What is branding? There are many different ways people define branding. A brand is often an organization or item represented by visual elements. A brand can also include what people think of this organization and its overall reputation. According to Gini Dietrich (2011),

Branding, to me, is the identity of a product or service. It’s the name, the logo, the design, or a combination of those that people use to identify, and differentiate, what they’re about to buy. A good brand should deliver a clear message, provide credibility, connect with customers emotionally, motivate the buyer, and create user loyalty.

            The purpose of branding is to positively influence consumers with the brand image and what consumers think of them. Branding shapes the public personality and identity of an organization, person, or product.

            Branding can be essential for success. For example, the Design Council (n.d) quoted a Coca-Cola executive in saying, “If Coca-Cola were to lose all of its production-related assets in a disaster, the company would survive. By contrast, if all consumers were to have a sudden lapse of memory and forget everything related to Coca-Cola, the company would go out of business.” Coca-Cola is a good example of a company whose branding has been a key factor to their success.

            Typically, branding is associated with companies but it can also be applied to artists within the music industry. Branding is a powerful tool artists can use to be successful, just like Coca-Cola. A lot of an artist’s success depends on how well-known and memorable they are. Effective branding will make people remember an artist better.

            What does branding look like in the music industry? I think it is helpful to think of an artist’s branding as what represents them other than their actual music. Some of the elements that make up the brand of a company are the same as a musical artist. These include a logo, name, colors, typography, and visual icons. There are also branding elements that are specific to the music industry. The way that an artist dresses, performs, and acts is also part of their brand. Another example of a music industry specific element is album art. Each of these elements can be used to brand an artist and present a specific image that portrays them and their music. People recognize an artist by the image they present. If we examine each of these brand identity elements of an artist, we can get a better sense of their overall brand and the image they want to portray.

            First, a logo is a key element of branding for artists. This should be a simple visual representation of the artist. There are three basic types of logos. First, a wordmark is a logo that is just typography. Second, there is the symbol logo consisting of just a design. Last, is a combination of symbol and type. Within the music industry the most common logo is probably a wordmark. The artists name is in a specific stylized typography that best represents them. An example of this would be Taylor Swift’s logo at the beginning of her career. She used a handwritten cursive style font that looked like her signature. This logo portrayed her young, girly style of the time. Twenty-One Pilots has a symbol logo. The logo started as a circle surrounding one vertical line, a short horizontal line, and a diagonal line like the first vertical line. This logo is recognizable to all Twenty-One Pilots fans. One of the good things about this logo is that it is simple, which makes it adaptable. Their logo has slightly evolved with each new era of music, while still being recognizable as the Twenty-One Pilots logo. Lastly, Alt-J is a band that has a symbol and typography as their logo. They are represented by their name as well as a triangle. All of these artists can be identified by their logo. A logo should be memorable, simple, and adaptable. As time goes on an artist’s logo should be able to evolve with them. Logos are a central branding element that isn’t always used in the music industry. Many artists simply use their name, but don’t have a logo to accompany that. A logo will help promote yourself and your brand. It is also great to have for merchandise because an artist can put the logo on many different products and be recognized from that logo.

            Another obvious element that makes up the branding of an artist in the music industry is their name. One thing that often changes this element is if the artist is solo or group. Solo artists can use their own name, or they can have a professional name. For example, Lorde, Lady Gaga, and Nicki Minaj chose to have a professional name to go by within the music industry. Group artists usually pick their band name as one of their first decisions. This can have an effect on their branding. Most bands try to choose a name that is unique and represents their type of music. Then there are artists who were once a group but now only have one member left: like Panic! at the Disco. Having a memorable name can really help an artist’s popularity grow when they are new to the industry. If you hear a song that you enjoy, ask for the name and remember it, then the artist has done a good job.

            Colors can also be an influential element of branding for an artist. Colors within company branding seems more obvious, such as McDonalds being red and yellow. But colors can be used in branding artists as well. Twenty-One Pilots just released a new album and the branding for this new era of music includes the colors yellow and army green. In most of their photoshoots promoting the new album they are seen wearing dark green with yellow tape. The color yellow has a meaning in the album. It is smart to have colors as a part of branding because it can help solidify a concept for fans. Fans will often take the colors in full force and represent the band themselves in their clothing. Colors impact merchandise as well. Having certain colors makes merchandise more connected to the brand artists want to portray.

            Another element of branding is typography. Typography plays a different role when branding an artist in the music industry, compared to branding a company. While legibility and compatibility within type is always important, having specific fonts for general text is not as crucial for an artist. Their posters don’t always need to be in Helvetica. Typography is more important for the band or artist’s name itself, especially when used as a logo. Because having an artist’s name as their logo is so common in the music industry, the type that their name is in is important. Though this can evolve with the artist, it is better to stay as consistent as possible, or at least to stay within the same style. If you always see a band’s name in that iconic type it will be more memorable and important. The band Rush can be a great example of this. They have used a certain style to present their name and now it is part of their brand identity.

            Visual icons can be an element of branding for artists. This could include symbols, similar to logos, but additional elements that define who they are. These icons can come from places such as album art. The artist Billie Eilish has a photo with a spider on her face, as well as spiders in other album art. This could be a visual icon for her. Ed Sheeran has several album covers with mathematical signs that could also be considered visual icons.

            There are also branding elements that are more specific to the music industry. For example, the way that an artist dresses and presents themselves can become a huge part of their brand. There are endless examples of this: Michael Jackson’s white glove, Ariana Grande’s high ponytail, and Taylor Swift’s red lipstick. Lady Gaga is known for her eccentric outfits, such as her meat dress. Sia is known for her half white half black wig that covers her face, topped with an enormous bow. These artist’s appearances have become a part of their brand. This adds another layer of memorability for them. It also makes them stand out among others in the industry. It gives people something to remember, talk about, and associate with them. However, this can be difficult if people are always expecting an artist to look a certain way.

            The way that an artist acts and performs can also be considered a part of their brand. If an artist performs with a certain style, it can become a part of who they are as an artist from the eyes of the audience. An iconic part of a performance can become associated with the artist. For example, Michael Jackson had a few iconic moves that truly represented him and therefore became a part of his brand.

            Each of these elements contributes to how the public, and especially the fans, see an artist through their branding. Also, there are important things to remember when it comes to successful branding. When discussing the music industry specifically these factors come to mind: adaptability, consistency, unity, uniqueness, and memorability. Each artist should incorporate these into each element of their branding. They are vital for branding success in the industry.

            Adaptability is important so that the artist can continue to evolve over time. Taylor Swift is a good example of this. As her music evolved over time, her branding followed. She started her music industry career when she was around fifteen as a sweet teenage country singer. Her long curly hair and young fairytale image was the start of her brand. This evolved to her vintage style, short hair, and red lipstick. And now, she tries to portray a certain edge with looks that are more stark and a black and white album cover.

            In contrast, consistency is also important with a brand. Any brand needs to be recognized throughout time. An artist needs to have some consistency so that people still know who they are. This is especially important for them to gain momentum. If a brand keeps changing dramatically, the public can’t keep up with them. They will lose their memorability and are much harder to find. Another way that consistency is important is across all types of media and representation. An artist should present the same brand through their social media as they do their printed posters.

            Unity is all about how the branding elements work together. Their logo, colors, style, etc. should work together to present the overall branding of the artist. They are meant to be a synchronized team.

            An artist should be unique in order to stand out among all of the artists in the expansive music industry. This is important when it comes to the branding. The elements that I previously mentioned can help promote unique attributes about the artist to help them stand out in the crowd. In order to be successful, one first has to be noticed.

            In my opinion, being memorable is the most crucial thing to keep in mind for branding an artist. Memorability leads to popularity, whether through word of mouth or people recalling an artist. Every artist wants to be truly memorable by having an impact on their audience. Remembering an artist is at least the start of recognizing who they are and becoming a fan.

            Good branding of an artist leads to several positive outcomes. Two of the most prominent are a community of fans and merchandise. An artist’s success greatly depends upon how many people are listening to their music. Not only that, but how many people become their fans. When an artist starts to grow their following, they are headed in the right direction. A fan base drives the popularity of the music and further spreads the artist’s awareness. A good fan base often supports the band and wants them to succeed.

            One example of a prominent fan base is Rush fans. Rush is a rock trio from Canada that began in the early 1970’s. On the band’s official website, it says, “Absolutely uncompromising in every conceivable way, the trio has spent the last 40 years cultivating the largest cult fan base in rock while still managing to sell out arenas around the globe” (2018). Over the last forty years or so, this band has gained and maintained a dedicated fan base. Their fans are connected to the band and their music. They have loyal fans that were there from the beginning, as well as fans they have gained through the years. In a clip from the Rush documentary Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage (2016) someone says, “Rush fans are like NASCAR fans. They ain’t going anywhere. And their brand loyalty. [gestures high up with hand] They are a cult band. When you go to a Rush concert there ain’t anybody leaving until the song is over. They’re waiting for their favorite part or they’re nudging their friends...” In this documentary, fans proclaim the hundreds of concerts they have attended and are still as excited as ever. I believe this distinct fan base is in part due to the bands unique style that they present. Their unique lyrics matched with their sound presents a different type of rock music. Their brand seems to indicate a deeper look into topics while maintaining their more masculine rock vibe.  

            Merchandise can also be a result of great branding, as well as a tool for branding. Band t-shirts are probably the most common example of this. Aforementioned branding elements such as name, colors, typography, logo, and visual icons can help create specific merchandise for an artist. These elements are helpful to create great merchandise for fans. However, merchandise itself can be used to help brand an artist. This is through the presentation of the merchandise, as well as fans wearing the merchandise around, and showing others. Fans show their support for an artist by buying their merchandise. Though my first thought of merchandise is t-shirts, merchandise can include a large range of products. It often can include the music itself in physical form, such as vinyl, or CD’s. Merchandise is valuable to artists in the music industry to continue to build their brand.  

            Another purpose for branding in the music industry would be to differentiate one artist from another. For example, the branding of Adele is very different than that of Post Malone. I assume this is quite intentional. Adele is branded as a romantic, feminine, heartfelt singer. Post Malone is branded as a tattooed, chill, rapper. This is likely in part to the artists themselves, but also due to the type of music they perform. On a related aspect, we can see the differences between the branding of different genres. In different genres of music, different branding is used. This is likely due to the fact that within a genre, artists want to be seen in a certain light. Alternative rock bands want to seem cool and edgy. Pop stars want to be seen as attractive and trendy. Therefore, when branding an artist, one should think of the genre that they are in and how their style fits with that. Sometimes it is good to stay within the genre’s style, but sometimes it might be good to do something unique to stand out within the genre.

            Target audience plays a huge role in an artist’s brand. This may also have an effect on the different branding of genres. An artist should try to identify their target audience so they can better promote themselves to the right people. Branding can change dramatically depending on who it is marketed toward. Different genres have different stereotypical audiences. Artists should center their brand around who their target audience is and who they want them to be.

            There may be some that argue that branding is not important in the music industry. One could argue that truly great music will become popular without good branding or even without branding at all. Honestly, I think that this can happen, and that it does. However, this is not the everyday story. Branding is a tool that can be immensely useful in promoting an artist and leading them to their success. I think it can be a key factor in being recognized and becoming popular.

            Branding is usually thought to just be used by companies. Nevertheless, branding is a key part of the music industry. There are similar branding elements in the music industry as with companies, and there are some that are more specific to music. These elements make-up the true brand of an artist. Branding in the music industry will become increasingly important. This is partly due to technological advances, as well as the consumer culture. An artist who successfully brands themselves will be much more likely to be recognized, remembered, and reap the rewards of success.

 

 

Bibliography

Cohen, H. (2011, August 08). 30 Branding Definitions. Retrieved October 17, 2018, from https://heidicohen.com/30-branding-definitions/

 

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Feature The power of branding. (n.d.). Design Council. Retrieved October 17, 2018, from http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/news-opinion/power-branding

 

Rush.com. (2018). Retrieved October 17, 2018, from https://www.rush.com/band/