In simpler terms, brand identity is how a company presents itself to its consumers through its distinct visible elements. These elements include the logo, brand name, color, design, etc. Brand identity is different from the brand image. The latter is the perception that a brand consequentially builds in a customer’s mind because of the brand identity. A sharp brand image is the result of a winning brand identity.
Producing a sound brand character develops trust and confidence within the consumers. It helps the customers bond better with your brand and creates life-long relations. That is crucial since sustaining a successful business is all about establishing a deep-rooted relationship with your consumers.
But how do we pull off a strong brand identity? What are some of the essential elements to keep in mind when plotting a brand strategy? To answer these for you, we have listed seven essential items that an ace brand identity should have!
- Eye-Catching Logo
How many brands can you recognize by just seeing the logo? Probably a handful of them. Some brands have created such an impact in our minds that their logos are etched in our brains. Let us take the example of the food chain, McDonald’s. You might see a rounded, yellow’ and think of a yummy, juicy beef burger. That is because of the affiliation the brand identity of the food chain has made with its customers. We see the logo, and immediately the brand pops up in our mind.
Once you set up your business idea, you will need to get a logo for yourself. It has often created by a graphic designer based on your business principles and concepts. The logo should have an imprint of your primary business philosophy. It is what your customers will identify you with, which means it holds significant value.
You can look into the free guide offered by graphic design Darwin to look at how a graphic designer can add some oomph to your brand identity.
2. The Brand Name
It’s not a brainer that your product would need a brand name. Each product requires a distinguished name. It is also what your customers would recognize you with that. Often, your brand name can itself turn into a logo, as in the case of the very famous coke brand, Coca-Cola.
The selection of a brand name and logo has usually backed with a theme and idea that the business follows. It will occasionally also linked with the nature of the product you are selling. Choosing a brand name is one of the initial milestones and holds value since this is what your customers would recognize you with once you go live.
3. Tag Line
‘Just do it’ can easily be remembered as the most famous Nike punchline. A tagline, along with the name and logo, is one of the most prominent things. Here is what people remember in the long run. Tag lines can change, but often, businesses rarely change impactful punchlines. Once you decide a tagline, you need to be entirely sure of the message you put across.
4. The Design Color Palette
A lot of your branding will also involve color selections. Once you establish a strong brand identity, customers can relate you with the color of your brand. For example, blue and red can be associated strongly with the brand, Pepsi, such as red can be associated with Coca-Cola.
Color psychology also plays a vital part in your choice of colors. Brand identity is all about creating a perception in the consumer’s mind. Therefore, the right colors will create the appropriate brand experience. Knowing the emotions that are attached to each color will help you in a well-thought-out selection. For example, yellow is known to link to cheerfulness, whereas red is the color of love. You will have to decide your brand’s kind of personality and then find the most suitable color palette. Furthermore, it would help if you also made sure that the color selection is simple and straightforward. A simple choice of one to three primary colors is said to be most suitable.
5. Brand Personality
A brand is not just the product, its name, logo, tagline, etc. It is a whole personality that the consumers will feel when they interact with your brand. So, let’s say you are planning to launch a kid’s mango drink. What kind of personality do you want your brand to have? Since it is a kid’s beverage, you will most probably aim to express fun, play, and tastiness. You will have to target at engaging the children, who are the consumers, through your brand identity. The brand personality is also going to have a massive impact on the kind of tone you use in your marketing and other communication material.
6. The Identifying Feature
Every brand builds on the idea that it has something unique and different to offer its consumers. This concept, in business terms, is known as the Unique Selling Proposition (USP). It is one factor that you believe will make your consumers choose you rather than your competitors. When propagating your brand identity, you need to make this USP a part of your campaign. A USP need not necessarily be something too complicated. It can be something as simple as your juice is 100% natural and free from preservatives.
7. Market Research
Since creating a strong brand presence in all about bonding with the people emotionally, you need to be well aware of the potential reactions. Thorough market research and studying the existing branding strategies will give you an idea regarding how to position your brand. One useful way to analyze consumer perceptions is to perform surveys. Online surveys can efficiently be conducted without much of a hassle and incurring hefty costs. But they give you a deep insight into how you can expect your consumers to react.
Conclusion
Devising a strong brand identity is an essential facet of an effective marketing strategy. Consumers interact with brands they think well about, which means a compelling brand identity is critical to a prosperous business.