What is Brand Identity?
brand identity designers know that having a great brand identity helps businesses evoke the perception they need to attract their future customers.
Being perceived in the right way through the brand identity and logo design is very important in gaining the loyalty and trust of new customers, which will ultimately leads to more sales.
Table of Contents
The best possible approach to the subject begins through the explanation of what is a brand and what are its components related to the fundamental aspects of branding
What is a brand?
A brand is the combination of tangible and intangible attributes that create a perception about a group of individuals with respect to a product, service or organization. The brand is the most important asset of a company over time.
In other words...
A brand is not just a logo, nor an identity, nor a product, a brand is the intuition, perception or also called "hunch" that a person has about a product, service or organization.
In the first place, the brand is a set of a "whole" being composed of elements such as: brand identity, logo, strategy, etc. This is because brands are defined by individuals, based on the efforts made by the company.
What is brand identity?
According to Asale, (s. f.-a) Identity is the set of traits of an individual or a community that characterize it compared to others. Following this logic, we can define brand identity as a tangible set of brand elements that appeal to the senses and are characterized by having their own features compared to other brands in the market.
In addition, BI (To summarize it in acronyms 🙂 ) appeals to the senses. You can see it, touch it, read it, hold it, hear it and catch it moving around. BI is commonly developed by brand identity designers. It is a fundamental part of the branding process.
What makes up a brand identity?
The BI is made up of 4 essential aspects:
- Visual brand identity
- Brand personality
- The brand voice
- Slogan / Tagline
#1 The visual identity of a brand.
The visual identity of a brand is about the set of remarkable elements that, due to some singularity, attract the attention of the human eye to generate a visual differential.
They are characterized by sharing the quality of being the visible elements of the brand. In a nutshell, the visual identity of a brand is the visible aspect of it.
The visual identity of a brand is made up of multiple graphic or visual elements such as:
- Photographs
- Illustrations
- Motion Graphics (Animations)
- Logo, Imagotype, Isotype, logomark etc.
- Color palette
- Packaging
- Typography
- Iconography
- textures or patterns
If you are interested in the topic of "logo" I have created a video on my YouTube channel that explains in greater depth how you can redesign your logo step by step
Where can I apply the visual identity of my brand?
- A logo (identifying symbol of the entire identity and brand)
- Stationery (Letterhead, business cards, etc.)
- Marketing material (brochures, websites, etc.)
- Products and Packaging (Cover, packaging molds, textures, etc.)
#2 The personality of a brand
Brand personality is a set of original characteristics or qualities that highlight the emotional and behavioral section of our brand.
There are 12 brand personality archetypes that we can apply to our brand, in this YouTube video I explain in 10 minutes how you can put a personality on yours.
Where can I apply the personality of my brand?
- In the advertising pieces of the brand (Ads, CTA, etc.)
- On your website (On your homepage, landing page or articles)
- On your social networks (LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram)
- Basically, any written document is subject to the personality of the brand.
#3 Brand tone and voice
The tone and voice of a brand is specifically the way in which our brand is going to communicate.
Therefore, it is strongly influenced by the values and personality of the brand. Our brand can speak in a formal, semi-formal or informal way
In turn, a brand can speak as a friend, as a caring mother or as a guide. Everything will depend on the context and the branding strategy to apply.
In this video I explain how to quickly define the tone and voice of your brand through a few simple key questions.
Where can I apply the tone and voice of my brand?
- In interactions with the client (In their notifications or gifts)
- In your newsletter (Show the brand voice and personality)
- In the shopping cart (Use a formal tone)
- Basically, any written piece is influenced by the tone and voice of the brand, the context is ideal to go from an informal, semi-formal or formal tone.
#4 Slogan / Tagline
The slogan or tagline also known as "Slogan" is a short and original phrase that is used to reinforce the value proposition of a brand and its promise to the consumer.
For that reason it is a vital part of brand messaging and helps the customer see more clearly the benefits of using our brand.
In this video I explain what a Slogan is and I show you several examples to help you create yours.
A brand identity is to a company what its stripes are to a zebra.
Good entrepreneurs know the value that design can have on their brands. So while it used to be more common for designers to meet with intermediaries, it is now more often the case that the designer is an integral part of the boardroom.
A strong brand does not happen overnight. Strategy is necessary
You can't just pick some random colors and create a logo.
You need to strategically approach your design to build an identity that truly reflects your brand and becomes that set of elements that help keep your business firmly in the minds of potential customers.
Mass advertising may help you build a brand, but your identity is what will ultimately allow people to remember and choose you over time.
What is a good brand identity?
According to the author and designer of the book “Creating a brand identity: a guide for designers” Slade-Brooking (2016), brand identity is “a unique set of designed elements that identify the brand and express the brand promise, including the name, type, logo/symbols, icons and colors”.
What do the experts say?
In the words of the great Airey, D. (2019) “A visual identity is to business what faces are to people, and while it was once relatively simple to create different brands for competing businesses, the rise of capitalism has challenged designers to create distinction in highly saturated global markets.”
The Spanish design studio “Brandward” It also gives us an excellent approach to what a visual brand identity is. Falcó, C. P. (August 23, 2021) defines that “The Visual Brand Identity corresponds to the graphic part, it must synthesize and faithfully represent the essence and emotions of the brand, leaving an impression that prevails in the minds of people.”
Another of the greatest exponents of branding, Marty Neumeier define brand identity as “the external expression of a brand, including its trademark, name, communications and visual appearance”.
Key points
- Identity is the set of traits of an individual or a community that characterize it against others.
- The Brand Identity is a unique set of designed elements that identify the brand.
- The visual identity of the brand corresponds to the graphic part, this must synthesize and faithfully represent the essence and emotions of the brand.
What is visual brand identity design?
The visual identity design is a process by which we create the visual identity of the brand, that is, all the visual elements that identify a brand. Elements such as: your logo, color palette, fonts, illustrations, etc.
Likewise, this process also ontemplates the definition of other aspects such as: the brand personality, the archetypes, the tone and the voice of the brand, although these are attributed more to the entire process of creating brand identity than to its visual section.
Why is brand identity design important?
Brand Identity Design is important because people too often choose products and services based on their perceived value rather than their actual value.
This is when brand identity design plays a very important role when it comes to generating a perception in the minds of your customers and leads.
Easier for customers to identify and trust the brand.
Brand identity design makes it easy for customers to identify and trust the brand.
Furthermore, it builds customer trust and loyalty and allows companies to enhance their brands with identities that support a fairly healthy brand positioning.
A strong and well-established brand is accompanied by a solid identity that attracts consumers and allows them to feel comfortable choosing the company as the ideal option among all the options available to buy.
What do brand identity designers do?
Brand identity designers also called “Brand Designers” or “Brand Identity Designers” are in charge of carrying out the brand identity development process.
This group of professionals uses creative strategies to define and create the visual elements of the brand such as: logo, color palette, fonts, illustrations, images, etc.
The Brand Identity designer allows the brand to create a “Look and feel” that generates the visual perception that the company wants to meet its business objectives.
Why hire a brand identity designer for my business?
Brand identity design. Who needs it? Probably all companies in existence.
You can be a company with many years of experience or a small startup with very big dreams.
Investing in good design is investing wisely. That is why hiring a brand identity designer is an excellent investment to improve the most important intangible asset of your company, the brand.
Translate words into visual elements.
A designer takes the history of your company, its characteristics, differential attributes, what you want customers to feel when they interact with your brand and how you want your company to be perceived, to create an identity that resonates with your customers and translates it into the world of visual and graphic elements.
Identity designers often apply graphic design in intelligent, creative and experienced ways.
6 Benefits of Hiring a Brand Identity Designer:
While the entrepreneur or marketer concentrates on doing what they do best “Do business and make money". An identity designer brings benefits to the brand such as:
#1 Makes your brand more attractive.
An identity designer can create a brand that attracts and retains the eyes of your potential customers with impressive graphic aspects that make them inclined to buy your brand instead of your competitors' brand.
😍
#2 Improve the impression customers have of you.
First impressions matter. If potential customers' first impression of your company is sloppy, unprofessional, scattered, or inconsistent, your business will suffer.
An identity designer can ensure that all aspects of your brand's visual identity are consistent. That consistency builds trust between customers and leads.
✨
#3 Makes you look established and professional.
No need to wait ages for a professional looking brand, you can get one in a matter of weeks with a brand identity designer who will help you create a professional looking brand identity and make it easy for potential customers to trust you.
🖋
#4 It makes your company memorable and recognizable among other competitors.
The brand identity designer can generate an identity so original, different and unique that it will be positively remembered by your potential clients, allowing you to stand out from the competition in a winning way.
Brand identity designers are experts at creating visual brand identities that are memorable, distinguishable, and identifiable.
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#5 It will save you time and effort.
Do you want to spend all your time designing your logo and marketing graphics when you could be using that same time and energy to generate revenue? If the answer is “NO”, then a brand identity designer is ideal for you.
An identity designer will help you save time on design while you focus on doing what you really love.
🤬
#6 Professional tools and knowledge
Sure, you could spend all night designing a logo in Canva and choosing fonts or colors to create something that looks “just right”.
However, an identity designer can do the same amount of work much faster, with better tools (NOT canva) and better results that make the difference between pre-made templates and professional brand identity design.
😳
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Brand identity design process
The design process is very important for the image of our company and to create a perceived value of our brand in the minds of our customers. That's why I decided to share the process behind brand identity design in full and for free.
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