Brand Mutation

Course

The world is changing rapidly. Brand communication today works in many dimensions and media. People, products and services are interrelated in a complex way.

Fifty years ago, a brand was just a single mark used for brand recognition, which set it apart from the rest. Now a brand has become a platform where like-minded people come together, and share a set of experiences that creates emotional attachment.

In order to survive and stay ahead of their competitors brands need  to constantly redefine their position to adapt to their rapidly changing  environment. Internet, social media and technical revolutions  have given brands the opportunity to behave like living organisms..

In times of change, a well defined flexible design program that is  adaptable to constant progression is a valuable asset and an  indispensable resource.

Brand managers, designers, communicators are called upon to  redesign the semantic systems to build a brand identity capable of  communicating with the various interlocutors in new contexts.

This requires a reflection on the definition of the territories in which the concept of brand is expressed.

The Higher Education Course in Brand Mutation was created to provide inspiration and insights for all communication enthusiasts.

Thanks to the precious contribution of people from some of the leading agencies in the creative industry, during the course case studies will be analyzed to understand how the greatest innovators think and create, what frameworks they use and how they work.

Brand mutation is a training program consisting of a series of 6 webinars with showcases from creatives and a workshop on how to create a dynamic brand identity.

Didactics

Attendance

Attendance is mandatory for 75% of the hours.

Training objectives

Learn how to design brand identity systems as dynamic and variable systems. Designing communication ecosystems from a generative perspective.

The seminar part offers the knowledge of conceptual models and best practices developed and implemented by the main actors of the contemporary branding world.

The workshop part integrates the conceptual models with a laboratory experience on the development of a brand from the point of view of the visual identity system from a variable perspective, providing an overview of the tools and methodologies of creative coding.

Didactic Plan

The brand mutation course lasting a total of 52 hours has a modular structure divided into n. 6 thematic webinars lasting 2 hours each and delivered electronically and a workshop lasting 40 hours in blended mode.

Didactic Modules

The brand mutation path has a modular structure able to address the different actors in the chain of work around brand identity design; it is divided into two moments: Webinars and Workshop.

1. Brands as ecosystems

Mon 4 october 17.00-19.00 hrs

Kontrapunkt – Philip Linnemann (DK)

The holistic nature of what constitutes a brand can be seen as a biological ecosystem. A multichannel network of connections and interactions. A simultaneous presence on various platforms, to create a consistent experience across touchpoints, applications, and devices, with interconnecting narratives and messages that move from one tool to another.

 2. Brands and change

Tue 5 october 17.00-19.00 hrs

Stockholm Design Lab – Greg Brown (SE)

“Change is the only thing you can count on”. The world constantly changes and evolves, and so must brands to stay relevant. Originating as a visual language that is endlessly adaptable and flexible, design presents a program for advancement. The real power of design is when it becomes a catalyst through which a brand continually transforms and develops itself.

 3. Brands and cities

Wed 6 october 17.00-19.00 hrs

Thonik – Nikki Gonnissen (NL)

The urban environment that makes up cities reflects human needs and values. Branding can be hypothesized as a strategy for defining a new shared sense of belonging that for example can bond citizens to its city. Brands have the potential to create social inclusiveness, a common sense of belonging that members of both majority and minority communities can relate to. Branding can help cities making culture visible.

 4. Design for change

Thu 7 october 17.00-19.00 hrs

Marina Willer – Pentagram London

Technology has transformed the way we experience every aspect of life.
For design to be effective it has to constantly absorb change.
Pentagram creates brand systems that are fluid, adaptable and even hackable.

5. Brands and stories

Mon 11 october 17.00-19.00 hrs

Lava – Hans Wolbers (NL)

Stories are a fundamental part of our nature. We have been telling stories for centuries. We find it easier to remember information that is structured by means of a causal connection. About twenty years ago the commercial sector discovered the power of stories. They called it “storytelling”. Companies tell us their “brand story” – to win our customer souls. Unlike books with lineair plots, brands stories evolve over time and are (visually) expressed through many channels. Wherever people encounter a piece of the narrative they should be able to enter the story’s flow and experience the brand through it.. The real power of storytelling is often being misinterpreted. The word “storytelling” has become such a hype that it has led to a lot of fake stories that do the brand no good at all. You cannot design or superimpose stories that are unreal. Only REAL stories make REAL brands.

6. Variable brands

Tue 12 october 17.00-19.00 hrs

Studio Dumbar – Liza Enebeis (NL)

The concept of variable identity has changed thanks to digital technologies and creative coding practices. This webinar looks into design systems for variable or “living” brand identities that are in motion and can change in color, pattern or shape. These identities can be “open” in a sense that they are generated by external data or follow a system carefully created and controlled by the designer.

WORKSHOP – duration 40 hours – maximum number of participants: 25

Danny Kreeft teacher brand identity design

Sander Sturing (Studio Dumbar) 

DYNAMIC IDENTITY

Analysis of the identity of a public space. The goal of the workshop is to consider the environmental elements of a public space to design its identity in a dynamic way.

ASSIGNMENT

_Choose one physical public space. Outdoor or indoor, a square or a park, a museum, an airport, a metro station, a cathedral, or a supermarket; any public space that usually communicate itself or events or facts about it in some way..

_Collect all the elements that define the identity of that place. Through photos or any other tool, in details or as general view.

_Analyse which of the elements are static (a rigid structure, repeating itself always identical) and which are dynamic  (changing often but identifiable).

_Make a scheme of these elements.

_Redesign the visual identity of that place juxtaposing the identity elements to a dynamic structure.

The work could be developed in groups of two or three students.

Title Released

At the end of the lessons will be issued an open badge to the Higher Education Course in Brand Mutation  by POLI.design.

Admission

Requirements

Admission to the course is subject to an assessment of the curriculum by the Course Direction in order to assess the competences entering with respect to the competences in output.

Deadlines

To participate in the selections it is necessary to fill in the online application by September 20, 2021.

You can take part in the complete course or one or more modules. The method of participation chosen must be specified in the motivational letter.

Price

Combo 6 webinars + workshop: € 1.600 + iva

Single ticket webinar: € 150,00 + iva

Faculty