We tell ourselves a comforting story in marketing: if we make people love our brand, everything else will follow. They’ll choose us, pay more, stay loyal, and tell their friends.

It sounds right. It feels right. It also happens to be wrong. Very wrong!

Trust is a strange thing. The moment someone says, “Trust me,” we instinctively hesitate, don't we? Not because we’re suspicious by nature, but because trust doesn’t like to be summoned. The harder we push it, the more likely it is to retreat.

A brand is as successful as its ability to trigger a ‘feeling’ on its customer’s heart. A brand, which is associated with a unique concept is more likely to be remembered, loved, and purchased. This is possible with the right brand strategy, good design and consistent marketing.

Most people think that a brand is just a logo. But a brand is not a logo, and branding is not design. So, if a brand is not a logo, then what is it? When we analyze potent brands, we realize that they succinctly answer three fundamental questions.

A brand is all about the ‘feeling’ it creates on people’s minds. That feeling is built with the help of strategy and design. A perfectly crafted strategy may not work if paired with wrong design. Gorgeous design, on the other hand, may fail with the lack of a strong brand strategy. Therefore, you need to have both. But how?