When receiving a request to produce brand merch, we often encounter an eminent question, 'Are you also capable of designing?' The situations of brands of these clients who ask the question can be classified into three categories.
There is a BI (brand identity), but it isn't easy to draft merch.
There needs to be a visual BI that can be applied to branding and merch.
There is nothing.
DiiVER is capable of planning/producing merch in all three situations. Still, in this post, we would like to talk about BX design using brand cases in situations 2 and 3 as examples.
Before getting into the main topic, let's explain it in more detail. For example, in situation number 2, there is a corporate BI, but it needs to be trendy enough to be used in merch or match the components, or there is qualitative BI, such as brand vision and concept. Still, visual BI, that is, design elements such as brand logo/color/symbol, etc., are not there. In case 3, examples include situations with no event/campaign identity or where creating a design that matches the trend for small brands, organizations, or public institutions is challenging. The cases we will discuss today are the latter (without design BI) and situation number 3.
01. BX Design Completed From Brand Naming to Package & Interior
First, let's talk about a case suitable for situation number 2. In line with the brand launch and offline store opening, premium fruit store brand Gwajungdam requested DiiVER for a brand name and BI design that contained the brand's core values and vision. BI, excluding visual BI and brand name, had already been built. Therefore, it was essential to include the message that the brand's core values are fresh, premium fruits with high marketability and expertise and that information about fruits is provided in an easy-to-understand manner. Considering these points, we started planning the brand name and overall design.
We planned the name to be 'Process Story,' which implies 'carrying fruit and sincerity' to reflect the brand's expertise and delicacy, as well as the entire process from fruit production to consumer consumption. Accordingly, we also carried out BI design focusing on ‘damda’. We developed a pattern that can be used in various graphics, including a symbol that denotes the shape of a fruit carefully wrapped in a cloth. We created a package using this BI design. We applied it to the entire interior to complete a BX, allowing consumers to visually experience the brand's core values and identity.
02. BI Design For Brand Vision for Brand Merch
Let's talk further through another example. Wine To Go, a take-out wine specialty store, requested DiiVER to design BI for a wine store specializing in take-out and delivery. As with the Process Story, Wine To Go was also in a situation where it only had visual BI. We started planning with the brand slogan of 'Wine for today's me' and a focus on reflecting the core values and vision, such as the natural taste of nature, the exciting stories and tastes of various wines, and a friendly curation service even if you do not have any information about wine.
As a brand specializing in take-out and delivery, we chose a simple and eye-catching design, considering that it would be most commonly used in packaging and brand merch. We completed BI, which contains a brand value and vision with a deep green color that symbolizes 'nature,' one of our visions, and a wine glass design incorporating sprouts.
03. BI and brand merch design containing campaign purpose and target tastes
This time, we will talk about 3. an example of a situation where nothing exists. The Jeollanam-do Election Commission conducted a campaign to increase voter turnout among the MZ generation during the local elections on June 1, 2022, and produced campaign goods. DiiVER carried out the entire planning, design, and production of this campaign merch. Since nothing could be called BI other than the direction and purpose of the campaign, we planned and produced all slogans, phrases, symbols, and colors that would be included in the goods. The most crucial point was that since this campaign was to increase voter turnout, the goods should naturally remind people to vote.
So, the message that each vote is truly precious was used as a key phrase using wordplay favored by the MZ generation, such as 'Sipsiilban(small contributions from many people can accumulate to have a significant impact)’, ‘Jeokjasaengjon(only the strongest individuals or entities manage to survive)’, ‘Godsaengsalgi(leading an ideal god-like lifestyle where one manages their life exceptionally well across various aspects that is often admired or envied by others)’.
In addition, the main slogan was straightforwardly 'Let's Go Vote,' and the entire merch was designed with a retro mood. In particular, rather than discarding the package box after unboxing, we made it into a piggy bank box so that people could directly or indirectly recall the voting experience. In addition, the campaign goods were composed mainly of products preferred by the target. A pouch large enough to fit all the components was made from eco-friendly materials to encourage people to carry election supplies (ID cards, cell phones, etc.) when voting. We created stickers and a to-do list for those who like to decorate or manage their schedules meticulously. In the case of stickers, the design was designed to reflect campaign phrases and symbols, and in the case of the To-Do List, it was designed similar to a ballot paper with the title 'New Life' to remind people of the voting experience.
Conclusion :
A solid brand narrative is needed to target consumers' tastes and arouse their virtue. The brand narrative is based on the brand's core values and vision. Even if there is such a solid narrative, if visual BI does not exist, producing goods with a narrative is complex. Also, it will be a problem if BI is out of sync with the trends that the target likes and is consuming. The production of brand merch that focuses on BI is also a marketing strategy, where brand strength and consumer analysis are critical points. Ultimately, consumers will treat the goods as consuming the brand's products.
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