What do you do if your mobile design clashes with your marketing team's branding?

First step to essential to find a balance. Start by understanding the marketing team’s goals and brand guidelines, then work collaboratively to incorporate key branding elements into the app design without compromising usability or user experience. Communication and compromise are key in finding a solution that satisfies both parties.

Na minha experiência e perspectiva de atua??o na área de design, é imprescindivel para evitar conflitos entre caminhos a serem seguidos na estratégia da marca, é pensar de maneira omnichannel. é de extrema importancia entender o propósito da marca, as metas estabelecidas, a experiência a ser forncida, para assim, desenvolver uma estrátegia de marketing com apoio do design. Desta forma, criar uma experiência móvel fará muito mais sentido e estará alinhado com a extens?o natural da marca.

Before starting designing a mobile application, it's crucial to consider a few key factors. Firstly, consult with the development team to identify any technical limitations. Secondly, clarify whether the app's design should closely align with the product's branding or the company website. Consistency is key for a polished and professional user experience.

As a graphic designer, understanding the goals of both mobile design and marketing branding is essential. Understand the distinct goals of mobile design (usability, user experience) and branding (consistency, recognition). Engage with the marketing team to align objectives.

My first question would be if the mobile design is the core product. If so, there's a concerning communication gap between product and marketing. If not, let's say if there's a core desktop app, I'd want to understand which thing deviated from the core app: was it the marketing, or the mobile? Why? I think that could foster a healthy conversation about how to move the company forward as holistically as possible. I've dealt with a marketing clash before and it wasn't pride or misdirection on either side, it was as simple as siloed departments not communicating enough. A humble set of questions can go a long way towards cross-team alignment.

We need to understand that communicating with others is really important in good and bad times. When some people are trying to bring something that is against the business needs and the users needs, you need to be ready to understand them and to help them reaching their goals. In the end, we are all on the same boat. Be ready to bring your data gathered during your research when talking to them. The first impression you should give them is that you are willing to listen and to help at any level in orde to create a great product together. Don't forget to show your gratitude when they give their times to you and when you are inspiring them and they accepted your suggestions. In my experience, you really need to stay focused during that time.

Effective communication is essential for resolving any conflicts. Engage in discussions with the marketing team to express your concerns and make an effort to understand their perspectives. You might gain insights that improve your design choices, or you might impart knowledge that aids in their decision-making process.

Start by having an open and honest discussion with both your design and marketing teams. Understand each team's perspective and concerns regarding the clash. Work together to identify the core branding elements that both teams agree upon. This could include colours, typography, logos, messaging, etc.

Discutez ouvertement ! Cassez les barrière du langage. évitez le jargon technique. Tout le monde doit parler la même langue. Vous n'avez pas la science infuse, alors soyez ouvert.

Open dialogue is crucial when design and branding seem misaligned. Start conversations with transparency, emphasizing collaboration over conflict. It's important to understand and articulate the specific user needs and business objectives driving both design and branding. Engage both teams in brainstorming sessions to identify essential branding elements like colors, typography, and logos that align with the user-friendly design principles. By working together openly and respecting each perspective, we can create a cohesive and effective product that resonates with both our team's vision and our audience's needs.

Workshopping a compromise can be an incredibly gratifying experience. When teams have diverged, as given in this example, a healthy conversation can bring a lot of insight to both parties. For example, if the marketing team lays out their non-negotiables, the design team can step back and better understand what's negotiable on their side, in a way they may not have seen before. And vice versa, design team to marketing team. Compromise doesn't have to feel negative; it can be an educational growth opportunity.

Finding a middle ground is important in such conflicts. Both teams want the best for the product, on a bigger perspective, they are on the same side. Incorporating brand design into the design system is important as it makes sure that the overall product is consistent and doesn't create any kind of cognitive load on the users.

Compromise wisely by distinguishing between the 'must-haves' and the 'nice-to-haves' in both design and branding. Establishing clear priorities allows both teams to understand what's essential for user engagement and brand integrity. Focus on strategic concessions that enhance the overall mobile experience without diluting the brand’s core identity. This approach not only preserves important elements but also fosters a spirit of cooperation and mutual respect between the design and marketing teams.

Compromise doesn’t mean each team loses something; it should be about finding innovative solutions that both sides can champion. For instance, if the branding team insists on certain colors that don’t work well on mobile interfaces, propose alternative shades that maintain brand essence without compromising visibility and user interaction.

Here, you need to show them that theory will be translated into something that is used by the users. When you see that some points do not fit with the required elements in your design, be ready to help them and understand in a deeper way some important facts that they will bring to you. When you are iterating with them, use your critical thinking. Don't be overwhelmed with emotions only but be ready to bring some data that are really helping your team to understand your goals to the product. When showing them that you can be really serious about the research you've done, you are inspiring them to do the same and, next time, you'll get something really valuable from them. Don't forget to focus on the branding part in this situation.

Be willing to iterate and refine both the mobile/web design and the marketing materials until a harmonious balance is achieved. This might involve multiple rounds of revisions and testing.

Testing and iterating are critical components in resolving design-brand clashes. Utilizing real user feedback allows both design and marketing teams to objectively assess how the brand is perceived within the app. This process not only bridges the gap between theoretical plans and practical usage but also highlights areas where the design might need adjustments to better serve the brand's core values. By embracing iterative improvements and leveraging data-driven insights, we ensure the final product aligns effectively with both user expectations and branding requirements, achieving a well-rounded and coherent user experience.

Implement the compromises and test rigorously. Use A/B testing to gather data on what works best from both a branding perspective and a user experience standpoint. Let metrics guide your decisions, not just opinions.

A great designer should know how to inspire and educate people by their saying and by their works. There are so many opportunities to share everything you know and this is one of them. When some other peers are bringing to you some ideas that are in need of your validation, you should bring your good mood with you and always inspire them to do what is great for the humanity. By leading by example, you can do more to your team. Say and do things according to the needs of the users and the business. From there, they will understand that you are a great model for the company. Now, they will try to imitate you and to be like you. That's the best way to educate them. Here, be ready to really choose every word from your mouth.

Explaining how a certain user demographics can interact with some features can help put the product in the right direction taking brand image and identity in consideration.

Often, clashes arise from a lack of understanding of each team’s constraints and requirements. Take the time to educate each other on why certain decisions are made, advocating for design principles or branding elements that are critical. This builds mutual respect and a more informed approach to collaboration.

In the context of corporate tools like web portals and CRMs, mobile experience has to be different from PC as the amount of features shown on a single screen on PC cannot be the same on a mobile screen, a compromise has to be made where contents of 1 PC screen has to be broken down into multiple screens on mobile, the input of professionals who use those features is crucial to determine priorities to ensure that the final solution on PC and mobile is tailored to the users needs.

It helps to bring in an outside perspective. Whether it’s a consultant with expertise in branding and UX or customer feedback through surveys or focus groups, external inputs can provide unbiased insights that help bridge the gap between conflicting views.

Give the marketing team a seat at the table so there are no conflicts and no rework is needed. This will create trust between the teams and foster collaboration. Everyone has the same goal at the end of the day and there is no reason a mobile app can't meet marketing needs and vice versa.

1. Re-identify stakeholders. 2. Re-contextualize with real-world examples and competitors. 3. Re-do, re-sharpen your vision. Repeat. 4. Listen. 5. Be a leader without saying “I’m the leader.”