Glossary of Branding Terms

· 08/11/2019

Acronym

Word formed by the union of elements of two or more words (motel, emoticon, etc.). Acronyms that are pronounced as a word DAFO, FOMO, etc.

Anagram

New word formed by transposition of letters from any original word. In graphic design it is a symbol formed by acronym or syllables, the result of an acronym (Inditex, Seat, etc.).

Applications

Graphic representations of branding elements in different design pieces, such as stationery, promotional materials or digital formats.

Archetype

Marketing and branding tool that is used to define the personality of a brand based on 12 prototypical personalities. The 12 archetypes of behavior mark universal patterns of behavior and define the values and attitudes of a brand.

Architecture

The way in which a company organizes its catalog of brands, services and products in the market to improve its positioning. The strategies are differentiated by three brand roles: monolithic, endorsed and individual.

Attitude

Favorable or unfavorable reaction of the public to a brand, its image and attributes. It is associated with emotions and experiences, and it conditions the buying process.

Attributes

Tangible features and aspects that define a brand or product and create intangible partnerships. The basis for an emotional strategy.

Audiobranding

Set of sounds strategically used to build a brand. Part of sensory marketing, it is used to achieve the automatic identification of a brand with a specific sound.

Benchmarketing

Technique of analysis and comparison of a company with other market leaders. It is used to detect opportunities, threats and weaknesses.

Benefits

Achievement perceived by the user when consuming a product or service. They can be divided into:

Functional: designed to meet a universal need, they do not depend on the emotions of customers

Emotional: connected with feelings and sensations, satisfy the psychological factors of the user

Symbolic: satisfy the need for social self-expression through the consumption of brands.

Brand

Commercial identification of a product, service or company and all its tangible and intangible values. Differences a company from other competitors in the market.

Brand Ambassador

A person with credibility and recognition in the sector, contracted by a brand to represent and promote its services or products.

Brand awareness

Ability that a brand has to remain in the mind y of a consumer.

Brand aversion

Consumer distrust of the products or services of a brand, caused by prior experience or prejudice.

Branding

A set of processes whose objective is to build a brand with values and personality that differentiates it in the market and in the mind of the consumer.

Brand Descriptor

Definition of the activity of the company located under its logo. It allows you to quickly identify the main quality of a product or service.

Brand Essence

Intangible features of a brand that make it unique, the most important and representative.

Brand Identity

Values and characteristics that build the brand, define its mission and create a specific memory in the consumer's mind.

Brandjacking

Phenomenon of appropriation of a brand by a group of consumers who identify with it, to the point of considering it its possession.

Brand Loyalty

Consumer loyalty to a brand. Preference created by emotional ties and satisfaction that influences brand preferences.

Brand personality

A set of descriptive traits that are associated with a brand (character, emotions, etc.).

Brand Platform

A compendium of attributes of different types that configure and define a brand.

Brand Portfolio

A set of all brands belonging to a company.

Brand recognition

Ability of a consumer to recognize a brand after prior exposure to it.

Brand Value

Value and expectations assigned to a product by the consumer

Claim

Simple and direct phrase that synthesizes the attributes of a brand and highlights its differential value.

Clean slate brand

Little known brand that tries to enter the market, perceived by the user as transparent.

CMYK

Color code for printing, it consists of four digits indicating the combination of cyan, magenta, yellow and black (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key).

Co-branding

Alliance of two or more brands in order to create a unique offer without losing your personality.

Corporate Identity Handbook

Document that puts in order all the rules of graphic application of a brand, from typographies and colors to logos, applications and images.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Actions of a company aimed at improving society, the environment or the well-being of its employees.

Creative briefing

Document in which the client provides information about his company and its objectives, integrate the details to determine the direction of the project.

Dilution

Weakening of distinctive capabilities of a known brand and loss of its exclusive values. It occurs because of unauthorized or erroneous use by third parties.

E-Branding

Generation of prestige and brand values through the use of digital strategies.

Employer branding

A business strategy that unites HR and marketing actions to achieve reputation and recognition as an employer of value to current and prospective employees.

Endorsed brand

A model that consists in creating sub-brands with their own identity for certain business units under a parent brand, which brings them together and adds prestige (such as Marriott and its various sub-brands across the price range).

Eponym

Brand name that thanks to its notoriety becomes a common name describing the products of the category, for example: Kleenex, Rimmel or Jeep.

Golden Ratio

Mathematical principle that has been used in art, architecture and design for thousands of years. An indicator of perfection and harmony in compositions.

Graphic mark

A set of graphic elements that build the visual appearance of a brand. It is divided into: logos, isotypes, isologos and imagotypes.

House of Brands

Brand architecture model in which each brand operates independently from the company.

HTML

Hexadecimal code consisting of a pad and 6 digits and letters, is used to identify colors in web design.

Imagotype

Graphic brand that combines the isotype and the logo. The graphic part and the text are not merged into one.

Indentation

Extra blank space to mark the beginning of a paragraph.

Individual Brand

A brand architecture strategy in which each sub-brand in a company's brand portfolio has its own unique and individual identity.

Ink Sequence

The order in which inks are printed.

Internal branding

Employee-centric communication strategy. It conveys the company's values and ideas to turn workers into brand ambassadors.

Isologo

Graphic mark in which the icon and text are integrated into each other indivisibly and inseparably.

Isotype

Iconic or symbolic part of a graphic brand. Design that represents a brand without the need for typography.

Logo

Graphical representation of a brand name using only typographical compositions, without other graphic elements.

Lorem ipsum

Text commonly used in graphic design to preview typography demonstrations in visual layouts.

Lovemark

A concept that aims to establish emotional links between a brand and its customers that goes beyond its products or services.

Misbranding

The practice of misleading labeling a product to mimic another or indicate the wrong amount of an ingredient to take advantage of customer confusion.

Mission

It describes the activity of a company in the market, the reason for its business, who it is directed to and what its objectives are.

Monolithic brand

A brand architecture model in which products or services do not have individual identities, all contribute to a “masterbrand” and share the generic brand personality (such as Virgin or FedEx).

Mockup

Photo montages with graphic and web designers can show the customer how their designs will look on different media, such as a business card, a brochure or a website.

Monogram

A symbol consisting of graphical representations of one or more letters, usually initials.

Naming

Creative process whose goal is to choose the name of a brand.

Neologism

Invented word, without prior meaning, created to name a new concept.

Noa

Terms that are not perceived negatively in the languages and cultures considered. The naming process must ensure that the brand name is noa.

Offset

Printing technique commonly used in advertising.

Overbranding

Indiscriminate use of proprietary brand names. That is, the excessive use of logos or emblems of the brand.

Own brand

A line of generic products belonging to a distribution chain, usually a supermarket.

Pantone

A system that makes it possible to identify colors using a code.

Parent brand

Reference mark, the most important in the internal hierarchy of a company. Depending on their importance, in the architecture of brands can be distinguished: monolithic brands, endorsed brands and individual brands.

Personal branding

Approach to the individual as a brand that should be developed in a similar way to brands.

Place branding

Creation of a brand identity in one place. You can refer to a municipality, region, or country.

Positioning

Perception of the brand against competitors on the part of the consumer.

Positioning Statement

Brief text describing the strategic positioning of a brand. It specifies your value proposition, the position you intend to occupy in the market, main objectives and attributes.

Primary and Secondary Color

Color range of corporate colors that are divided into main colors that are protagonists of the communication of a brand and in secondary colors that accompany and complete them.

Protection area

Space delimited around a logo, it allows to protect it from other graphic elements and ensure its readability.

Reason to believe

Reason that causes the consumer to believe in the value proposition.

Rebranding

Redesign of the identity of a brand through various actions such as the change of logo or name.

Readability

Features of a text that allow easy reading and understanding. A must for a correct representation of a logo in any format or size.

Reticle

Structure to organize web content widely used in graphic design.

RGB

Red, Green, Blue. It is a model that makes it possible to create any color by mixing these.

Screen printing

Printing system widely used in advertising.

Sensory branding

Branding practices focused on reinforcing the image of a brand with stimulation of different senses, such as touch, smell or sound.

Slogan

A short and creative word or phrase, easy to memorize, defines the identity of a brand or conveys an idea or value. It is used in its advertising messages.

Sub-brand

A way to differentiate a product or explore market niches by endowting an individual brand identity to a product or group of products within a brand.

Tagline

Synthetic description that is incorporated to a brand. It is characterized by being witty and catchy.

Typography

Study of the characters of a text from the visual and design point of view.

Typographic Grid

A template with horizontal and vertical lines that serves to organize all typographical elements and images. Used to set the sizes, proportions, margins, and contours of a logo.