The document outlines an agenda for a strategic design workshop taking place from January 10th to 12th, 2011 in Milan. The workshop will cover topics such as branding, brand morphology analysis, and using brand morphology as an analysis tool. Participants will analyze case studies in small groups and present their analysis. The goal is to help participants understand branding, how to analyze a brand's system and identity using brand morphology, and to practice applying the tool to case examples.

1. MDS | STRATEGIC DESIGN, DESIGN OF THE VALUE OFFERING | JANUARY 10th-12th 2011
Simona De Rosa

2. Brand Strategist | Milan | Shanghai
Simona De Rosa
derosimona@gmail.com

3. AGENDA
January 10th 2011 | Milan January 11th 2011 | Milan January 12th 2011 | Milan
THE BRAND SYSTEM WORKSHOP REVIEW WORKSHOP PRESENTATION
What branding is about Brand morphology analysis Brand morphology analysis
(from Wally Olins) (groups of 2/3 people) (groups of 4/5 people)
BRAND MORPHOLOGY
The analysis tool
BRAND MORPHOLOGY WORKSHOP EVALUATION
One case demo Brand morphology analysis
(Uniqlo)
WORKSHOP LAUNCH WORKSHOP REVIEW
Brand morphology analysis Brand morphology analysis
(groups of 2/3 people) (groups of 2/3 people)

4. what branding is about

5. some colours? some typefaces? a slogan? a logo?
what branding is about.

6. ORGANIZATION

7. ORGANIZATION ORGANIZATION ORGANIZATION ORGANIZATION ORGANIZATION
branding
branding
branding
branding
branding
distributors dealers final consumer manufacture investors
branding
branding
branding
branding
branding
ORGANIZATION ORGANIZATION ORGANIZATION ORGANIZATION ORGANIZATION

8. branding
is the channel through which
the organization presents itself to itself
and to its external world.

9. corporate personality
ORGANIZATION AUDIENCE

10. the soul, the persona,
the spirit of the organization,
manifested in some comprehensible way.
corporate
personality

11. corporate image
AUDIENCE ORGANIZATION

12. the tangible manifestation
of a corporate personality.
It is what all the audiences perceive
of the identity that has been created and projected
corporate
image

13. the idea behind

14. ORGANIZATION

15. products
behaviour CORE IDEA environment
communication
brand project

16. brand
DNA
is a set of blueprints or a recipe or a code which
contains the instructions needed to construct or
support the brand project.
brand project

17. how to read the brand DNA?

19. Brand morphology
It is a tool that aims to identify a classification system which allows a precise definition
of the brand genome information.

20. How does it work?
Because the brand system is extraordinarily diverse and changeable, brands cannot be
taken into consideration and analyzed throughout the whole of their complexity.

21. Brand Strategy Project
Andrea Semprini
Figurative level
values and stories are enriched by figures Superficial
Narrative level
where the values are organized in stories and narrations Intermediate
Significance level
consisting of core values Deep

22. Brand morphology
filtering | decoding | mapping

23. Brand morphology
filtering | decoding | mapping

24. Brand morphology
filtering
Visual system
is the physical interface of the core values organised in narrative structures and then expressed through figures.
They are highly exposed to wear over time because more sensitive to the variations of the time and space.
Self-identity
is a multi-dimensional construct that refers to a brand perception of “self ” in relation to any number of
characteristics such as origins, receiver, field of action, aims..
Promise & values
is the statement in which the brand commits itself to offer something to the user by using specific values

25. Brand morphology
filtering
Promise & values
It should be identified using few keywords and small sentences for a maximum of 30 words.

26. Brand morphology
filtering
Self identity
The self-identity is a brief narrative in first person where the brand narrates itself, establishing
the basis of its storytelling.

27. Brand morphology
filtering
Visual system
Given a time of investigation, point out the products portfolio from a graphical point of
view. The area of investigation is represented by images, visual elements, verbal elements,
colour palette and materials used.

28. Brand morphology
filtering | decoding | mapping

29. Brand morphology
decoding
Stylistic elements
They regard are all the formal elements that distinguish the brand touch-points of a particular brand.
Story elements
Brands use specific elements to tell their story and to create special effects and empathy.
Core elements
The core elements drive the brand organization. They are the brand is about, what it stands for, what it believes
in.

30. Brand morphology
decoding
Core elements
Mission (M)
The statement
Goal (G)
Company’s ambitions
Context (Cx)
Company’ circumstances

31. Brand morphology
decoding
Story elements
Settings (S)
It includes the origins and the area of applicability in which a brand take place.
Origins (O)
The place the brand comes from.
Area of applicability (Aa)
Where the brand acts.
Character/s (C)
A participant in the story. It is possible to have more than one character in the same story.
Protagonist (P)
It is the main character of the brand story.
Crucial moment (Cm)
It is the climax of the story.
Audience (Au)
It is the group of people who “listen” or “read” the brand.

32. Brand morphology
decoding
Stylistic elements
Colours (Co)
Colour palette the brand decides to use both on his identity and products.
Shapes (Sh)
Forms and traits chosen by the brand.
Materials (Ma)
Materials and finishing both tangible and intangible.
Language (La)
It identify the style, the type of vocabulary used in the verbal communication of the brand.
*Tone
Colours, shapes, materials and languages, all together set up the brand tone.

33. Brand morphology
filtering | decoding | mapping

34. Brand morphology
mapping
DNA Comparison graph - detailed
The Comparison Graph is a tool which helps to visualize a comparison between two brands, finding where
genetic traits are similar or where they are different, showing analytically the specific genetic traits.
DNA Comparison graph - general
The Comparison Graph is a tool which helps to visualize a comparison between two brands, finding where
genetic traits are similar or where they are different, taking into consideration the three groups of elements.
Elements scheme
After defined all the main elements of the genome we can try to transcribe all the functions of the brand DNA.

35. Brand morphology
mapping
Elements scheme
Elements scheme represents the juxtaposition of all the elements pointed out during the
analysis, so that it is possible to realize the composition of a brand at a single sight.
(G Cx) (O Aa) C¹ C² P Cm Au (Co Sh Ma La)

36. Brand morphology
mapping
DNA Comparison graph - general
After identifying all the brand genome elements and the relative elements scheme, we can
localize similarities and differences.
Tone (T) Stylistic elements
Audience (Au)
Crucial moment (Cm)
Protagonist (P)
Characters (C)
Settings (S) Story elements
Mission (M) Core elements

37. Brand morphology
mapping
DNA Comparison graph - detailed
After identifying all the brand genome elements and the relative elements scheme, we can
localize similarities and differences.
La
Ma
Sh
Co
Tone (T) Stylistic elements
Audience (Au)
Crucial moment (Cm)
Protagonist (P)
C²
C¹ Characters (C)
Aa
O Settings (S) Story elements
Cx
G
Mission (M) Core elements

38. Brand morphology

39. Brand Brand Brand Brand Brand Brand

40. Brand Brand Brand Brand Brand Brand

41. Brand Brand Brand Brand Brand Brand
Promise & values
Self-identity
Visual system
Brand Brand Brand Brand Brand Brand
filtering
Core elements
Mission (M)
Goal (G)
Context (Cx)
Story elements
Settings (S) Character/s (C) Protagonist (P) Crucial moment (Cm) Audience (Au)
Origins (O)
Area of applicability (Aa)
Stylistic elements
decoding Colors (Co) Shapes (Sh) Materials (Ma) Language (La) Tone (T)
Elements scheme
(G Cx) (O Aa) C¹ C² P Cm Au (Co Sh Ma La) M S C¹ C² P Cm T
Comparison graph
mapping

43. REFERENCES
IDENTITY WORKS
http://www.identityworks.com/default.htm
SEMANTIC ARGUMENT
http://www.semanticargument.com/
DBB THE YELLOW PAGES
http://www.ddb.com/what-we-think/yellow-papers/
WOLFFOLINS BLOG
http://www.wolffolinsblog.com/
BRANDZ
http://www.brandz.com/output/
BLACKCOFFEE BLOG
http://www.blackcoffee.com/blog/
LOGO BLINK
http://logoblink.com/
LOGO DESIGN LOVE
http://www.logodesignlove.com/