Branding is one of the most important aspects of running a business, whether it’s a small start-up or an established multi-million-pound enterprise. It’s how you present yourself to the world and how consumers identify with you. Your brand identity is what makes you, you. It’s the look and feel of your company that sets you apart from the competition.
What is Brand Identity?
Brand identity is the face of your brand, and it’s one of the first things people notice about you. It should not be an afterthought. You can’t simply say what your brand is; it must be shown through actions, designs, and words. Effective brand identity goes beyond just design; brand identity is about creating a unified message across all distribution channels. Branding refers to the steps you take to create a specific perception of your business. Brand identity is the combination of observable brand components that together form a single brand perception.
Why does your company need a brand identity?
Brand identity is a very important part of any business. It helps the business stand out and increases brand recognition and reputation. The more memorable your brand is, the more customers will trust you. There are many other benefits that come with having an effective brand identity, and those include:
1. Increasing brand recognition
Designing a brand identity guarantees that your brand will stand out in all your marketing materials. A consistent brand identity will increase your brand recognition and brand credibility. Your brand will interact with consumers more frequently and become more remembered if it is featured in more locations.
2. Reducing the company’s cost
If your brand identity is done right it can save you a lot. Rather than changing it from time to time, it is better to create a good and meaningful brand identity from scratch.
3. Increasing customer loyalty and satisfaction
Allows consumers to establish a good connection between a product and the business, an effective and attractive brand identity can increase customer loyalty and trust in a company. They will always come back again and again to buy your products.
4. Helps you stand out from the market
A consistent and creative brand identity can help you stand out from the market. A brand identity enables you to set your company apart from the competition and position your brand effectively.
5. Creating a consistent message
By creating a brand identity, you can ensure that your marketing and branding materials all convey the same message. To create a unified brand identity, each piece should have the same fundamental styles and design components. So, customers can understand the message easily.
Tips to create a strong brand identity
1. Have a distinctive logo.
Your logo should be simple and memorable so that it can be recognized at a glance. Keep in mind that there are many different things to consider when designing your logo, from colors to fonts, so make sure you don’t rush into any decisions. You want to keep it simple, but also unique and interesting enough that people will remember it.
2. Use brand graphics and colors in your branding.
One way to brand yourself is through brand graphics and color schemes. Brand graphics can increase brand awareness, create a uniform look, attract your potential target audience and make your content memorable. In addition, you could use one dominant color across all of your marketing materials; or you could use several colors to create a pattern on your print pieces that represent your company’s identity. So get creative!
3. Use consistent fonts in all of your branding materials.
Make sure that every piece of promotional material coming out of your business uses the same font, along with the same layout (the same font size and spacing). Consistency is key! When you want to create a brand, you need to consider the elements that make up your brand. These are the things that will make your business stand out from the competition and help it grow.
The 7 elements that make up your brand can include:
1. Logo
A logo is important, it should be simple and memorable. It’s the first thing people see when looking at your brand, so make sure it’s good! If you’re not good at designing logos then hire someone who is!
2. Font
Choose a font that fits your brand and your personality. This can be anything from Comic Sans to Helvetica or even Papyrus depending on what you want people to think of when they see your brand. Try out different fonts until you find one that’s just right for your brand!
3. Style
Choose a style that matches your product or service, how do you want people to feel when they see it? Do you want them to feel relaxed or excited? Do you want them to think that we are a professional, strict, or fun company? Whatever it is that describes how you want people to feel when they see your brand then make sure you use this style in everything from colors to photos and even fonts used in emails and marketing materials!
4. Shape and form
The shape and form of your business cards or website can also help build up the image of what people think of when they think of your brand! An example would be if someone saw a business card
5. Colours
Colors are a powerful way to communicate with your customers, so it’s important to choose carefully. You can use color to represent your brand, or even as a feature of your product or service. Different colors have various vibes and meanings. For instance:
- Red: energy, fervor, rage, danger, movement, worry, and strength.
- Orange: liveliness, amiability, inventiveness, warmth, and excitement.
- Yellow: contentment, optimism, caution, delight, and innovation.
- Green: nature, growth, youth, vitality, and stability.
- Blue: trust, tranquility, stability, depth, and calm.
- Purple: opulence, passion, royalty, reflection, and peace.
6. Tone
The tone of a brand is the voice it uses when speaking with customers – its attitude and personality. For example, Coca-Cola has a fun, friendly tone while Apple has an authoritative and modern tone.
7. Tagline/slogan
A tagline is a short phrase that sums up what you do and how you do it. It is a simple, powerful, and remarkable description of about a few words which is associated with the brand.
A slogan is similar but longer and usually more memorable than a tagline (and sometimes used interchangeably). A slogan may be used to symbolize the brand or the brand’s goods, marketing campaign, or services, whereas the tagline merely refers to the brand.
5 Steps to Build a strong brand identity
The process of building brand identity is complex and involves many steps. Each step requires a different type of analysis, strategy, or design work. Here are the basic steps in building a strong brand:
1. Analyze your audiences and competitors
The first step to developing a brand identity is to understand who your audience is and what they want from your product or service. This includes understanding the industry you operate in, as well as the competition. Once you’ve defined your brand’s purpose and brand strategy, it’s time to think about who you want to reach with your products or services — and why they should choose you instead of your competitors. This step involves conducting market research and identifying potential customers by asking questions such as:
- What is important to them?
- Where do they spend their time online?
- Who are their favorite brands?
- What types of content do they consume on social media?
- How old are they?
- What gender are they?
- Are there any other factors that could influence their decision-making process when choosing a product or service like yours?
2. Develop brand positioning
Once you’re aware of who your audience is and what they expect from you, it’s time to figure out where you fit into the equation. The goal of this step is to define what makes your business unique a.k.a brand positioning. What can you offer that others can’t? What sets you apart? This will help determine the tone and feel of your brand identity.
3. Defining your company’s personality
Every company has a unique personality — whether it’s serious, fun, or quirky — that comes across in everything from web design to social media content. By defining how you want others to perceive your business, you can ensure that every touch point reflects that personality.
4. Implement the design
Now that you know who your customers are and how they want to be treated, it’s time to bring these concepts together in a cohesive design system that reflects all of these elements. A good designer will take everything into consideration when creating an identity for a brand — from color palettes and typography choices to photography styles and logo design — all while keeping the needs of users in mind during every step of the process.”
5. Have a strong Identity Integration
Ensure that all communications use the same identity elements consistently so that customers recognize them wherever they see them: from stationery through websites and social media channels to signage and packaging. A strong visual identity system includes colors, fonts, and graphics that help people immediately identify with your brand. This includes color palette selection, typography choices, and photography direction, which all work together to create one cohesive look across all touch points including websites, print materials, marketing collateral, and social media channels such as Facebook ads or Instagram.
Here are some examples of brand identity that we have done for our clients:
We have designed a website with a consistent brand identity to create continuity and help establish ChanCo’s brand, gain recognition and build trust.
Client: ChanCo
We have established a consistent corporate brand identity and brand style guide for Juta Steel as a trustworthy expert in the steel manufacturing industry.
Client: Juta Steel Sdn Bhd
Conclusion
Overall, brand identity is an essential tool for a business and without it a business is nothing. A company could have the most innovative and top-of-the-range products and ideas but if they do not have a strong brand identity then they are not able to reach out to potential customers in a manner that will make them want to buy its product or use its services. In order for a business to be successful in the current market place it needs to establish a strong brand identity then they are not able to leave a strong and touching impression to attract customers. If you are seeking a brand identity service, you can reach out to us at https://cr8consultancy.com/contact-us/
Let us assist you in elevating your brand!
At CR8 Consultancy, we offer full branding services that will help you create a unique identity, brand and marketing communications. Request a free consultation with us today and start growing your brand!
