What’s design got to do with PR?

A number of leading PR companies are moving towards being a full service communications company; logically design and design consultancy should have its place as part of this offer.

How does design and PR fit together?
We both work to build our clients brand reputation, ultimately to influence their valuation.

A brand divides into three components:
Visual: the brand mark and identity system
Emotional: how customers and opinion formers perceive the organisation
Behavioural: how the business behaves to its customers, employees and other stakeholders

A brand is basically a promise. The aim is for a corporate brand identity is to create a clear and compelling promise that delivers a positive corporate image. PR and design can work together to project the brand promise.

PR is focussed on developing the message that communicates that promise, to create both emotional and rational expectation. Design visualises that promise.

Through its behaviours the company will deliver on that promise, this is determined by its people.

A common objective
• PR company’s communications can help influence the perception of the public and key opinion formers
• Saint John can design and help manage a client’s brand, website and marketing material

Our joint objective is for the brand image to match the corporate image (which is the perception of the public) and to project the company in a clear, consistent and compelling way.

Working together to project the brand promise
Our joint role is to identify the touchstones which define the organisation in the minds of stakeholders and to express our clients intellectual property in a way that brings it alive by creating messages that are:

Clear – Design amplifies the message, to provide a clear visualisation of the communication themes and increases the impact.

Consistent – The brand message needs to be rooted in what the organisation stands for and the promises it believes it can deliver.

Compelling – A focus on emotional as well as rational drivers for advocacy. PR can achieve greater connectivity if people can be inspired as well as informed.

Delivering on the promise
A well managed brand is a key component in supporting the reputation of a company and influencing its valuation.

Brand – The promise it makes to its stakeholders and customers

Reputation – Degree to which organisation delivers on the brand promise

Valuation – The financial value of the brand and its ability to command preference

Design amplifies the message.

Why Saint John?
• High quality design

• Good track record of working in partnership with leading PR companies
(FD, Portfolio etc.)

• Able to work with you to build your clients brand and reputation and ultimately to help their business valuation

• We are creative and business focussed

• Provide a value added design service to your clients

• Expert advice on brand, print and digital design

• Help create a more complete offer

Our objective is for Saint John to work on more projects with PR companies and their clients. This in turn would help make their full service communications offer a reality.

What then is the most efficient way of building up a more complete offer and how can design be best integrated into this picture?

To find out more please contact:
paul@saintjohndesign.com