As a designer one of the first things I always want to know from the client before designing is: Who is your target market?
Target Market/ market audience: a group of customers that your business has decided to aim its marketing efforts and ultimately its merchandise on. A well-defined target market is the first element of a marketing strategy. The target market and the marketing mix variables of product, place (distribution), promotion and price are the two elements of a marketing mix strategy that determine the success of a product in the marketplace. (Target Market. Wikipedia. 08-07-10)
In short: you need to know everything there is to know about your target market to have a well-formed marketing angle. Another helpful thing is using descriptive words like, single, middle-class, and fun-loving. Another thing that also helps is looking at other brands and trying to define their target market, the brands that have clear target markets are usually the successful ones.
If the client goes to the designer with this information, the designer knows where to begin with research. The look and feel of the advertising/corporate identity, for a company targeting toddlers, and one targeting rugby players is going to look completely different.
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http://www.makebetterwebsites.com
