Successful companies have one thing in common: a strong and consistent brand identity. Just think of iconic brands like Nike, Starbucks, and Google.
Their lasting impression in the marketplace and global recognition are proof of brand power.Shaping your brand identity requires taking a few steps.
It is best to do this early in the development of your product or company, before creating your website or generating other brand assets.
With that being said, it’s never too late to make sure your business becomes a recognized brand.
In this article we will see how to create a brand identity at any stage. We’ll start by clarifying what brand identity is and why it’s important.
Going through the fundamental elements of a brand identity, the steps you must follow to create your brand identity and examples that will inspire you in the process.
- What is brand identity?
- Why is brand identity important?
- Elements of a brand identity
- How to create a brand identity?
- Brand Identity Examples
Table of Contents
What is brand identity?
success Branding depends on having a well-formed brand identity: that is, the distinctive voice and visual aspect of your brand, with which you communicate your mission to the rest of the world.
A brand identity conveys your company’s vision in a way that is easy to understand—and more importantly—is embraced by the public.
It is part of the association that people will make with your company, and over time, it will build trust in your brand and foster loyalty, which will ultimately influence how they perceive your brand.
More specifically, brand identity refers to the tangible elements that make your brand look and sound, such as your choice of brand colors or use of language.
Why is brand identity important?
Your brand is more than just a logo—it’s something that lives, breathes, and evolves as your business grows. A well-developed brand identity will distinguish your company in the eyes of your audience.
It will also establish a sense of understanding and trust among your customers, forging a connection that leads to loyalty, commitment, and long-term success.
Once you understand your brand personality, it will be easy for you to grow. Your brand identity is something you can constantly use as a reference for your branding strategy as your business continues to expand.
A strong brand identity influences:
- Customer loyalty to your company
- The relationship between your customers and your company
- The internal and external representation of your company
- Trust in the brand
- brand uniformity
- Acquiring new customers (while taking care of existing ones)
- Differentiation between competitors
Elements of a brand identity
Your brand identity can be broken down into individual elements that need to be aligned with each other, imagine a thread that weaves together your brand elements.
Each of them has its purpose, and they all serve to establish and maintain your brand identity:
- Your brand name
- Voice tone
- Logo
- Color palette
- Typography
- Images
01. Name of your brand
Just as your name is part of your identity, your brand name should convey your company’s personality, values, tone, and mission.
Some brand names are so successful that they have become synonymous with their products and are part of our everyday vocabulary.
For example, referring to tissues as Kleenex, bandages as Band-Aids, or cotton swabs as Q-tips are examples of successful brand names that are naturally linked to their products and that elicit immediate brand recall upon contact. listen.
When coming up with a name for your brand, always consider your values, keep in mind your target market, and do some linguistic research to make sure your name works in all contexts.
02. Tone of voice
If your brand could talk, what would it sound like? Casual? funny? Encouraging? Maybe all of the above.
Your brand’s tone of voice refers to the type of language used to communicate with your audience.
By using a consistent tone in your website copy, UX (user experience) writing, marketing materials, packaging, and social media, you can personify your brand and add your own style.
The voice of your brand is not limited to communication with potential customers, but also refers to internal communication with employees, partners or shareholders.
Maintaining a consistent tone and language both internally and externally will ensure that anyone who interacts with your brand recognizes your style.
03. Logo
Most people will agree that your logo is the face of your brand. When creating a logo , use the brand identity you have built as a starting point for your logo design.
Your goal is to create a logo that the public will immediately remember and recognize, so make sure it is unique and captures the essence of your business.
Your logo should embody your brand identity and represent your core values.
Using color, shape and typography to communicate your brand’s personality, this small but mighty symbol will represent your business at every point of contact with your brand.
Take a look at these logo ideas for inspiration.
04. Color palette
Your brand colors make a lasting impression on customers, affecting the way they perceive and interact with your business. A marketing basic: colors trigger emotions.
The subliminal response to colors can range from enthusiasm or elegance to seriousness or friendliness, and the list goes on.
In addition to setting a particular tone, the colors you choose should be used consistently across all of your brand’s marketing assets.
Studies show that the use of signature colors improves brand recognition by 80%.
For example, what brand do you think of with the color red? Probably Coke.
Over time, the public will associate this color palette with your business and recognize your brand.
05. Typography
Just like content, your brand’s typography tells its own story. Although the choice of a font seems like a subtle decision, typography is a fundamental element in a brand’s identity.
Select a font style that reflects a consistent message and stays stylistically in line with the rest of your brand assets.
Also, consider how you want the text to be arranged, keeping in mind important design principles like visual hierarchy, white space, and alignment.
06. Images
Visual content, such as images, can help communicate your message and enhance your designs, thus becoming an important element in your brand identity.
Images, for example, allow you to share a story, evoke a feeling or capture a mood without the need for a written context.
With this in mind, choosing your visuals is an important step in reaching your audience in a meaningful way.
Make sure you choose images that are recognizable, inclusive, and resonate with your target audience.
Also, always make sure your images are of high quality and formatted appropriately for various platforms, such as your social media posts or print marketing materials.
How to create a brand identity?
Creating a brand identity takes time, creativity, and effort. As you will see, it is also a brilliant opportunity to guarantee all facets of your brand and decide how to share it with the world. Use this outline as a guide and starting point, and get ready to get to know your brand.
01. Shape your brand personality
Before thinking about how you are going to represent your brand to the world, put yourself in your brand’s shoes.
Just like you and I express ourselves through the way we dress, speak, and act, your brand also uses unique characteristics to convey its purpose and goals. Here’s how to give your brand a personality that stands out:
Write your brand story: What inspired you to create your business? What do you want to get? What can you offer your community?
Your brand story is the lynchpin for building an authentic narrative that resonates with your audience. If you can answer these questions and communicate them to your customers, they will be more likely to feel a connection to your product.
Define your brand’s core values: A strong set of values shapes the culture built around your company and shows that you don’t just care about sales.
Whether it’s a commitment to your customers’ success or a promise to sell high-quality products, having an overall sense of purpose gives your brand integrity.
You can dress up your brand assets with features that embody these values and make sure all aspects of your brand are in sync.
Distinguish your brand: Make sure your brand stands out from your competitors by conducting market research.
This is the best way to stay on top of things and find out what works well in your market. Take advantage of this knowledge to draw inspiration from your competitors, while also making sure you create something new and original.
Through research, you can determine your brand’s position in the marketplace, gauge the competition, and identify what makes your brand unique.
A good method to do it strategically is to carry out a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) to know in depth the position of your brand in the market and in the minds of your consumers.
Know your audience: Knowing your audience is a very important starting point to build your brand identity. Define your target market and decide which is the best audience for your brand. Look at how people respond to different forms of design and communication, and take note of what builds user engagement and trust.02. Design your brand assets
You’ve already established what makes your brand stand out by defining its personality, now demonstrate its value by crafting a powerful voice and visual identity.
Your brand assets are a set of unique elements that help the public identify your brand as something recognizable and different.
As we have already said, the visual assets of the brand include the logo, the color palette, the typography, the photography and the brand name. Brand assets can also include a catchy tagline, packaging, and even music and sounds associated with your company.
Understanding the role each brand asset plays in the entire ecosystem, and how they influence one another, will allow you to design your brand identity with purpose, integrity, and cohesion.
03. Create a style guide for your brand
Now that you’ve decided how to represent your brand, consolidate these ideas by creating a brand style guide.
A style guide will establish each of the elements of your brand identity and serve as a guide for everyone who interacts with it.
In addition, it will help you ensure that everyone is on the same page when creating marketing materials by providing details and clear instructions.
Thinking ahead, a style guide from your brand will be very useful to make any adjustments later.
Marketing trends are always changing and your business will eventually expand, so chances are you’ll want to revamp your design in the future.
A style guide allows you to make these adjustments, ensuring fidelity and consistency with your brand identity.
Another situation where a brand style guide comes in handy is if you outsource writing or design projects.
In this case, your collaborators will have a wide reference to lay the foundations of the appearance of your brand.
04. Build your brand presence
Start building your brand presence by designing marketing materials that you can share with the world.
This includes essential resources for promoting your brand and building your audience:
Website
Creating a website is essential for a business. The website is an online place for the public to find more information about your brand, and it highlights your brand identity through an attractive design and informative copy.
As your brand grows, make sure your website not only looks the part, but also offers a user experience that matches your offering.
For example, create a blog to share the voice of your brand, or create an app that offers a mobile experience for your brand.
Packaging
If you’re a brand that sells products, either in person or through an online store , remember that customers love creative packaging. Packaging says a lot about a brand’s identity and has the ability to satisfy customers before they enjoy what’s inside.
Test your creativity. By playing with material, images, and text, you can create a packaging style that reflects your brand’s visual identity.
Paying attention to even the smallest details can go a long way in how customers perceive your brand. Think about the shapes you use in your packaging and how they reinforce both the visual language and the overall message of your brand. For example, what types of materials do you use and how do they serve the overall brand experience?
Business cards
It’s true that we live in a digital-centric world, but business cards never go out of style. With your contact information and your brand logo, a business card is a friendly and professional way to remind new contacts to add you to their contacts. Business cards can be made in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and styles, so designing a business card that expresses your brand identity won’t be a problem.
Email marketing
Good email marketing is a strategic way to publicize your brand, promote new products and engage with your customers.
services Email marketing allow you to design personalized email messages, which means that you can print your brand identity on all of them.
Whether for promotional or informational emails, be sure to use the design elements of your brand identity, such as the logo, brand colors, and fonts.
This is also a great opportunity to share the voice of your brand, using the right tone to highlight your message. If you want to learn more about email marketing, we share this email marketing guide .
Do you want to go one step further? Be sure to use a business email address so your emails look professional and speak to your brand identity in every detail.
Social networks
Regardless of the platforms you use, each channel offers a unique approach to communicating directly with your customers.
Social media also brings context, personality, and a sense of familiarity to your brand as customers interact with it on a daily basis.
The tone you set with the language and visuals you use on social media should constantly reinforce your brand identity.
A tweet, for example, can convey sincerity, humor, and closeness while taking brand identity into account.
By being present on the right platforms for your brand, you can effectively communicate your identity. F
or example, if your target audience spends time on TikTok, this is the place to be.
05. Measure success
You’ve worked hard to build a strong brand identity, now how can you measure success and, above all, maintain it?
We know that good branding is all about sentiment, and while you can’t directly measure perceived brand value, you can certainly monitor your brand through other metrics.
For starters, you can use Wix’s web analytics tool to better understand the behavior of your page visitors and make data-driven decisions to improve your online presence.
This is particularly important if you have an online store. Recognizing the impact that your brand identity and assets can have on conversions can help you think more strategically for future marketing or sales campaigns.
You can also take polls, check out forums, or browse comments and discussions on social media.
The more you see what people are saying about your brand, the more you’ll understand how they feel about it.
This is a fundamental aspect of managing your brand, and the steps you will take to preserve its reputation.
Brand management also means looking inward and making sure that your company’s culture and actions reflect your brand identity.
Brand Identity Examples
Airbnb
Whether it’s its adorable logo, easy-to-use interface, or honest brand message, Airbnb is a great example of a brand identity done right.
Founded in 2008, Airbnb started with a simple idea: let people open up their homes and couches to travelers.
The idea, which has obviously evolved along with the brand, led Airbnb to totally change the game in the lodging industry.
The company underwent a rebrand in 2017 when they realized that the true core of their business is much more than hosting – it’s a complete sense of belonging. They created their iconic “Belo” logo and as they explain on their blog :
“Of course, an identity is about more than symbols. So we’ve redesigned the entire Airbnb experience to better reflect the people who make up this community. Our shared vision of belonging is the common thread in every interaction with Airbnb. We’ve redesigned every user experience page on web and mobile, to bring our new identity to life. We now have a platform that reflects your feedback, and that can continue to grow as we continue to listen.”
The key to this example is the way Airbnb actually listens to its users. This was the catalyst for its evolution, which in turn made its brand closer, more authentic and, of course, successful.
LEGO
Founded in 1932 on the premise of imagination, fun, creativity and learning, LEGO is an example of a brand that has stood the test of time. From its brand name (created from two Danish words “leg godt”, meaning “play well”) to its mission: “Inspire and develop tomorrow’s builders”, the LEGO brand fully embodies its values, right down to every brick. of construction.
It’s not just the familiarity and reliability of your product, or the personal connection many of us have to this nostalgic yet modern toy, that maintains your momentum. The company has developed a strong feeling of trust in the brand and, in turn, loyalty to it. Every detail of their marketing efforts reinforces the core values at every level, which is palpable to any LEGO user, regardless of age.
The LEGO brand identity appeals to both young and old, perpetuating its brand mission.
Bumble
Launched in 2014, Bumble is a female-focused dating app that has dominated the market ever since it hit the scene.
Grounded in values like respect and responsibility, Bumble’s mission is to “create empowered connections in love, life and work. We promote responsibility, equality and kindness in an effort to end misogyny and rewrite the archaic gender roles. On Bumble, women always make the first move.”
From its optimistic color scheme to its onboarding process and user experience, Bumble’s brand identity is strong at every touch point. They continually reinforce her brand values and empower women to act decisively and unapologetic on their dates.
To further demonstrate the importance of their brand, they also have Bumble Brand Ambassadors , a collective and community-based “hive” initiative that holistically incorporates women seeking change, to spread the brand’s mission on a global scale. .
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