Thus,brandsmust

optimizetheefficiencyoftheirtouchpointstocreateanongoingrelationshipthat
ultimatelyyieldsgreaterconversionratesandrecognition.
Additionally,brandingmaybecomemoreselfinitiatedascompanieswillhave
tolookintointernalsourcesforbrandingintelligence.While,externalagencieswillstill
beimplemented,individualbrandswillhavegreaterresponsibilityindevelopingtheir
ownvaluesanddictatingthemessagestheywanttoexpress.Aspreviouslystatedthere
existsanincreasingemphasisonhumanizingcompanies,andthischangewillmost
likelycauseanincreaseinselfinitiatedbrandadjustment,ascompaniescompeteto
endearthemselvestoapublicaudience.
Inconclusion,technologicaladvancescoupledwithsocietalshiftsareinfluencing
companiesintocreatingbrandsthataremorepersonalthaneverbefore.Looking
forwardinto2016,humanconnectionandafocusontheinherentefficacyofpathos
appealswillbegivenarenewedlook,aspreviouscorporatefacadesofdistant
infallibilityaregraduallycrumblingintheageofinformation.

RESEARCH ABSTRACT FOR ARTICLE 3

Subject:
ColorPsychologyinMarketing
Source:
Neidlinger,Julie."ColorPsychologyInMarketing:TheCompleteGuide[Free
Download]."
CoScheduleColorPsychologyInMarketingTheCompleteGuide
Comments
.N.p.,07Aug.2014.Web.26Dec.2015.

Analysis:
Itisofteneasytorelyontemperedclichestodescribetheimpactofcolor
psychologyinmarketing.Noexpertisneededtomaketheconnectionbetweencertain
colorsandcertainemotions,andthevagueconceptthatcolorsaffectourperceptionof
valueisquiteunderstandable.
However,theextracttruevaluefromanyalterationsinabrandscolorpalette,
thenatureofcolormustfirstbeunderstood.TheCoScheduleBlogforcolorincontent
marketingdenotesthatthereareseveraltenantsofbasiccolortheory:
1. Primarycolors:
combinewithotherprimarycolorstocreatesecondary
(orange,purple)andtertiarycolors(redorange,bluegreen)
2. Primary,Secondary,andTertiarycolors:
canbecombinedwithwhiteto
maketints,withblacktomakeshades,andwithgraytomaketones
3. Colorsinvariousforms:
createacompletedcolorwheelinthefollowing
orderfrominsidetooutside:tints,tones,andthenshades.

Beyondthecolorwheel,onemustalsoconsidercontrast,whichdetermineshow
distinguishabledifferentdesignelementsarefromeachother.Interestingly,contrastis
notsolelydependentoncolor,ratheralsorelyingontone.Forexample,twodifferent
colorsofthesametonecanstillbelowcontrast.Additionally,purecolorshaveinherent
differencesintheirbrightness.Intermsofpairingrelativecolors,therearefour
schemesabrandcouldimplement:
1.
ComplementaryColors
(featuringcolorsoppositeofeachotheronthecolor
wheel:blue/orange,green/red,yellow/purple):Createthemostcontrastby
drawingaconsumerseyestovisualextremes
2. SplitComplementaryColors
(pairedcolorswithlesstensionthan
complementarycolors:blue/yellow):Stillrelativelyhighcontrastthatismost
accessibletothecolorblind
3. AnalogousColors
(colorsthatexistadjacenttoeachotheronthecolorwheel):
Relatedcolorsthatcreatepleasingandrelaxedvisualsduetorelativelylow
contrastandmoresubtlepairings
4. MonochromaticColors
(varioustints,tones,andshadesofasinglecolor):
Hasthelowestcontrastoutofthe4colorschemesandismostlypairedin
additiontoasinglecomplementarycolor.

(Colorscanalsobepairedbyoverlayingshapessuchassquares,circles,andrectangles
ontothecolorwheel.Thesepairingshavevariablecontrastbutareoftenusedtocreate
morecomplexschemes.)

Ultimately,wheneverpairingtogethercolors,marketersmustconsider
associationsbetweencertainpersonalitycharacteristicsandcolorsaswellastheneed
forcontrastinanygivenvisual.Throughouthistory,scientificgreatslikeNewtonand
Goethehavecreatedtheoriesontheeffectsofcolor,andspeculationcontinuesto
aboundevenincontemporarytimes.Ingeneral,colorperceptioncanbeinfluencedby
thestimulationoflightonthenervoussystem,culture,andevengender.
Undeniably,thesuccessofvisualbrandingishighlydependentoncolor.
However,companiescanonlyensuretheoptimizationoftheircolorschemethrough
validandrepeatedexperiments,whilealsokeepinginmindthatproductsandservices
canhavevastlydifferingvaluesandutilities.

RESEARCH ABSTRACT FOR ARTICLE 4

Subject:
UpcomingTrendsinBranding
Source:
McCallum,Tom."HowtoUsePsychologytoCreateMorePowerfulLogos."
Idesigni.co.uk
.InteractiveDesignInstitute,n.d.Web.26Dec.2015.

Analysis:
Intheir2015article,TheInteractiveDesignInstituteprovidesauniquelyspecific
lookintotheunderlyingapplicationofpsychologyinlogodesign.Logos,asimportant
visualrepresentationsofacompanysideasandvalues,arelinkedcloselywiththe
successorfailureofagivenbrand.Thus,carefulconsiderationmustbegiventothe
psychologicalprocesseselicitedbycomponentsofalogoandhowdiversevariables
suchasage,gender,andculturecanleadtonuancedperceptionsofthesamething.
However,intherealmoflogodesign,shapeisafactorthatisoftenoverlooked.
Theseeminglyinnocuousdifferencebetweenaverticalandhorizontallinecanmakea
significantdifference,andsomeofthemostmemorablelogosderivetheirvaluefrom
theiruniqueshape.Thus,toaidinmyanalysisofshapepreferenceinadolescentsages
1618,Ihadtofirstexploreconnotationsassociatedwithshapes.
1. Curves:
areassociatedwithcomfort,positivity,andaffection.Theycan
emulatehumanemotionsbyresemblingeithersmilesorfrownsandalso
conveymotion.

2. VerticalLines:
implystability,strength,andbalance.Theprecisionof
thelineimpartsasenseofefficiencyandreliabilitybutmayalsohold
negativeconnotationsofbeingoverlycoldoraggressive.
3. HorizontalLines:
aremainlyassociatedwithasoothingquality,asthey
representtranquilityandcomposure.Ingeneral,horizontallinesareseen
astrustworthyandcanbeusedtooffsetthenegativeconnotationsofother
moreaggressiveshapes.
4. DiagonalLines:
conveyadynamicnatureaswellasasenseofvibrancy.
However,overuseofdiagonallinescancausealogotoseemoverlyvolatile
anduntrustworthy.
5. Circles:
areacontinuousshapethatsuggeststrength,unity,andstability.
Overall,circlesareperceivedpositively,perhapsbecausetheyare
inherentlyanthropomorphic.
6. Squares:
giveasenseofreliabilitybycombiningverticalandhorizontal
lines.However,designersmustbecarefultoavoidasenseofboredomthat
canalsobeassociatedwiththerigidityofquadrilaterals.
7. Triangles:
standfordynamismandpowerbycombiningrelatively
aggressivediagonallines.Trianglesareperceivedasmoresuccessfulina
masculinemarket.
Overall,therecurringthemeinlogodesignistoconsiderthepsychographicsofa
targetaudiencetomatchinnateassociationswithdesiredvalueperception.The
manipulablenatureofshapealsonecessitatestheextensiveconcepttestingoflogos.

RESEARCH ABSTRACT FOR ARTICLE 5

Subject:
TipsforCreatingaBrandStyleGuide
Source:
Wyatt,Paul."HowtoCreateaDesignStyleGuide:25ProTips."
Creativebloq.com
.N.p.,
5July2013.Web.26Dec.2015.

Analysis:
Potentiallyfilledwithcountlessspecificsspanningfromspacesbetweenshapesto
Pantoneshadestoexactseriflengths,styleguidescanbequitedauntingtocreatefrom
scratch.So,theCreativeBloqprovidedamorepragmaticapproachbybreakingupthe
creationofadesignstyleguideintotwentyfiveapplicabletips.
Theunderlyingthemeintheirfirstthreetipsisreminiscentoftheentire
industry'sturntowardsmorehumanizedbranding.Ingeneral,whileestablishing
consistencyiskeyinastyleguide,informationmuststillbepresentedinadigestible
andreasonablyinterestingfashion.
Absoluteessentialsforstyleguides,outlinedintipsfourthroughsix,would
include
a
writtenoverviewsofthecompany,informationaboutlogos,typefaces,and
generalcopywritingguidelines.Ifpossible,multipleoptionsshouldbeprovidedina
tonethatsuitsthebrandanditstargetaudience.
Tipsseventhroughtwelveemphasizetheimportanceofleavingroomforcreative
licensewhilealsoincludinginformationthatwouldbespecificenoughtoguide
designerstowardsthebrandsdesiredlook.Thestyleguidesfocusshouldbeon

allowingforinterpretationandinnovationasopposedtosimplyarulebook.Itwould
alsobeimportanttoconsiderhowusefulprovidedinformationwouldactuallybe,and
subsequentlyremoveanycomponentsthatwouldneverbemanifestedvisually.
Textualguidelines,addressedintipsthirteenthroughfifteen,shouldbe
expressedwithhelpfromacopywritertocommunicatebrandvaluesinaneffective
way.Thereisaninherentneedtocoordinatetoneofvoiceandbrandspirittosetthe
basisforachievingthecompanysgoals.
Itisalsohighlyimportanttoincludeexamplesofanyvisualsdescribedinastyle
guide.Iftemplatesorartworkarementioned,theguidemustincludevisualstoensure
thatdesignerscanfollowthebrandscreativevision,asindicatedbytipssixteenthrough
eighteen.Additionally,manycompaniesaretakingfurtherprecautionsbyprovidinga
downloadssectiontoensurethattemplatesarealwaysconsistentandaccessible.
Inadditiontoprovidingguidelines,brandsmustalsoconsiderrationalizingtheir
choicesinastyleguide.Byprovidingexplanationsforchoicesinfont,template,color
scheme,orartwork,companiescanestablishacreativestyleandguideartistschoicesin
arationalway.Tipsnineteentotwentyone,alsoencouragebrandstoanticipate
questionsbyprovidingrelevantcontactsandevenaFAQsection.
ThefinalfourtipsofCreativeBloqsarticlereemphasizetheimportanceof
leavingroomforcreativeexpression.Agrowingtrendinadvertisingisstorytelling,and
thisshouldbemadepossiblethroughbrandingbyallowingforcollateralflexibility
amongdifferentmediums.Ultimately,styleguidesaresimplyguidesandnotinstruction
manuals,soinnovationmustbeallowed.

ASSESSMENT OF CASE STUDY 1

Subject:
OptimizationofColorPsychology
Source:
"CaseStudy:HowUsingColorPsychologyImprovedOurWebsite."
Moz
.N.p.,23June
2015.Web.26Dec.2015.

Analysis:
Whileexemplifiedthroughanuntraditionalbusinessmodel,VegasSlots
experienceswiththeinfluenceofcolorpsychologyisclassic.Whenthecompany
decidedtomakealterationstothecopyandcolorschemesfeaturedinoneoftheir
onlineadvertisements,theyfoundthattheirconversionrateshadmonumentalroomfor
improvement.
Inanindustrywhereoptimizationisincreasinglyaffordableandessential,ithas
becomepossibletoisolatetheeffectsofalteringminorbrandingelements.
Consequently,inthiscasestudy,thetechniqueofsplittestingwasusedtostudythe
impactofbrandingchangesonconversionrates.
Keyconceptsfromthedesignoftheexperimentincludedthestudyofahighly
traffickedpagetoreducevariabilityinsampledata,andthestrategicselectionof
variablesbasedonpriormarketresearch.Eventually,VegasSlotsdecidetocreatethree
variationsofanadvertisementtotestwhichhadnuancesincolor,design,andcopy.
Aftercollectingdatafromtheenactedchanges,theMinimumDetectableEffect
wasconsideredtoensurethatimprovementswerecausedprimarilybythealtered

variables.Theyieldedresultsrevealedthatthechangeincolorimprovedtheconversion
ratebyasurprising175%,alludingtotheimportanceofcolorpsychologyinmarketing.
Unfortunately,theothertestedvariableshadminimalvariationsinconversionrates
thatonlyallowedforlimitedconclusionstobedrawn.
WhiletheVegasSlotscasestudywaslimitedinitssamplesizeandrelative
accuracy,keylessonscanbelearnedfromtheirtests.Ultimately,A/Btestingcouldbe
substitutedforPlackettBurmandesignorFractionalfactorialdesigntoincrease
reliability.Similarly,measuringmultipleobjectivesforsuccessinamultivariablematrix
couldclarifytheefficiencyofbrandingchanges.Specifically,inadditiontoconversion
rates,companiescouldmeasureclickthroughrates,registrationrates,orrelative
responserates.
Inconclusion,theanalysisoftheVegasSlotscasestudyhighlightsthe
importanceofexperimentaldesignindeterminingtheimpactofbrandingelements.
Whilecolorpsychologywasreaffirmedasessentialtoacompanyssuccess,additional
factorslikeshapeandcopyrevealedonlymercurialeffectsduetofallaciesintheactual
testingofthevariables.

ASSESSMENT OF CASE STUDY 2

Subject:
CaseStudyofAxaltaReBrandingfromthe

FutureBrandAgency
Source:
Axalta."AxaltaCaseStudy."(n.d.):n.pag.FutureBrand,2013.Web.26Dec.2015.

Analysis:
Theculminationofmyresearchonbrandingwillbeintheformofa
comprehensivestyleguideoptimizedforthetargetmarketIhopetoreach.In
preparationforthattask,Idecidedtotakeacloserlookatthewayrealagenciesprovide
visualsolutionstomarketingchallenges.
FutureBrandisaDigitalAgencythathastakenonnumerousmonumental
rebrandingeffortswiththelikesofAmericanAirlines,theOlympics,andMxicos
tourismdepartment.Whilemanyoftheirclientsareubiquitousmultinational
powerhouses,oneofthemostfascinatingcasestudiespublishedbytheagencyactually
featuresarelativelyobscurecompanysellingprotectivepaints.
Afterbeingacquiredbyanewholdingcompany,AxaltaCoatingSystemsdesired
torebrandthemselvesasfreshandvibrant:adifficulttaskconsideringthemundane
natureoftheirservices.Yet,FutureBrandwasabletocreateaboldvisualidentitythat
managedtobebothutilitarianandvisuallystriking.
Inexaminingtheirsuccess,certainkeyelementsstoodout.Firstly,when
developingtheirstyleguide,designersconsideredexpansiontoaglobalmarketby
creatingtranslatedbrandnamesandevenasuiteoflocallanguagelogos,complete

withfontscustomizedtoeachcountry.Thisovertinsightintothenatureofglobalization
wasfascinatinginthatsimplevariationsintypefacerevealedthecompanysambitions
andworldwidereach.
Anotherkeyelementintherebrandingincludedthedevelopmentofasimpleand
yethighlydynamiclogo.Interestingly,theFutureBrandsuppliedmultipleversionsof
thelogoindifferentcolors:givingthecompanyasetcolorpalettetoworkwithinfuture
advertisements,whileestablishingasenseofdesigncontinuity.Additionally,eventhe
textureofthelogohadastrategicpurpose.Thereflectivesurfaceofthecompanys
signatureAsymbolizedAxaltasuniquebrilliantfinishandalludestohigh
performanceandcategoryleadership.
ItwasfascinatingtoseeexamplesofbrandingchangesmanifestedinAxaltas
flyers,brochures,andbanners.Establishingsetcolorschemesandtypefaceshelpedto
unitedifferentbrandtouchpointsandpromotecommonmessages.TheFutureBrands
brillianceinthiscampaignliesinthefactthattheywereabletocreateinterestand
intrigueinanotherwiseordinaryproduct.Thusanimportantlessoncanbelearned
fromthiscasestudy,asultimatelythepowerofoptimizedbrandingelementscan
transcendtraditionalbarriersofindustrytoimprovesalesefficacyinanycompany.