Developing a Strong and Unique Brand Identity: Here’s What It Takes

Arun Pillai, April 16, 2021

Although the terms ‘brand’ and ‘company’ are often used interchangeably, they are, in fact, two different concepts. When we use the word ‘brand’, we refer to a recognizable feeling that a product, business, or organization evokes. Thus, a brand is not a physical entity but something that lives in the minds of the customers and anyone else associated with it.

Branding has the power of grabbing a customer’s attention and transforming first-time buyers into lifelong customers.

While your brand is a set of perceptions that people have about your company, branding is the set of actions you take to cultivate those perceptions. Now, let us talk about a third concept: brand identity and how it can help you set yourself apart and create an impression on your customers.

What is Brand Identity?

When we use the term identity, we generally refer to a quality that makes a brand unique and helps it stand apart. Brand identity helps create a positive image for your brand in the mind of your potential customers. Thus, a strong brand identity must be instantly recognizable and should convey your brand’s message efficiently.

Brand identity is more than just a logo and consists of various elements that collectively portray the company’s culture, purpose, vision, and personality. These elements define a brand’s unique position amidst competition and give it a voice to communicate with the target audience.

What Makes Brand Identity Essential to Modern Business?

As mentioned before, a recognizable brand identity helps spark a connection with your customers and differentiate your brand from competitors. For a business, having a strong brand identity and online presence go hand in hand as creating brand awareness is crucial for starting up as well as expansion.

Successful brands spend millions of dollars every year to create a unique brand identity as it affects their sales directly. Be it Apple, Amazon, Pepsi, or Nike, people easily recognize these brands based on their brand identity design.

Maintaining a brand’s identity requires a few visual elements to remain consistent throughout the various branding processes. For instance, Coca-Cola’s brand identity has stood the test of time, and while the company keeps updating it, the bright red and white colors are incredibly memorable.

Starter Toolkit to Building a Unique Brand Identity

Are you wondering what goes into creating an influential and recognizable brand identity? Here is what it takes to get started:

• Define Brand’s Purpose

Before you start building your brand identity, it is vital to understand your brand’s purpose. You must figure out why your brand exists and what it means to your customers to design your style guide.

Understanding your brand’s purpose is the first step towards finding your brand’s personality and unique selling point. Think of it this way; your brand’s purpose is how you can leave an impact and change the world for the better through it.

• Conduct Market Research

Understanding the target market is a crucial step for any brand. There are multiple methods to conduct market research, such as online surveys and telephone interviews. The process of market research helps you understand the cultural demands and buyer personas. It also helps you define your target customer base. Hence, you can finally conjure your brand’s personality in a way that is appealing to your potential customers.

• Design a Memorable Logo

When you think of your favorite brands, one of the first things that pop up in your mind is their logo. A logo is a symbol that customers instantly associate your brand with. While designing the logo, keep in mind that it must be easy to remember and versatile to be used for various advertising mediums.

Large companies like Google and Netflix have minimalistic logos that capture the essence of their brands and are in accordance with their user-friendly approach. Think of your logo as an empty canvas that your audience can fill with their own positive experience.

• Create a Colour Palette

The next step towards creating a consistent brand experience is to have an attractive color palette and professional typography. Remember that color psychology plays an important role and can be used to your advantage to generate certain emotions in people when they look at your brand identity design.

For example, bright colors like red, yellow, and orange express high energy and passion, while green and blue create a happy and serene effect. White can convey a sense of tranquillity, and a darker blue can convey trust and discipline, which is why many financial institutions use it.

• Choose Professional Typography

While looking for the right font, know that fonts are a significant aspect of visual brand design. The font should not only work well with your chosen color palette but also with the logo. Make sure to keep the font simple, just like the other elements. Remember, a neat font is better than fancy fonts that might look messy on different mediums.

Set easy-to-read font size and line length, and you can capitalize in places to show emphasis. While consistency always pays off in brand identity, you can break a few rules when needed.

And, It’s a Wrap!

As you can see, developing a brand identity is often a continuous process as you must update your brand design after a certain period to stay relevant and active. Begin by taking inspiration from successful brands. Doing this can help you come up with new ideas to create a compelling brand identity.

And, in the end, always remember, the primary purpose of brand identity is to enable a brand to have a voice and recall value in its customers’ minds.