Your client values brand consistency over innovation. How do you navigate this design dilemma?

To navigate the design dilemma of prioritizing brand consistency over innovation, adhere to brand guidelines and introduce subtle updates that enhance recognition. Engage stakeholders to align on design decisions and gather user feedback to ensure relatability. Use A/B testing to evaluate the impact of new designs while maintaining core brand elements. This approach allows you to balance brand consistency with innovative solutions.

The clients will always prefer safer route of brand consistency. As a creative strategist it’s your job to do perfect research and make sure your ideas satisfy the needs of clients and the creative hunger. Follow the three course rule. Your first idea should be exactly what client thinks they need, second should be a mix of both, taking the same safe route but with new style. Third one is the wild card, where you have all the fun by pushing Brand to explore a new dimension. Keep Brand core and it's identity in mind.

To navigate the design dilemma where a client values brand consistency over innovation, the key lies in strategic balance. Begin by deeply understanding the client's values and the importance of consistency in maintaining trust and recognition. From there, identify areas within the brand’s framework where subtle innovations can be introduced without disrupting the core identity. This might involve small updates to design elements or incorporating new trends in a way that aligns with the brand’s established image. By proposing incremental changes, you can demonstrate the value of evolving while respecting the brand's consistency.

In order to innovate, you need to clearly understand the brand. You need to know their values, their mission, their tone and really nail down the consistency first. Once you truly understand the brand, it is then easy to innovate, while still staying true to the brand and still stay consistent with who and what they are.

There are two kinds of innovations - continuous innovation and discontinuous innovations . A client who wants brand consistency is actually a client who prefers continuous innovation. There are prominent examples of continuous innovation like how the blue IBM logo was converted into BGR colours and IBM solid letters were cut into eight horizontal lines. The new logo embodied inclusiveness, contemporaneity and horizontal lines represented speed and dynamism. By way of conclusion, I can say that it is absolutely possible to present innovative ideas even to clients who prefer brand consistency .

In this case to accomplish a strategic balance between innovation and brand consistency we must choose not more than one or at best two brand attributes and play with them in innovative ways. Other dimensions provide consistency and continuity whereas the dimension that is thought anew presents a fresh and hitherto unseen dimension of the brand.

If you are struggling with brand consistency that is being valued over innovation, then it is really important to first strike a balance with the content being produced and for that I would say you need to lean heavily into consistency with a few innovative ideas sprinkled in. It is important to ease into it. That way the client can see what it would look like if you were to add some innovation, but you are still keeping everything consistent to keep the client happy still. Then it is important to be able to demonstrate why and how it is better to innovate with the brand, because you can innovate and still stay consistent as well.

Yes I agree. Dimensional innovations can be presented as a safe initiative yet important one in order to accommodate the change in demographic profile of the constituencies and also to encapsulate the changing tastes and preferences in an evolving market place.

Create a consistent, but wacky and innovative campaign. Or, create three creative campaigns that all stay in their creative lane... Think about the Geico Gecko, Geico Caveman, Geico pig that gies "Weeeee!" All three from the same brand. All three creative. All three consistent.

Takes me to the point I am consistently trying to make !! Small, unidimensional continuous changes constitute the germane innovation strategy for this type of clients.

Innovations work both ways. If not perceived well , they often prove counterproductive. Brand tracks are important and courageous and honest conclusions need to be drawn . If the change is not in favour of the brand there must be a clever way to go back to basics .