The relationship between branding and strategic design in elevating brand value

First, what is branding? And what is strategic design? The following summarizes these concepts.

• Branding

Traditionally, branding has often been discussed primarily from a marketing perspective, but in recent years it has increasingly been reconsidered from a design perspective.

The growing emphasis on the importance of “context” in branding, as discussed later, also stems from approaches that consider the social and cultural background that shapes a brand and apply design accordingly.
If you would like to learn more about branding in detail, please refer to our previous articles as well.

• Strategic Design

Strategic design refers to the process by which companies and organizations approach their strategic goals through design thinking. It extends beyond product development and design to encompass a wide range of areas such as business strategy and organizational transformation, and is characterized by incorporating both user and management perspectives.
Additionally, strategic design is deeply connected to the concept of “designing meaning.” Rather than focusing solely on individual products or services, it emphasizes designing entire systems—including services, customers, and stakeholders—as entities with cultural and social significance.

We have briefly touched on branding and strategic design, but while they may appear similar, they differ significantly in their approaches and objectives.

• Commonalities Between Branding and Strategic Design

Branding and strategic design share essential common elements.

These common elements are vision and a customer-centric perspective.

First, neither branding nor strategic design can be realized without a clear vision. Strategic design involves envisioning a desirable future state and designing strategies to achieve it, while branding involves defining an MVP, accurately communicating brand value, and executing initiatives.

A customer-centric perspective is also indispensable for both.

Branding and strategic design (design) cannot exist without considering the customer’s perspective. By understanding customer insights, emotions, and the background of their behaviors, it becomes possible to create “meaningful value” for users. Furthermore, fostering relationships with customers requires user-centered value creation, making the customer perspective essential.

So far, we have explored the differences and similarities between branding and strategic design. While each has its own independent concepts and approaches, they can, in fact, form a mutually complementary relationship.

For example, value and experiences designed through a strategic design approach can be articulated through branding, translated into visual identity (VI), and then shared and communicated.

Designing value and experiences through strategy and research (Strategic Design) → Articulation, visualization through VI, and communication (Branding)

In other words, strategic design and branding can be seen as playing the roles of “inside” and “outside” within a company.

Strategic design creates the internal blueprint, while branding communicates it externally.

A brand cannot be built merely by improving its appearance or visual aspects.
In an era where a brand’s philosophy and values themselves are conveyed through a series of customer experiences, long-term branding that incorporates the strategic and broad perspective of strategic design enables the development of sustainable brands that resonate with and gain support from customers.

By dividing roles and fostering collaboration between branding and strategic design in this way, “designed value” is transformed into “delivered value.”

1. Strategic design defines the overall vision (designing the Why and What) — e.g., defining which customers to target and what kind of change to bring about

2. Branding communicates that value (implementing the How) — e.g., consistently visualizing the vision through logos, copy, and customer experiences

Furthermore, collaboration between branding and strategic design offers the following benefits.

• Enabling the design of consistent brand experiences

By incorporating the perspective of strategic design into branding initiatives, it becomes possible to express the brand based on management goals and strategies. This clarifies not only visual elements but also underlying meaning, allowing for the design of a consistent “Why” across all touchpoints—from customer interactions to products and services, and even the organization’s role in society—thereby building a cohesive customer experience.

• Smoother organizational communication and decision-making

When branding and strategic design are aligned, uncertainty about “whether this direction is correct” is reduced. By evaluating branding initiatives from multiple perspectives—through the strategic, human-centered (HCT), and user-focused insights of strategic design—both objectives and methods become clearer. Even in the communication process, frameworks and ideas based on communication design by strategic designers help establish a foundation for the entire team to move in the same direction.

We have explained the relationship between branding and strategic design; here, we introduce how the concept of context—an important element in branding—impacts strategic design.

Brand context refers to the background, relationships, and meanings associated with a brand, and involves deeply interpreting them.
Simply changing a logo or tagline does not strengthen a brand. For example, even if the same “red” is used in a logo, its meaning differs completely between Coca-Cola and UNIQLO. In this way, by exploring not only visual aspects but also meaning, background, history, and culture, a brand can resonate deeply not only with customers but also with stakeholders. This is why contextualizing a brand is so important.

A research study titled "Strategic Design through Brand Contextualization," which compiles data from an experimental graduate-level project conducted at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, offers an interesting perspective by examining the impact of brand contextualization on strategic design from both theoretical and practical viewpoints.

According to this study, a brand is not merely a marketing asset but functions as a starting point that stimulates strategic thinking. By analyzing brand context, it becomes possible to delve deeply into the structure of problems and the essence of value. The study also emphasizes that design is not simply about creating form, but about mediating and generating meaning. In other words, before asking “What should we create?”, it is essential to explore “What meaning does it hold, and what value does it provide to whom?”—highlighting the importance of meaning-driven design thinking. This perspective aligns precisely with the principles of strategic design.

Furthermore, the process of visualizing the context behind a brand—such as its history, culture, relationships, and values—enables designers (including strategic designers) to recognize the underlying structures and meanings of problems. This illustrates the essence of brand contextualization.
Here, too, we can see new possibilities in the relationship between branding and strategic design.

Reference: "Strategic Design through Brand Contextualization"
Authors: Toni-Matti Karjalainen (Aalto University School of Business, Helsinki, Finland)
Alexandros Nikitas (Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden)
Ulrike Rahe (Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden)

Going forward, companies will be required not only to pursue “visual appeal,” but also to develop brand designs that are aligned with their management strategies.
To achieve this, it is important to adopt a dual approach: not only focusing on “how to present” through branding, but also reexamining “why” and “for what purpose” through strategic design.

Together with specialists such as “strategy designers” or “strategic designers,” let us articulate our company’s strengths and cultivate a “brand” that is recognized as a necessary presence in society.

The integration of branding and strategic design is becoming a “new standard” for building organizations that are resilient to change. We hope this article serves as a useful guide for companies looking to seriously strengthen their branding, by helping them consider what outcomes can be achieved through integrating the perspectives of branding and strategic design.