What is Brand Identity and Why is it Important?
Your logo is not your brand identity.
To some, that may sound obvious but many business owners believe that logo and brand identity are the same thing.
But brand identity is much more than a logo.
It's all the tangible elements that people experience and use to understand who you are and what you stand for – what makes you uniquely you.
And let’s face it, with so competition out there, you really need a way to make your brand stand out.
Let’s take a deeper look at what brand identity is, and how you can start creating yours.
What is brand identity?
Brand identity is the tangible brand elements, including logo, colours, typography, overall design, and tone of voice, that make your brand look and sound a certain way.
It’s the face of your business.
Your brand identity is critical because it sets your brand apart from every other brand and shows your customers who you are.
It also becomes the template for everything you create for your business – ads, website, packaging, business cards, social media posts etc.
The important thing to remember about a brand identity is that it is the sum of all the various tangible elements.
For example, when you hear the name Coca-Cola, you probably picture its well-known logo, the colour red or the ribbony shape on the cans.
You might think about the “Share the joy” campaign or the summer ads with carefree teenagers sipping on bottles of fizzy fun.
All these things form Coca-Cola’s brand identity. But if you strip it back, it all begins with a red logo in script text.
How do you create your brand identity?
Bottom line – you need to be strategic. Here are some questions to get you moving in the right direction.
What sets you apart from your competitors?
Think of everything from your product and packaging to your customer service and your brand vision.What’s your brand personality?
This one often stumps business owners because it can be hard to put your personality into words.
Think about the difference between Virgin Australia and Qantas. They both fly people to places around the world, but the way they talk to their customers is very different.
It’s cliché, but working through a brand archetypes exercise is exceptionally helpful here. I’ve seen it work many times, and it cuts through a lot of the marketing ‘fluff’.
Who are your ideal customers?
Who do you want to buy your product? (and “everyone” is not the answer).
Really zone in on who your customers are and what the problem is you are trying to solve. Once you know who your customers are, you can work on the best way to talk to them, the language to use, and which designs will resonate with them.
How do you make your customers feel?
Listen to what your happy customers say about you. Do they feel relief? Inspiration? Exhilaration?
These can be powerful feelings to integrate into your brand identity.
What's your story?
Brand stories can be a key launching point for your brand identity. This could be the story of how you got started and how you have grown, as well as the story of the role you play in your customer's life.
Over to you
A strong brand identity doesn’t happen overnight, but once you have created the right foundations you can keep building on it to create something that will stand out, connect with customers, and drive trust and loyalty.
Creating a brand identity is tough, so leave it to people who live and breathe branding. Whether you want to strengthen your brand identity or start from scratch, our team is here to guide you through the whole process to create your strong brand identity.