Front Creative NI – Belfast branding, graphic design and digital design specialist Front Creative NI – Belfast branding, graphic design and digital design specialist

Building a Brand Identity

Everything you need to know to stay in front

The terms “brand” and logo” are often used interchangeably. Although a logo can be the symbol of a business, it is not the entirety of a brand. In fact, creating a logo is just one small step toward developing a strong brand identity.
With millions, if not billions, of businesses trying to make a name for themselves, having a strong brand identity has become crucial for businesses to differentiate themselves from their competitors.

01. What is a brand identity

The terms “brand” and logo” are often used interchangeably. Although a logo can be the symbol of a business, it is not the entirety of a brand. In fact, creating a logo is just one small step toward developing a strong brand identity.

With millions, if not billions, of businesses trying to make a name for themselves, having a strong brand identity has become crucial for businesses to differentiate themselves from their competitors.

“Branding is what people say about you
when you’re not in the room.”

Jeff Bezos – CEO, Amazon

Brand Identity Example

When you hear the name Coca-Cola, you probably picture its well-known logo. Coca-Cola’s brand identity begins with a red logo in script text. The red colour elicits confidence in the person who drinks a Coke, while the script typeface is all about enjoyment. Coffee, for example, is marketed as a drink you have before work in the morning whilst Coca-Cola is a drink you enjoy when you’re done in the evening. This is a powerful statement.

That bottle

Coca-Cola prints its logo on a uniquely shaped bottle (it’s true, no other beverages have bottles exactly like it). This tells customers they’re not getting an imitation – this is the real thing. The brand develops credibility and trust this way.  Soon the bottle became more recognisable than the logo itself.

The feeling

The company has been sharing the feeling of ‘happiness’ from the very beginning of its advertising campaigns. The logo and the Coca-Cola slogan ‘delicious and refreshing’ were consistently used across all promotion.

Coca-Cola is very much associated with the Christmas season. For some, the Christmas season doesn’t begin until they see the red Coca-Cola truck with Santa Claus on their TV screen. Thanks to the whole Christmas campaign, the company associates itself with the ‘most wonderful time of the year’ which integrates perfectly with the branding strategy of sharing happiness.

02. Why Brand Identity is important

As the embodiment of almost everything your business is and does, a brand “lives and evolves in the minds and hearts” of consumers. Its identity, therefore, is crucial to the business’s future.

So, if your brand is more than just its logo, how can we replicate what brands like Coca-Cola have done? Here are three components of a well-developed brand identity, and why it’s so important for you to develop them.

Personality

For all intents and purposes, your brand's logo is the "face" of your business. But that face should do more than just look cool or interesting. It should have personality which sets the tone of your brand, and it can be used to evoke specific feelings in your audience. Your brand identity helps you to differentiate your business from the competition and appropriately position your brand.

Credibility and Trust

Having a brand identity doesn't just make your product or service more memorable; it makes your brand more authoritative in the marketplace. A brand that establishes a consistent 'face' and has a clear mission, develops credibility among its competitors and trust among its customers.

Build an audience

A brand identity - one with a face, trust, and a mission - attracts people who agree with what your brand has to offer. But once these people become customers, that same brand identity gives them a sense of belonging. A good product generates customers, but a good brand generates advocates.

03. The process

I feel it is important to have a good understanding of what a brand identity is and why it is important before we start the brand building journey together.

Brand Identity sits in the middle of the branding process. Below is an overview of my approach to the complete branding project…

Brand Strategy

The first step in creating a brand strategy. A brand strategy is “a plan for the systematic development of brand in alignment with a business strategy.”

- Brand market research

- Audience / Personas

- Competitor analysis

- Brand purpose, vision, mission & values

- Brand messaging - Personality, tagline, value proposition & messaging pillars

Download our Brand Strategy guide
Brand Identity

Once I know your business inside out, it is time to bring the brand to life. Here are some things we will be working on:

- Logo

- Colour

- Typography

- Imagery (photography & illustration)

- Hierachy

- Iconography

- Data visualisation

- Video & motion

- Examples

Brand Integration

Now that we've established a brand strategy and designed a brand identity, you're ready to introduce your brand to your audience. One of the most successful ways to accomplish this is for your brand to provide quality content e.g. content that educates, informs or entertains have proven to be most sucessful. We will cover a range of methods to get your brand noticed including:

- Online presence

- Content creation

- Storytelling

- Advertising

- Social Media

04. Case Studies

See below some of my recent brand identity projects.

Zym

Rooste Coffee

Zymplify

Ready to discuss your brand?

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