eBusiness Weekly
Leslie Mupeti
A brand identity is how a brand separates itself from every Tom, Dick and Harry. It is the collection of all the elements that a company creates to portray the right image to its consumers.
A brand identity are the tangible elements which set you apart from everyone else. For example, if you want to build an image as a rapper, you get yourself a gold chain, a pair of fancy kicks and probably a diamond ring. These tangible elements: the gold chain, the kicks and the ring are the brand identity.
A brand identity is what makes you instantly recognisable to your customers.
To develop a strong brand identity, you have to know who you are, your “why?”, your values, your USP and your brand voice. A strong brand identity can make your customers perceive your products and services as higher quality. This will empower you to enjoy a price premium and to build a loyal customer relationship.
Creating a brand identity package ensures that your brand is at the fore front of all your marketing materials which helps to increase brand awareness. The more places your brand is featured, the more contact it will make with consumers and the more memorable it will be.
You don’t want to design brands that only appeal visually, you want them to influence perceptions and buying decisions. Graphic designers are everywhere and it is not difficult to find someone who can put together something for you.
The logo is a very small part of a brand identity system and the brand identity is in fact an ecosystem where you have multiple elements working together within this ecosystem.
If you’re able to identify these elements and design them with some strategic thinking involved, then you can design a brand identity system which can influence the minds of your target market.
The role of the brand identity system is to appeal visually and quickly assign meaning for the audience on what the brand is all about. That visual appeal is on every single touch point of that brand that the audience interacts with.
It’s on websites, business cards, brochures, the interior design, UI/UX design and anything that can be seen visually. In order for a brand identity system to function effectively, it needs to communicate certain characteristics and those characteristics are key and are determined within the brand strategy itself as to how the brand will resonate with that audience.
The eight brand identity elements:
- Logo
The word logo has become synonyms with brand.
Most people think that a logo is a brand but a logo is much more than that.
A logo plays an important role in appealing to who the audience is. The appeal sets the tone on how the brand will be experienced by the audience.
- Typography
It sets the style of the brand.
You can either use pre-existing fonts or you can design your own fonts. You need to align to the characteristics of that brand that have already been determined in the brand strategy.
Identify the font which perfectly identifies with these characteristics. It’s like matching like for like.
- Colour palette
The colour palette sets the mood of the brand.
Colour has the ability to influence our mood. We assign meanings to things based on colour because we associate that meaning with that colour. For example, we know that water is cool and that fire is hot. So there are some psychological connotations when it comes to colour.
So it’s very important to identify our goals in the brand strategy and pick colours that readily resonate with our target audience.
- Patterns
Patterns can be used effectively in a brand identity system.
They can be used in a variety of environments and can provide a little bit of texture. Patterns allow you to fill blank spaces and can be used throughout the brand experience.
For example, in fashion when you see a particular pattern you can easily identify it to a certain company without actually seeing the logo.
Using patterns throughout your brand experience will actually help your customers to identify and fully familiarise themselves with your brand.
- Image/photography style
It has the ability to set the mood, set the tone and evoke emotions. The right image at the right place at the right time can evoke emotions in an audience.
The right designer can help you come up with an image style that is fully aligned to your brand strategy and the characteristics and emotions you want your audience to feel.
What emotions do you want your audience to feel? What characteristics to you want to be aligned to your brand? Make sure that they’re designed into your image and photography style.
- Graphics and Iconography
These are the most flexible tools in brand identity design.
You can use them anywhere from your websites, apps, packaging or way finding signs.
Iconography contributes to the overall brand experience. For example, when you see a generic icon used on a sign telling you where to go in a building it is less effective than an icon which is part of the brand identity system.
This all boils down to attention to detail.
- Illustrations
These are not for every brand. Most brands usually have a unique illustration style or a unique image style. It’s rare to see brands which have both.
Illustrations are a growing trend especially in the tech sector. If illustrations align with the characteristics of your audience, then go ahead and use them. It depends on the image that you want to project to your audience.
- Grid style
The grid style allows you to have a consistency to the information that you display on all touch points.
It’s important to achieve this consistency to avoid haphazardness since there is a lot of information that brands have to display.
Leslie Mupeti is a graphic designer and brand strategy expert. He can be contacted on +263 785 324 230 or [email protected] for feedback. His Twitter and Facebook handle is @lesmupeti
