what is brand identity?

Just like every person has a unique personality, so does a brand that represents your business. Brand identity is something that separates you as an individual and sets you apart from others.

Branding is the way you expose yourself to the market as unique because at the end of the day your brand needs to tell a story that is singularly about you when you’re not in the room.

Every brand has a purpose. What is yours? What are you trying to achieve?

Everyone has different core values that represent their brand. My brand stands for creativity and innovation, what about you?

What do we need to define to build a strong identity? Let’s take a look at the most important aspects of a brand first.

brand identity

The identity of a brand is created by a multitude of components like a logotype, a typo, a colour palette, a website, an app, a business card design and the list goes on and on and all of this creates an image for your customer.
Brand identity is different from brand image and branding.
The brand image is what the world sees the company like.
Branding is referred to the practice of building and giving life to a brand through marketing.

First, you need to know who you are as a brand and what you stand for before you start identifying the elements that will help you build yourself up.

The identity of your brand is how humans recognise you. Brand identity is what makes you get instant recognition. Your product or service is associated with the identity of your brand and creates a connection between you and your customer.

how to develop a strong identity

First, you need to know who you are as a brand and what you stand for before you start identifying elements that will help you build yourself up.

The key elements that define you as a brand:
- Your mission ...
- Your values are a representation of your brand
- Your brand or product ...
- Your unique positioning on the market ...
- Your brand voice ...

Before you start building up you need to have a clear understanding of each point mentioned above. If you have problems identifying any of the points mentioned above feel free to brainstorm with me and we can find the best answers to build up your brand from the ground up.

Once you managed to answer all the questions I've asked earlier we can start building the identity of this brand that will show your customers who you are as an individual or company.

design a brand

The assets that will make your brand stand out will be things like your logo, website, app, packaging design, social media, and the list goes on and it may differ depending on the type of business you’re building.

So for me to build your brand I need to know who you are.

Here is a list with all essential things I will create to help you start your new brand:

typography

Typography refers to the font you will be using for your materials and we have 4 major types that we choose from:

Serif fonts

Is a font used mostly by traditional brands and help brands appear trustworthy. "In typography, a serif is a small line or stroke regularly attached to the end of a larger stroke in a letter or symbol within a particular font or family of fonts. A typeface or "font family" making use of serifs is called a serif typeface (or serifed typeface), and a typeface that does not include them is a sans-serif one." - wikipedia quote

Sans serif fonts

If serif fonts have a particular stroke at the bottom called a food the sans serif doesn't have that food and as an example you can check (Helvetica or Franklin Gothic). This font style has a more smoother edge giving it a more modern look to a brand.

Script fonts

Expresses handwriting and it has been used mostly in feminine and luxury brands.

Display fonts

These fonts are on a league of their own as they vary a lot. Usually these fonts have one or more combined into a symbol or a shape to the representative brand. This can help your brand t create a unique feel and be remembered in time.

colour palette

Most brands use specific colour palette depending on the business they conduct. As you all know, all major brands have one specific colour from witch you can recognize it instantly even if you cannot see the logo / brand.

Choosing the right colour can have a huge impact over your customers. The colour of the brand leaves a footprint in our minds witch helps us recognise them faster.

Red

This is the colour of passion, excitement and fire and it delivers a highly visible punch. It stands for strength, power and confidence being used by one of the biggest brands.

Green

This is the colour that represents both nature / health and the financial world / money. Being a versatile colour and it can go for a multitude of brands, most consumers will associate it with finance or nature.

Yellow

Yellow is the colour of happiness and it is used often in street advertising. It sends a lot of energy towards the consumer and a cheerful state of mind.

Black

I think there is nothing that says sophisticated and modern better than black.

Blue

Most used colour for it's versatile usage. It says trustworthy and has a strong connection with financial, communications and social media brands. If you want to present a strong and serious "face" you chose blue.

White

White is the colour opposite of black and stands for simplicity and strives for perfection. White represents the simplicity in form and function.

Orange

Orange is a warm colour and it communicates energy being friendly and playful.

Brown

Brown is usually associated with natural food and beauty products and gives you a feeling of wholesomeness.

Purple

Purple is the colour of royalty and represents nobility, mostly associated with luxury brands.

logo

Your logo it is the most important element of your brand and done right will help grow your brand identity a lot faster. All logos must follow some (pointers, advices, targets) to be successful:
- a logo must be clear and minimalist (best to keep maximum 2 colours and never use more then 1 font (maximum 2 weight variations of that specific font))
- your logo must have a powerful impact and combine a simple, minimalist or classic trend in the same time (one thing you don’t want is that it goes out of style within the next 5 to 10 years)
- best choice is to chose a style according to the industry you’re planning to build around.
- must be pleasant to look at and appealing for your customers (marking your customers with the visuals will increase your chance of building a faster and better audience)

After the logo is final you will get multiple options (black and white + colour options) and different variations so you can use it on multiple products. Logo must be tested as well for different sizes and colours to be sure that it will be clear enough from the smallest to the largest size.

website

Your website is the most important element representing your brand. It is used both when you have a psihical or digital product as customers can reach you worldwide and purchase it. Your website is the place clients will check first.

Websites usually can vary a lot as they can work for online shopping, a presentation of a specific product or service, a library and much more.
- Online shop
- Presentation website
- Social media

app

Apps are used today to promote the brand and reflects the business you're conducting. Branded apps are used today by the companies to increase the traffic and improve the user experience.

product packing

If your business creates a physical product, the right packaging can attract the right customers and boost up confidence in your brand. Whether you're speaking about food or cloths the packaging will make a difference, as it is the first thing that catches the eye of the consumer. Packaging can be used to make your brand stand out from a crowded market.

business card

When you’re doing any sort of business you’ll want to get your business cards done. Details on the card would be the logo on one side and personal detail on the other side (name, mobile number and email). Design must be minimalist using a timeless font option (here we can use 2 font weight variations to underline the name / position).

email design

Email is used to update or engage new customers regarding your service / product. As we all know emails can be a bit to much sometimes as we all get a lot of spam. You want that your email to be short, simple and have a clear purpose.

brand style guideline book

When you have every design asset in its final form you need to create a guideline book to display the proper way of using your brand elements. This “book” will help others understand how your brand can be used to generate the right visuals so it doesn’t lose it’s strength in the eyes of the consumer.

The brand is what differentiate you from the rest of your competitors and shows your customers what they can expect from you. You brand must be build around your customer’s need and market and you must create a clear and no bullshit image from the beginning.