All stories · 28 March 2023
The Zaki approach to branding
Our brand creation and development model
Brand design made in Zaki
As a branding agency, over the years we have developed our own distinctive approach to the brand-building process. A model rooted in respecting and enhancing every strategic, verbal and visual element of the brand identity. Brand identity is the compass that guides our entire design journey.
To define a brand identity, we have developed a multi-level analysis framework that explores complementary dimensions: company, market, target audience, personas, customer journey, offering, style, communication and data. This represents our starting point for every project. Brand identity holds the very soul of a company — conveying its values, identity, history and style. It defines the personality, voice and image to be projected to the public and the market, so that the brand image (the way the brand is perceived by consumers) emerges stronger and more consistent.
“Your brand image is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”
Our formula for building an effective brand identity
A strong brand design project is the foundation on which we build any communication strategy aimed at enhancing the customer experience — which, with the rise of new digital modes of interaction and connection, has become a key competitive differentiator for every company.
Our brand design projects take shape through the coordinated design and integration of all the tangible elements that define a brand’s visual and verbal identity (name, logo, symbols, graphic systems, interfaces, images, photography, video, infographics, tone of voice, key messaging, content, etc.). These, in turn, are grounded in and inspired by the intangible elements of the brand identity (mission, values, strengths, reputation, positioning, style, character, personality).
In this way, visual and verbal identity — which also guide the design of all brand communication tools and actions — help make the brand recognizable, authoritative and unique in the eyes and minds of its potential audiences (clients, consumers, stakeholders), thereby distinguishing it clearly from competitors.
However, the “Zaki branding” formula goes beyond this. To achieve strong positioning, we align the brand’s distinctive elements with its strengths in terms of offering and value proposition, and connect them to what people truly seek: meaningful experiences. Experiences lived within a relationship — both physical and digital — between brand and people that is as positive, memorable and enduring as possible.
Brand image
The brand image is essentially the synthesis of the opinions the public holds about a brand and its products. It results from a gradual process shaped by the relationship between the audience and the company, and therefore by a broad spectrum of perceptions. Some stem from rational attributes linked to the product (functionality, affordability, etc.), others from institutional or emotional stimuli (values, character, personality), and others still from activities connected to the product offering that influence how the brand itself is perceived (loyalty strategies — brand loyalty).
Today, however, corporate values, the product itself or anything strictly related to the offering are no longer enough to capture the attention of an increasingly aware and technologically savvy consumer — one who finds satisfaction not merely in the purchase, but in the purchase experience and in the relationship built with the brand.
Brand experience
This is where brand experience comes into play — the unique sum of experiences a customer gains through the various corporate touchpoints, both physical and digital. These must therefore be carefully aligned to deliver a consistent and effective user experience throughout the entire relationship lifecycle.
What customers encounter across communication touchpoints — through all offline and online channels — is content. Content marketing, meaning the creation, management and distribution of valuable, relevant and consistent content designed to drive action, strengthen relationships and enhance brand perception, is an integral part of our work within the brand experience framework.
We are, of course, talking about diverse and high-quality content (graphic design, infographics, copy, video, photography), inspired by both visual and verbal identity and conceived in an integrated way to be coordinated, distributed, accessed, promoted and measured across multiple channels (web, email, direct mail, print, promotional events, apps, SMS, digital marketing, digital advertising, etc.). All of this is strategically structured to deliver an engaging and loyalty-driven omnichannel experience.
Within the brand experience, another added value comes into play — one that a branding agency like Zaki brings to its clients. We have always invested in nurturing in-house talent, including advanced coding expertise, particularly in high-performance front-end development.
This custom development capability allows us to deliver a digital user experience that goes beyond apparent technological limits. A distinctive skill set that, together with the right partners, has enabled Zaki to collaborate with increasingly prominent brands across the Italian landscape.
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