Brand Identity

What is brand identity?

Brand identity is the name given to the elements of a brand that you can see. It exists to help customers recognise a business when they see it. Effective identities stay in customer’s minds long after they have interacted with the brand, sometimes forever. The identities of Apple, Coca-Cola, Facebook and Nike are easy to recognise, whether you use their products or not.

A company’s identity is made up of several different elements, including:

• The name
• Logo
• Colours used in advertising material and on retail premises
• Fonts chosen for logo and promotional materials
• Tone of voice in advertising and social media

It’s important not to get confused between brand identity and brand image. Brand identity is the elements that create a brand image; a brand image is the result. For example, your identity could create an image amongst your customers that your products are more affordable than those of your competitors.

Why you need a strong identity

As mentioned before, the most successful companies in the world have identities that make them instantly recognisable, whether you’re a customer or not. However, you do not need to be Apple to build an identity that creates a positive image and wins customers.

Your identity tells your audience what to think about your products or services. Therefore, if you have a quality brand identity, people will think you are a quality business. When you look excellent, your audience will think you are excellent. This will help you win customers, enable you to charge more for your products or services and retain them over a longer period of time.

Your identity will also help you differentiate yourself from your competitors. It will help you stand out from the crowd and allow you to create a position for yourself in the market.

How to create a strong brand identity

Building a strong identity is a challenge that causes you to think deeply about your business, your goals and how you want to be seen by your customers and the wider world.

Here are three aspects you must consider before you start:

• Who are your customers? – What sorts of people buy your product? Your brand identity must appeal to them directly.
• What are your long-term aims? – Your brand identity can help you achieve your goals. For example, if you want to position your product at the higher end of the market, your brand identity needs to reflect this.
• What is the message you want to send? – What do you want to tell your audience about your brand? For example, are you a forward-looking, modern business, or homely and nostalgic? Your brand identity will convey this and more to your customers.

Once you have this in place, you need to think about identity design: colours, shapes, fonts and more. It’s essential that your brand identity is consistent. Wherever someone sees your company, you want them to see it in the same way.

The colours and fonts you choose will appear in your logo, on your website, on your marketing materials, maybe even on your staff’s uniforms. Think carefully.

If you need some expert help, it’s time to talk to March.