Barabara, Banig and Bands: Why we believe in good branding
Logos and brand identities stirred up a frenzy recently. This week, we look at the hooplah about the refreshed DOT slogan.
Brands are like friends’ faces. An organization’s brand identity sets them apart, sets consumers’ expectations of their product and the experience of using the product.
The logo of Jollibee, for instance, with its rounded letterforms and cartoon bee icon, promises wholesome fun. Commercial banks use blue in their identity to project security.
These are big ideas crammed in a single potent image. Megan Palero, a prominent motion designer in Davao City, puts it best, saying "Good branding helps to communicate your idea in the right position".
So it's no surprise that when the Department of Tourism dropped a new take on the iconic "It's More Fun in the Philippines" campaign, there was a flurry of discussion about it.
James Bernabe, a UI/UX designer at Ingenuity and the force behind the identity system for DesignSouth 2018, appreciates the intent. However, he believes the logo could use a bit more work. "I love how Barabara [a typeface custom-made for the DOT campaign by Michelle Co, from the ad agency BBDO] by incorporates the beauty of hand-painted signs we love as Filipinos," James shares. "[However] there's some sort of disconnect between the icon and the wordmark/tagline. The logo should evoke some positive emotion and not confusion.
"Megan is more impressed with this design. "[The BDDO redesign has] a strong sense of identity than the previous and a simplied integration of "banig" that also translate the Philipinne map in an abstract way.
"This is not the first time DOT received significant press due to its branding. The logo of the "Pilipinas Kay Ganda" campaign was hounded with accusations of plagiarism, aside from being poorly designed.
Ultimately, the success of the new branding will be measured not by the praise of designers, but in the business it generates.