Multi-Platform Delivery Week 1 Live Session

The Efficacy of Brand Mascots

A study by Malik and Guptha (2014) indicates that brand mascots can represent a brand as efficiently as a celebrity with the added benefit of being more cost efficient and loyal to the brand. Mascots also have higher recall value and consistently represent the brand’s values. Furthermore, the study deduces that the attributes of a brand mascot that most influence a customer are:

  1. Emotional touch
  2. Attractiveness
  3. Trustworthiness
  4. Friendliness
  5. Uniqueness

Yalanska (2019) agrees that emotional touch and appeal are large parts of the consumer decision-making process, and a mascot is a powerful method of providing emotional triggers and feedback to users. In addition, mascots are “a strong way to transfer and support the general tone and voice” of the brand (Yalanska, 2019).

Whether it is human-based, animal, or other, a mascot provides a human touch to a brand. It makes the brand more user-centered while presenting multiple avenues for visual marketing in branded merchandise and other media assets.

Font Psychology in Logo Design

Fonts have personalities, and it is important to consider the psychology behind that personality when using type for a brand logo. Does the typeface accurately represent the brand’s personality and voice? Fonts display certain characteristics because the human mind makes visual associations.

Oosterhout (2013) examined the perceptual characteristics of letter forms and the personality characteristics associated with them by study participants. The study found that uppercase letters are effective for brands that “convey qualities related to energy, courageousness, and focus”. Conversely, lowercase letters are appropriate for brands that promote compassion and altruism.

Fonts can also have associations with specific tastes. A study by the University of Oxford reports that soft, rounded typefaces are associated with sweet foods while angular typefaces are associated with bitter, salty, or sour foods (Velasco et al., 2015). These associations are especially useful when choosing fonts for food brands.

Combining Logomark and Logotype

Words and imagery can work hand-in-hand to communicate a brand identity. This is especially true with logos. A logomark is a simplified symbol that represents a brand but does not include the brand name or other written words. Logomarks can create a strong visual identity but usually work best for established brands (Murray, 2017).

A logotype (or word mark) is a brand name that has been visually styled to reflect the brand identity. Murray (2017) notes that a strong logotype helps new businesses introduce themselves to the public by putting the brand name out front. Osterer (2015) agrees that unique letterforms combined with bold colors create wordmarks that are memorable and soon become associated with the brand.

Combination marks use both a logomark and logotype to represent a brand, offering the best of both worlds. They offer an opportunity to establish the brand name in the public consciousness while allowing for the freedom to drop the logotype in the future once the brand identity is well established.

References:

Malik, G., & Guptha, A. (2014). Impact of Celebrity Endorsements and Brand Mascots on Consumer Buying Behavior. Journal of Global Marketing, 27(2), 128–143. https://doi-org.oclc.fullsail.edu/10.1080/08911762.2013.864374

Murray, J. (2017, April 19). Logo, Logomark, Logotype – What’s the Difference and What Do You Need? https://blog.designcrowd.com/article/997/logo-logomark-logotype-whats-the-difference-and-what-do-you-need

Oosterhout, L. (2013) Word marks: a helpful tool to express your identity: an empirical study regarding fonts of word marks as a tool for transmitting an archetypal identity. http://purl.utwente.nl/essays/64348

Osterer, I. (2015). Logos and Wordmarks. Arts & Activities, 157(2), 23.

Velasco, C., Woods, A. T., Hyndman, S., & Spence, C. (2015). The Taste of Typeface. I-Perception. https://doi.org/10.1177/2041669515593040

Yalanska, M. (2019, March 13). Design Me Live: The Power of Mascots in UI and Branding. https://blog.tubikstudio.com/design-me-live-the-power-of-mascots-in-ui-and-branding/

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