Your brand identity is a short-hand way of describing what it is that makes your business unique.
The brand identity is the foundation of a company because it creates an emotional connection between the company’s products and services and its customers.
The main elements of brand identity are; A name that represents the company and differentiates it from competitors; a logo that represents the company and helps define corporate style; icons that represent the company, including a mascot, trademark and product line; colours, fonts and style guides (sizes and styles of things like shirts); and packaging that reflects the core values of the company.
The first step in creating a brand identity is deciding what your core values are and what makes your brand special. You can think of it as a personality test for your company, or you can just come up with some ideas about what it means to be your company.
Some examples of core values include creativity, innovation, empathy, sustainability, community, authenticity, community spirit, excellence…
It can be difficult to define your brand because there are so many different areas in which it can exist — your product, service, process and so on are all part of the equation. But there are a few key components:
Your brand story. This is the reason people buy from you over someone else or choose to do business with you at all. Your story should be compelling, inspirational and consistent with the values of your business. Make sure it includes a unique twist that sets you apart from the competition.
Your brand promise. What does your brand promise? Is it quality? Price? Service? Value? The answers to these questions can be found in your corporate mission statement, but branding involves more than just words on paper. Your vision must permeate every aspect of your business, from how you communicate with customers to how you operate internally.
For me, at the core of a brand identity is the desire to innovate, to respond to trends and cultural movements, and perhaps most importantly, to connect with your target audience. Every good brand identity has a different story to tell, but they all begin with that same basic idea: innovation. By looking at examples of successful brand identities (and ones that aren’t), we feel that you’ll be able to understand what makes for a quality brand identity.
