It takes time to develop a strong brand identity. You can’t just pick a few colors and carelessly throw a logo together. Instead, it would help if you approached your designs methodically to establish an identity that truly defines your brand and will help you grow. Deep consideration, a team with strong communication and creative skills, and a thorough grasp of who you are, what you do, and how you want to communicate your brand to the world are necessary.
It isn’t a simple job, but it’s some of the most crucial work a company can perform. Of course, taking on a brand identity can be both daunting and perplexing. What should it contain? It takes time to develop a strong brand identity. You can’t just pick a few colors and carelessly throw a logo together.
Also Read: How To Boost Brand Awareness With Digital Marketing
What is the definition of a Brand Identity?
A brand identity, in our opinion, is the totality of how your company looks, feels, and communicates with its customers.
Benefits of having a Brand Identity?
It’s not about producing nice packaging to have a great brand identity; it’s about delivering your brand story effectively.
- Differentiation: How do you differentiate yourself in a crowded market? Your brand identity can have a big impact.
- Connection: The better you convey who you are, the simpler it will be for people to connect with you and eventually join your community of lifetime followers.
- Experience: Your brand is reflected in everything you do. As a result, you must provide a constant, coherent identity to generate a consistent, cohesive brand experience.
Apple, LEGO, and Levi’s are just a few examples of brands that have elevated brand identification to an art form.
What is included in a Brand Identity?
When you design a brand identity, you create a toolkit of visual elements to aid effective communication. It might be simple or complex, depending on your brand’s requirements. Regardless, every brand needs a baseline identity that consists of three elements:
- Color palette
- Logo
- Typography
How to Create a Brand Image
To make the process easier to follow, we’ve divided it into ten steps that will take you from point A to point Z. These phases are arranged in this order because different components of your identity are formed on top of each other.
1. Understand your foundation
A brand should be established on a solid basis, just like a house. You must first determine who you are: What kind of personality do you have? So, what exactly do you do? What kind of language do you use to describe what you do? These are the essential characteristics of your brand that will be communicated through your visual identity. You can’t construct a visual identity that correctly expresses your brand story until you have this base to build on.
Furthermore, you must understand why you are going through this procedure in the first place. It’s evident why you need to do this if you’re beginning from scratch. If you’re rebranding, make sure everyone on your team is aware of the issues you’re having with your present identity and what you want to accomplish with a new one.
2. Evaluate your present self
Excellent branding is all about communication. To guarantee that your visual output embodies your brand values, portrays your personality, and communicates your full brand story, it would be beneficial if you had a thorough understanding of your brand.
Please pay close attention to how your competitors present themselves in terms of common visual aspects, trends, industry-specific visual themes, brand personalities, and so on as you progress through the process.
3. Decide on a visual style
Design is extremely subjective. Colors perceived as forceful by one person may be regarded differently by others. Even the words you use to define your brand can be understood differently by different team members.
You aren’t ready to design; you must first have introductory talks and go through activities to arrive at a shared vision for your brand identity.
- What essential brand characteristics do you wish to convey through your visuals?
- What kinds of graphics might you use to communicate these characteristics?
- When people ” see ” your brand, how do you want them to feel when people “see” your brand?
4. Compose a branding brief
You’ll have all the information you need to start designing once you’ve finished the previous steps. You shouldn’t, however, jump right in. Instead, begin with a creative brief that includes all of the information you’ll need to keep your team on the same page and ensure your identity reflects your brand’s aims.
5. Create a logo
A brand identity is a complex visual system. Each piece impacts the others, but it all begins with your logo. A powerful logo encapsulates the spirit of your company, allowing you to leave your stamp (literally) on the world.
6. Select a color scheme
You can experiment with your color pallet once you have a solid logo. Color is a terrific way to set your business apart from the competition, but keep in mind that it may also provoke powerful emotions, so choose carefully.
7. Select a typography
Every visual aspect of your brand should contribute to a unified visual language. Thus they should all work together. It is especially true with typography, which your logo’s shape should influence.
Every design stage has its own set of obstacles. Still, typography in a visual language may be tricky, especially when firms follow trends that are popular for a short time but rapidly become antiquated or appear unoriginal.
Limit the number of typefaces to 2-3 to keep things simple. It usually refers to major and secondary brand typefaces created for specific purposes, such as body copy typefaces, user interface typefaces, etc.
8. Create extra elements
Because each brand’s requirements are unique, you may or may not need to create a full identity. However, keep in mind your brand’s long-term requirements. Include those characteristics in your identification if you plan to experiment with different content.
Photography plays a significant role in your company’s identification, from product photos to advertising. Therefore, it’s critical to establish clear criteria for what kinds of photos (and visual modifications) are and aren’t acceptable.
- Illustration
When it comes to illustration, you need a unified and consistent style. Don’t go overboard with the illustrations or employ styles that conflict. Rather, consider how your illustration will be combined with other visual aspects.
- Iconography
The applications for the job, as well as the innovative visual language, impact good iconography. It depends on your product or service and the industry and medium you operate. Because iconography is both an art and a science, you want to make sure everything is as clear as possible.
9. Visualization of data
Data should be developed for clarity and comprehension in addition to aesthetic appeal. As a result, it’s critical to create visualizations that follow data visualization best practices.
10. Create brand guidelines
Only a wonderfully developed brand identity that is never used or used badly is sadder than a poorly designed one. A brand style guide can save the day if it’s done correctly.
Include examples and use-cases for print, digital, video, and interactive elements and clear, easy-to-follow rules for each part of the brand identity. Include as much information as is necessary to assist your designers in properly replicating the brand identity.
