• Pavlos, in simple words, how would you describe to someone clueless what is the so talked branding?

Let’s take things right from the beginning and before trying to comprehend branding, let’s examine the notion of a brand. In simple words, brand is the feeling we try when thinking about a company, a product or a service. Through the stories narrated, through the images created and projected, it creates impressions and feelings. This is what brand exactly is; That “gut feeling”, according to Marty Neumeier.
Branding is the process through which brands are created. It is a combination of strategic and creative procedures. Using words, colors, shapes, and images, we provoke feelings and impressions in the minds and souls of people.

• What does design have to do with all of these?

The image of a brand is something very-very powerful. Design contributes to the recognition, the diversification, and also the innovation of products and services. Just think how would Apple products be without such an innovative design, both in their packaging and their identity, as well as in the designing of their devices and applications. From a branding scope, this is very important as it is the optical correlation that one makes when seeing the logo, the fonts, the colors, and the various design elements used by a brand. The design of a visual identity follows the strategy and the gut feeling that we aim to create to people. Brand, on the other hand, is something more than what is said above; it is comprised of a combination of speech and image and that exact combination, at the end, forms a comprehensive experience.

• In your opinion, what is the most successful brand at the moment worldwide, or what’s your pick?

Of course, it's inevitable to mention brands like Apple or Nike, or Tesla that have achieved to be inextricably connected to the goal for which they exist, that is to change things as we know them so far and thus to gain a unique spot in our soul and minds. The interesting point, though, is that many brands are effective; either we are talking about bigger brands, that have at their disposal all the means and experts available, or smaller ones that have succeeded in creating this unique correlation in the minds and the souls of people. Of course, apart from companies, even individuals can be brands, since they have conquered this uniqueness among their audiences.

• Therefore, what makes a brand successful?

First of all, we should define a successful brand. A successful brand is one that has been closely and deeply connected with the majority of its public in a powerful way and with great impact.
Some important aspects for this success are the following:
1. It should find its purpose, that is the public to which it is addressed, and determine the strategy to follow! 2. It should create its own narrative, its unique identity, and an extremely powerful image, trying not to be like any other brand.
3. It should stick with courage and consistency to its goal and identity.
4. It should dare, be extrovert and well-grounded but also it should respect and listen to the community.
5. It should constantly develop as a product but also in terms of human resources and procedures.

• What makes a company or a businessman/businesswoman knock on the door of a branding agency?

Usually, it is the need to correctly position the brand in the market, to change or to enhance its image. A businessman/businesswoman has an idea and he/she is looking to materialize it; determine the strategic pieces of the brand; to create a narrative and a comprehensive visual identity so that it is possible to successfully reach the audiences that are of interest. That is a product that needs to be positioned on the shelf through a unique packaging that will bring it out. But existing brands can come to an agency as well. They are brands in need to be more up-to-date and maybe to get more into the future and solve problems of their positioning in the market, either because they have developed and their positioning does not correspond anymore to what they are or what they would like to be or because they are facing a crisis in their brand and they need to consult a brand agency to solve it.

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Please, let me introduce myself.
Branding is what I love and do, and I am very happy that for the last 15 years I have been working on it in the wide spectrum of the visual communication and branding aspects (art director, creative director, brand strategist). I have studied optical communication and also business administration and since 2012 I have been the Managing Director of the SOUL Creative Agency, which is a creative agency focusing on branding and design, combining strategy and business with innovative design. Along with my exceptional partners, we have the honor to have worked on many brands both in Greece and abroad and we have the pleasure to see many of these projects excelling both domestically and internationally.