If pictures are worth a thousand words then the imagery and design associated with your brand are worth more than any advertisement or sales letter.
Your fonts, imagery, logo, design choices, and messaging all come together to create your brand identity.
A memorable brand builds authority, trust, and relationships through strategic branding across all channels, content, and products.
Your brand needs a brand guide (see our help hub for info). It’s a document that your marketing team uses to guide advertising, website design, and your overall branding.
Your brand guide should at a minimum include four elements of brand identity:
- Color palette and logo with acceptable use examples.
- Typography. This is the font, font sizes, and use examples.
- Messaging. Your core headlines, value propositions, and taglines.
Explore Samples of Brand Identity
Starting With A Brand Guide
This is a document that guides all design decisions within your company. If you want to be memorable, then you need consistency. That’s a consistent message and brand identity across ads, social platforms, email marketing, and web design.
If you don’t have a brand guide but are starting into web design, you might have the cart before the horse.
And a brand guide doesn’t need to be complex. A simple 2-4 page document showcasing your color palette, your typography, key messaging, and logo variations will suffice.
Brand identity is the manner in which your business or brand expresses itself visually and verbally. It includes all the visual, auditory, and design elements of advertising, product design, and public relations.
Also known as a style guide, a brand guide is a document that outlines the imagery, logos, color palettes, typography, and core messaging of your brand. It usually provides sample images, designs, patterns, social posts, landing pages, and business cards. It’s an irreplaceable tool for your marketing strategy.
Start with a brand guide that expresses the way you want our customers to think and feel when they see/hear your brand. Think of your brand values and how you communicate them through your services and products. Then use design features and sonic branding to match.
Tips for Creating a Strong Brand Identity
Elegant simplicity is key. Less is more when it comes to brand identity.
Know your audience. Who are you trying to reach with your brand? What are their needs and wants? What kind of language and imagery will resonate with them? Once you understand your audience, you can start to create a brand identity that speaks to them.
Be consistent. Your brand identity should be consistent across all channels, from your website and social media to your marketing materials and product packaging. This will help to build brand recognition and trust.
Use strong visuals. Your logo, typography, and imagery are all important elements of your brand identity. They should be visually appealing and memorable.
Choose the right colors. Colors can evoke certain emotions and associations, so it’s important to choose colors that are aligned with your brand’s personality. For example, a brand that wants to be seen as trustworthy might use blues and greens, while a brand that wants to be seen as creative might use oranges and yellows.
Use a clear and concise tagline. Your tagline should be a short, memorable phrase that summarizes your brand’s promise. It should be easy to remember and should be used consistently across all of your marketing materials.
Be authentic. Your brand identity should be an authentic reflection of your company’s values and mission. People can spot a fake a mile away, so it’s important to be genuine in your branding.
Be adaptable. Your brand identity should be flexible enough to evolve over time. As your company grows and changes, so should your brand identity.
9 Steps a Small Business Can Build Brand Identity
A strong brand identity is essential for any small business that wants to succeed. It helps to differentiate your business from the competition, build trust with customers, and create a sense of loyalty. Here are some tips on how to build a strong brand identity for your small business:
Start with a strong foundation. What are your core values? What do you stand for? What makes your business unique? Once you have a clear understanding of your brand’s foundation, you can start to build the rest of your identity around it.
Define your target audience. Who are you trying to reach with your brand? What are their needs and wants? Once you know who your target audience is, you can tailor your brand identity to appeal to them.
Create a consistent brand experience. Your brand identity should be consistent across all channels, from your website and social media to your marketing materials and product packaging. This will help to build brand recognition and trust.
Use strong visuals. Your logo, typography, and imagery are all important elements of your brand identity. They should be visually appealing and memorable.
Choose the right colors. Colors can evoke certain emotions and associations, so it’s important to choose colors that are aligned with your brand’s personality. For example, a brand that wants to be seen as trustworthy might use blues and greens, while a brand that wants to be seen as creative might use oranges and yellows.
Streamline your brand messaging. Your tagline should be a short, memorable phrase that summarizes your brand’s promise. Create easy-to-remember brand promises that separate you from your competition.
Have a brand strategy. Similar to an SEO strategy, but it’s larger. Your brand identity is not just a design you create. It’s a strategy you implement. It includes everything from competitor analyses, competitive positioning, content marketing, media distribution, and advertising.
Be consistent. Once you’ve established your brand identity, it’s important to be consistent with it. This means using the same colors, fonts, and imagery across all of your marketing materials and branding assets.
Analyze and adjust. Building a strong brand identity takes time and effort. Don’t expect to see results overnight. Just keep working at it and eventually, you’ll see your brand start to take off. Analyze your data, monitor your audience engagement, track your competition, and make adjustments.
Need Help Getting Started With Your Brand Identity?
Contact us to develop or revise your brand guide to align with your marketing objectives!