Effective brands transcend logos, advertising campaigns, and social media presence. Sure, images and messages are important, but the real power in brand today lies in creating dynamic, meaningful relationships with customers that evolve over time. The most successful brands start an ongoing dialogue with people that — through a compelling mix of seamlessly connected products, services, experiences, spaces, and digital interactions — fosters curiosity, trial, love, and loyalty.

At IDEO, we work closely with clients in every industry to articulate and express brand positions through every available touch point. Our interdisciplinary teams include industrial designers, engineers, business specialists, and communications and graphic designers who create multifaceted experiences that connect people to brands in harmonious, meaningful, and emotional ways. We call our integrated approach the “built brand,” and we’ve successfully applied it to a range of challenges, from consumer packaged goods and service models to retail spaces, to product platforms and promotional campaign development.

We believe that the built brand represents the future for companies looking to grow, thrive, and influence others—whether they’re start-ups or established businesses. To this end, IDEO’s designers help clients rethink brand building as an opportunity to innovate rather than as a media spend. Seeing the market through a built-brand lens can help any company turn the tricky task of brand into one of its greatest assets.

Some of the questions we’re asking clients:

• What kind of brand are you?
• Is it the brand you aspire to be?
• Is your brand creating growth?
• How might we articulate our brand mission in way that’s actionable within the company and experienced by our customers?
• How might we inspire new consumer behaviors?
• How can we deliver the functional and emotional value of the brand?
• How might our approach to the marketplace increase brand loyalty?