By Ayishat Olanrewaju
Do you often hear about brand identity but don’t know what it is about?
Simply put, your brand identity is how your audience identifies your brand from other brands. It comprises of those tangible and intangible things that uniquely sets your brand apart. It is the summation of how your brand looks, speaks, and feels to your target audience.
Some people mistake brand identity for the logo. Your logo is just part of your brand identity.
Think about some of your favourite brands in the world, one of the first things that come to your mind is their brand identity – this is how you identify them.
How do you come up with a great brand identity? Here are some tips for you:
- Understand what your brand is about: Take out time to brainstorm with your team about what your brand is about and what it stands for. Understanding your brand values, mission, and vision is important to creating a great brand identity
- Research: Research is important for coming up with a great brand identity. Once you find out and come to terms with what your brand stands for, you need to research the right elements to go with it. For instance, if part of your corporate values is trust, you need to research a colour that symbolizes that, e.g colour blue.
Your brand identity is comprised of:
- Brand name: Your brand name is a name that adequately identifies a brand. It should be memorable, recognizable, and unique to your brand. You need to choose a brand name that people can easily remember your brand with – that is the goal.
- Logo: Your logo is a visual representation of your brand. In some quarters, it has been argued that logos don’t necessarily have to communicate a message, they just need to create a visual representation of a brand unique to the brand. However, most people believe that logos need to communicate a message.
- Iconography or wordmark: You also need to invest in an iconography or a wordmark to support your logo. Simply put, your iconography is just an icon that symbolizes your brand. However, a wordmark is a text without an icon.
- Brand colours: You communicate a whole lot of things through your brand colours. Your brand colours have a lot to do with telling us about your industry. For instance, colours like yellow and orange are used in the creative and educational space. You need to have the main colour and then complementary colours.
- Brand typography: Have you noticed that some products that are made for children have a special kind of font type than products made for adults? Your brand typography speaks to those you are trying to communicate with. The kind of fonts your brand would use as a luxury brand will be totally different from that of an educational brand.
- Tagline/Slogan: This is simply a catchphrase or slogan that goes with your brand. It reiterates your brand’s essence. For instance, we all know Nike’s famous slogan – “Just do it”.
- Graphics: The graphical elements you use in your branding is also important. It sets the tone and develops the mood for your brand. You need to invest in quality graphics that suits what your brand stands for.
- Texture/Pattern: Your brand texture and pattern can help you create a strong brand recognition by accentuating the other elements of your brand design, such as your logo and brand colours. For instance, they can be used as backgrounds for texts online, announcements, product packaging, etc.
- Brand tone: How do you want your brand to sound? Do you want to sound helpful, reassuring, friendly, etc.? If you notice, some brands are very playful and you can easily get that vibe through their messages online.
- Shape and form: These are the shape and form that represent your brand, e.g circles, sharp edges, etc. They help in making the look of your design more cohesive. For instance, round shapes communicate a feeling of togetherness and community.
So guys, have you discovered your brand identity?
