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When considering how people make decisions, it is useful to realise that the mind employs two criteria to manoeuvre the complexities of life: moral and aesthetic choice. In almost every case, a human decision is based on a balance of these criteria.

When choosing a bottle of wine, for example, the matter of expressing cultural refinement and personal pleasure is weighed against price and availability. In buying life insurance, an individual might consider the practical issues of financial return and security against a balance of identities from various vendors. Allegiance to sport has as much to do with peer acceptance and social differentiation (or bonding, as is the case with the Australian Football League) as it has with fitness and recreation. And the same analysis can be made with soap powders, holidays, music and anything else which impacts life and lifestyle.

In summary, there is a duality at play, a yin and yang, a balance of impulses from head and heart, a mix of rational and irrational thought.

How does this relate to brand value? And, what resources - such as design - can impact upon this?

Brands are increasingly becoming the currency of business. They link customers with enterprises. In this sense, smart business people now bestow virtual custody of brands upon consumers, while keeping management in the hands of companies. To strike an analogy, Koreans from the ChosÙn Dynasty (1392 - 1910) employed beautifully made cloths to wrap gifts, with the understanding that doing so signified respect for their recipients. Today it could be said that brands define markets as much as they do products, services and organisations.

If branding is the total persona of an enterprise, what brings brands to life?

For a commercial prospect to be brought to market, there should be a need (opportunity), a solution, and means of distribution. Marketers are used to saying that commercial success is a matter of product, place (distribution), price and promotion. The net result of these attributes is a proposition. Using design to create brand identity is an effective, if not essential way, of bringing a proposition to market.

Now here is the easy part: People like brands.

Why? Largely because they accelerate the decision-making process - both in terms of practical and emotional thought. The last century, in developed economies at least, has seen people become adept in assessing the world via brands.

A decision to buy a motor car can be the result of years of consideration. When I was a child, competition within the Australian market was contested mainly between General Motors and Ford, with the race at Mount Panorama having tremendous influence over life-long alliances. For many motorists the choice is made years before a driving license is obtained and can be held via the second-hand market before a motor company sees a sale. Imagine if people had to buy cars from a brand-less selection, where each model had to be appraised of its merits. Given the investment involved, the decision would be arduous. Ultimately, brands make decisions easier because they are the manifestation of relationships in the commercial world.

Buying jeans can be easy if it's a replacement pair of Levi's 501s. By comparison, a choice from the street wear market would be more volatile. If brands are unknown, a different set of tools would move a prospective customer's perceptions. In this instance the choice would typically be driven by a sense of personal identity, while traditional brand reliance might be vested more heavily on the retailer. In fact, the absence of a brand could play the key within today's "culture jamming" communities.

The expression of brands through design has evolved this past century, and will be a portal for competition for the foreseeable future. If it was a German industrial designer from the Bauhaus who developed the concept of corporate identity for AEG, it was the graphic design community who expanded it through the 1950s and beyond.

The domain of brand consulting today is biased towards international networks, many of which emanated from established graphic design firms. For designers who see their work as a conclusion to the branding process, it would pay to understand that the currency of the new branding paradigm is intelligence - well before pencil hits paper.

From here a logical line of enquiry would see us looking at the relationship between these sorts of branding consultancies and their counterparts in IT, and why there seems to be a split between what clients refer to as on-line and off-line branding. But that's for another article!

This article was originally written by John Frostell, AGDA National President 2002, for his regular AGDA column in Australian Creative magazine.

"Interesting article about brands - when on the weekend, I went to a factory outlet (one of those travelling ones) sale, and they had heaps of Sheridan bed sheets. Of course, everyone 'knows' Sheridan bed sheets are great quality products. Right? Wrong. These bed sheets felt like sand paper, AND you weren't allowed to open the packaging. But simply to rely on the brand! Bullocks. I opened the packaging, because I won't buy any bed sheets without feeling them first! My mum and I were shocked - but they're such a great brand!

Sheridan has nothing to do with graphic design....and I think in some cases, in fact many, the design of a brand/logo etc is the difference between trying one new product or another. I'm guilty of this as a consumer - but once I try the product and it sucks, it's all over for me. And what's worse, is that I'll tell people it sucked. Branding, graphic design - seeks attention. But there is no success for a product or business, if the customer's experience isn't a good one. That's my thought for the day :)"