branding.sva.eduMASTERS IN BRANDING

Skip Link Class of 2020 Thesis Watch Now Masters In Branding — Since 2010 — NYC, Branding at the Speed of Culture 50º, 10/5, 11:37:00 PM A New Day at SVA Masters in Branding is Here — School of Visual Arts Foreground Color: Background Color: Book a Tour Apply Now ☰ Branding at the Speed of Culture Debbie Millman's TED Talk How Brands Work in Our Brains with Debbie Millman Anything Worthwhile Takes Time Mission (+) The Masters of Professional Studies in Branding is the first and longest running program of its kind in the world, and offers a select group of students an opportunity to study with some of the most accomplished brand experts working today. This accelerated one-year graduate degree program is a challenging multi-disciplinary experience of in-class lectures, real-world client projects, unique and progressive workshops, examination of classic business school case studies, individual one-on-one professional mentorship, group and personal projects. The foundation of the Masters of Professional Studies in Branding is the deep exploration and understanding of the role brand strategy plays in business, behavior, marketing and culture. During the year, students will develop an understanding of diverse branding strategies and will include courses on go-to-market research techniques, brand development life cycles, semiotics and visual communication, business-to-business and business-to-consumer frameworks, history, cultural anthropology, trend forecasting, economics, statistics, behavioral psychology, persuasion, brand management and design. In addition, we investigate marketing challenges involved in creating, sustaining and reinventing brands as well as gain an understanding of corporate level discourse. Curriculum (+) Classes are held 6:30pm-9pm Monday through Friday. We also have Saturday courses that meet once per month in the Fall and Spring semesters. The program duration is 10.5 months beginning in September and concluding in mid-July. The curriculum for The Masters in Branding Program allows students to create frameworks to guide brand, design and business development, critically evaluate brand, business, marketing and design frameworks and master the intellectual link between strategy and creativity. All students must complete a total of 36 credits in ten months, as well as defend a thesis. All courses are graded on a pass/fail system. Students are required to attend every scheduled class meeting, complete required readings, participate actively in class discussions, and create an original body of work, culminating in the successful defense of the graduate thesis. Fall Semester Spring Semester Summer Thesis The Anthropology of Branding Brad Davidson, PhD. Brands occupy a complex role within cultural spaces—there is an ongoing dialogue between the historically situated culture of consumers who interact with brands (including the language and semiotics of representation), other brands in the same and adjacent social spaces, and the branded experience or object itself, each influencing the other in an evolving fashion. In this course we will use some of the interpretive techniques of observational social sciences, specifically anthropology and linguistics, to analyze, deconstruct and interpret what a “brand” is, how it accrues meaning and influences perception and behavior, and what role it can play in the lives of those who interact with it. We will also use these analyses to help understand what makes a successful brand, and how to interpret available data to create meaningful brands for target audiences. Logo Insignifica Mark Kingsley German critic Walter Benjamin observed that “just as the entire mode of existence of human collectives changes over long historical periods, so too does their mode of perception. The way in which human perception is organized — the medium in which it occurs — is conditioned not only by nature but by history.” Brands are such a conditioning medium. And the collective effect of contemporary optical, digital and economic instruments can be described as the Branded Unconscious. So what does this hold for contemporary branding practice? This class draws from the tradition of western thought to consider branding today, and to provoke the branding of tomorrow. Together, we will interrogate the fuzziness of contemporary brand phenomena, and begin to create a space for you to play — both intellectually and professionally.Mark Kingsley A Unified Theory of Branding Scott Lerman & Melanie Wiesenthal Leading the definition and evolution of a world-class brand requires more than intellectual rigor and insight. You must unify and leverage the expertise and efforts of an astounding array of people—leaders, followers, scientists, artists, magicians (consultants), engineers, establishmentarians and revolutionaries. In this course, you will learn to use powerful frameworks that harmonize and focus the efforts of diverse teams as they develop ambitious strategic brand programs. Using real-world case studies—including Ashland, Caterpillar, Bank of America, DuPont, Harley-Davidson, INVISTA, and emerging start up distruptor brands like Myro and Emme, we will look inside the processes that enable organizations (large and small, old and new, B2B and B2C) to define the future of their brands. The course will provide you with a unique perspective of how research, strategic definition, identity, expression, creative communications and behavior are shaped into great brands. The Evolution of CPG Brands and Package Design Richard Shear Consumer brands, and the retail marketplace that supports them, have evolved through several stages in the last 400 years. Each has been strongly influenced by culture, events and the changes of the retail markets of which they are a part. The first three stages, from the 17th century through the 20th century, can be described as the era of the retailer, the era of the manufacturer and the era of the brand. The last decade has seen an evolution of brand activity toward a focus on consumer experience and brand influenced lifestyle communities. Where does the CPG brand stand today and what is its future? This course will review the historical evolution of CPG brand identities through the lens of retail brand identity and package design. We will review, century by century, the history of CPG brand identities, and the aesthetic and cultural influences that have shaped their path. While reviewing these historical precedents, students will develop an informed judgment on where CPG brand identities are today and where they may be headed. Business and Branding Strategies Bret Sanford-Chung What does it mean to be in the “business” of branding? How does someone in a “creative” field make a point, sell an idea, affect change, get a promotion in a “business” environment? What are the business implications of a strong brand or a weak one? This course gives a comprehensive primer on the business side of brands and prepares the student to use the brand as an effective business tool. Beginning with the fundamental drivers of consumer desire, we seek to understand the underpinnings of brand development like brand strategy and rational vs. emotional benefits. The basics of business, from the fundamentals of the markets to understanding the nature of a public company will be explored, as well as practical skills like making effective presentations to multi-variate audiences. The Meaning of Branded Objects Tom Guariello, PhD. Brands transform objects into meaning-bearers. This course will explore the collective and individual history of this transformation. As we have evolved from hunter-gatherers into robustly cultural beings, objects themselves have also evolved: from disposable, purely functional extensions of the body to deeply personal, even cherished, expressions of an individual’s life. We will examine the history and insights of individual and social psychology in shaping the context for 21st-century perceptions o...