There is a defining story about young Steve Jobs building a fence with his father where he teaches his son to take just as much care in building the back of the fence that no one sees.
It is clearly obvious that Jobs used this insight throughout his career of creating remarkable products with great care, often concerning himself with the appearance of circuit boards that no one would ever see.

What part of your brand experience is the back of your fence?

Remember, branding is not a singular, isolated discipline. It is a sprawling mosaic that encompasses many different interactions that together make up a customer’s experience with your brand.

The Swiss Style of Graphic Design, as its name itself implies was developed in  Switzerland during the 1950’s and became popular worldwide because of its  precision, clarity, readability and typography. It is also known as the International Typographic Style. It became a new  revolution in the world of graphic design and was instantly adopted by artists  all over the world.

This style originated in Russia, Germany and the Netherlands during the  1920’s and it spread to Switzerland after the World War II. The world-class  Swiss designers improvised this design and came out with a new wave of graphic  language. This was evident in not only the posters, but also was prevalent in  designing train tickets, travel pamphlets, drug labels and even bank notes. This  style, otherwise known as, “Neue Grafik” encompassed a formal discipline and had  a profound impact on the world of graphic design for the next three decades. It  continues to inspire graphic designers even today.

Swiss Style Design Elements and the Web

Early Swiss style artists used this form of design to capture the attention  of users for posters and brochures. In the process, they had created the basic  forms of user interface and it is only logical that Swiss design is extended to  the web. The central element of Swiss style design is uniformity. All design  elements adhere to geometric shapes and grid lines. This has been interspersed  with text, patterns, colors and photographs to create abstract and unusual  images.  Some of the Swiss style elements that can be used to design a web page  to look attractive are grids, white spaces, a defined structure and sans-serif fonts.

Grid lines

Grid lines form the foundation for Swiss style design and they present a  sense of uniformity to the viewers. It serves as a framework for designers to  organize their information and make it more presentable to the viewers. When  grids are used, it gives a defined structure to the page and makes it easy to  group related information. It also gives an overall balance to the entire design  and makes it appealing as well as user-friendly.

White spaces

White spaces are essential for any design because it helps the mind perceive  different groups of information. The right amount of white spaces at the right  places can create a first good impression and this can motivate any visitor to  read through the web page and linger on it for a longer period of time. So,  white spaces are vital for a good design and the Swiss style design lays a lot  of emphasis on it.  This style advocates the use of extensive white spaces  between texts to differentiate them and to give a boost to the overall quality  of the design. It also suggests the use of white spaces between images to  enhance the look of the page.

Structured Design

The cornerstone of Swiss style is structured design. Websites that follow  this style should use a high amount of definition lists and other HTML structure  elements. There are a wide variety of uses for these elements and most design  styles tend to avoid using a good part of these elements. However, these  elements are vital for Swiss style and the more you incorporate, the better will  be the outcome.

Minimalistic

The Swiss artists are well-known for their minimalistic and elementary  approach to design and this design naturally follows that trend. This design is  all about simplicity expressed in the most attractive manner. Designs based on  the Swiss style use the least number of elements required to create the best  designs.

Fonts

Fonts are the most defining aspect of Swiss style. The developers of this  style believed that an attractive image can be created using precise words, the  best typeface and the designs will be an ample proof that they will hit the  bull’s eye!

Most Swiss artists prefer to use the sans-serif typefaces to give a sense of  clarity and universality to the design. Different font sizes and typefaces were  used in a single design to bring more depth and to act as a true avenue of  expression. Also, differing font sizes were used to group different kinds of  information and it added more readability to the design.

Images

Images and photos are surprise elements of the Swiss design. The Swiss  artists felt that photos are better ways to portray an idea than illustrations  and drawings. It also opened up numerous possibilities for the designers to  incorporate unique photos into their design. This improved the aesthetics of the  design and brought in a unique versatility to it. The image below shows how photos can be blended into designs to make it more  attractive to the users. Different design tools can be added to the photos to  give it more depth and resonance among viewers.

Examples

The first example depicts a minimalist design that is attractive because of  the use of differing typefaces. The colored band adds a lot of the depth and  makes it a central aspect of the design.

This image is a classic example of the use of grids and structure to make a  design readable and attractive to the viewers.

This example shows how font colors and typefaces can be used to distinguish  different groups of text so that the viewers can simply peruse the page to get a  fair idea of the information.

In short, Swiss style design has some unique elements that can make your  design outstanding and attractive instead of a run-off-the-mill design. As a  designer, you will be surprised to see the impact that it can have on your  design. So, feel free to use these design elements to create attractive designs  that can leave your audience spell bound.

Paul Rand (1914 – 1996), was an influential American graphic designer but was best known for his corporate logo designs. In his career, Rand has contributed greatly to the graphic design industry by way of his corporate identities which include IBM, UPS, Enron, Westinghouse, ABC and NeXT, many of which are still being used today. Rand was educated at the Pratt Institute (1929-1932), the Parsons School of Design (1932-1933), and the Art Students League (1933-1934) and went on to become one of the originators of the Swiss Style of graphic design. Paul Rand was a pioneer of American graphic design, he was influenced in his early work by Cubism and Constructivism as well as the Bauhaus, applying the principles learned from these avant-garde schools of art to graphic design. Rand’s defining corporate identity was his IBM logo in 1956, which as Mark Favermann states “was not just an identity but a basic design philosophy that permeated corporate consciousness and public awareness.” Many people may interpret his logo’s as simplistic but Rand quickly pointed out in A Designer’s Art that “ideas do not need to be esoteric to be original or exciting.”

Rand, more than others in the advertising business, believed that a brand identity was more important than a billboard and in 1996 graphic designer Louis Danziger said “He almost singlehandedly convinced business that design was an effective tool. [. . .] Anyone designing in the 1950s and 1960s owed much to Rand, who largely made it possible for us to work. He more than anyone else made the profession reputable. We went from being commercial artists to being graphic designers largely on his merits.”

Rand was not only known for his design, but also for his philosophy of design, writing a number of books about his work.

I am continually surprised by how often I have conversations that start like this. It’s true. Branding is a broad pursuit that can take on many forms. It is so sprawling that, for the most part, when people come into contact with this abstract concept, they quickly confine it to a single category like graphic design, when in reality that is only a part of the much larger picture.

You see, your brand is not just your logo. It is not your company name or tag line. Your brand is made up of the gestalt experience your fans, followers, customers, and community create based on interacting with your organization across a multitude of touch points. As such, every single touch point matters.

And yet, too often we focus on the marketing touch points — ads, collateral, websites, and the like. If you look at storied brands like Apple and Starbucks you quickly see that these organizations are leveraging all of their touch points. To help you build a stronger brand, let’s take a look at twelve of the most underutilized brand touch points.

1. Packaging

Avoid the trap of tossing your product into the cheapest box or of not using the packaging itself as a canvas. Remember those Gateway spotted cow boxes? Or how an Amazon box smiles at you when it arrives. As Apple’s design chief Jony Ive says, “Packaging can be theater, it can create a story.”

2. Invoices

No one likes getting the bill! Why dress it up? For that very reason. Take an experience that both sides dread and turn it into an event. Add personal notes, quotes, jokes, or simply turn your graphic designer loose on it to make your invoice a remarkable touchpoint.

3. Packing slips

You mean that thing the machine spits out that we toss in the box? They’re called ‘touch points’ for a reason. If your customer touches it then it’s part of your brand experience. When you rework your invoice, create a unique packing slip as well. Why not even design a custom packing slip sleeve to carefully wrap this touch point?

4. Price change letters/renewal notices

This isn’t a fun message either but often there is sound reasoning that goes along with increased fees. This is an important story to tell. Rather than having accounting blast out a form letter, get your creative team involved in a well-crafted piece that ties an increase or renewal to your ethos like ‘Because we care about providing you with the most technically advanced website development services …’

5. User guides

Just as you should turn your designer loose on your invoices and packing slips, you should let your copywriter have some fun with your user guide. This critical and often frustrating touch point is the only thing that stands between your new customer and fulfilling their dream of using your product. Don’t mess it up! If you’re a service business — have you ever considered creating a user guide on how to work with your organization?

6. New business proposals

On the other end of a user guide is the new business proposal. Like the invoice, many consider this a fragile, potential painpoint. With the stakes this high, your document needs to work just as hard as those slick brochures that most people pitch after first contact at a trade show. Rather than a cobbled together Word document, this piece should paint a rich picture of what it’s like to do business with you.

7. Vehicles

If your brand has vehicles, you may be thinking that this touch point is covered. While it may be, it’s probably not maximized. Consider the myriad trucks of general contractors that you pass daily in traffic with simple contact info lettered on their doors in a boring font and then think of the Oscar Mayer wiener-mobile. Which one do you think best embodies the brand?

8. Search ads

Patrick Hanlon’s Primal Branding notes that one of the seven pieces of a brand’s “primal code” is sacred words — a special vocabulary the defines your brand. At Starbucks you don’t order a small, medium, or large. You order a tall, grande, venti. Words matter. Though often managed by the analytical side of your marketing team, make sure your search ads are aligned with your brand’s lexicon.

9. Holiday cards

With all the hustle and bustle, it’s easy not to send out holiday cards. It’s important to touch customers at this most touching time of year. Show them that they matter to you. Forget off-the-shelf cards and design your own brand of seasonal cheer.

10. Inter-office/company newsletters

Your team can be among your most vocal brand advocates. Too many organizations forget to communicate their brand’s core beliefs internally. This leaves your closest advocates without the right messaging to take to the masses. Use newsletters and inter-office updates to provide reminders of your core values.

11. Employees

Few organizations fully utilize their customer-facing employees as brand touch points. This can manifest itself both in appearance (think of The Geek Squad’s signature duds) and values (think of Zappos delivering ‘WOW’ with service).

12. The back of the fence

There’s a defining story about young Steve Jobs building a fence with his father where he teaches his son to take just as much care in building the back of the fence that no one sees. Jobs used this insight throughout a career of creating remarkable products with great care, often concerning himself with the appearance of circuit boards that no one would ever see. What part of your brand experience is the back of your fence?

Remember, branding isn’t a singular, isolated discipline. It’s a sprawling mosaic that encompasses many different interactions that together make up a customer’s experience with your brand.

At the end of the day, you don’t own your brand. Though you create various touch points, ultimately your brand lives in the hearts and minds of your community. So it’s important that you activate as many remarkable touch points as possible to create a compelling and memorable experience to help you stand out in our increasingly noisy world.

This list is a start but there are always smaller pieces of that brand mosaic waiting to be transformed into a remarkable interaction. What underutilized touch points can you use to enhance your brand experience?

The cost of hiring a graphic designer to add the swerving, modernist outline   of the Commission’s Berlaymont building, which is not widely known outside   Brussels, was £110,000.

Then, the bill for replacing the various logos used by the Commission added   another £215,000 to the cost of a redesign that was so similar to the old   design that it went virtually unnoticed when it was changed six weeks ago.

Officials told The Daily Telegraph that the expenditure was a saving because   it would replace 400 departmental logos within the commission, a “confused   situation” that had cost £3.7 million over recent years.

“We have now combined the flag with the unique features of the Berlaymont   and the European flag remains an important element in the Commission’s new   visual identity. That is why the cost for developing the visual identity is   really not high,” said a spokesman.

Richard Ashworth, leader of Britain’s Conservative MEPs, said: “While   member states including the UK are pushing ahead with painful austerity   measures to sort out Europe’s economic mess, the commission is content to   spend six-figure sums on window-dressing. Of all the urgent problems facing   the EU   just now, this hardly top of the list.”