If you have just begun your venture and are out of ideas about how you can boost your company’s brand identity, this article is for you. Not only are we going to take a look at the elements that are essential for brand identity, but we will also explore some of the best practices that can help you get started.
Understand your brand
No matter the domain and the scale of your business, one of the foremost things you should have figured out is the purpose, vision, and mission of your company. Once you have a clear understanding of that, it will help you come up with a brand story and identity.
Why is that necessary?
The success of your business depends on your audience, and to align with their needs and demands, you need a proper strategy, persona, and brand archetype in place.
As Kezia Israel, a LinkedIn Top Voice, says, “Brand identity combines verbal and visual components. There’s an element of reciprocity between the two. I need verbal to hear you. I need visuals to see you. How closely they complement each other determines how impactful and memorable you will be.”
A good way to understand your company or brand is by utilising Dénénodji M’Bondjim’s framework. According to him, you can start with
- Create a brand playlist in which you add songs and artists that you believe go best with your brand’s image or capture it well.
- The next step is picking an animal spirit whose traits match your brand’s traits.
- Pick a country with which you associate your brand. As Dénénodji says, “Envision your brand as a country to identify cultural cues.”
Choose the elements for the brand identity
When it comes to creating a brand identity, there are a lot of elements that one needs to focus on to create a visual identity that is coherent. Some of the elements that a founder needs to have clarity on are the logo of the brand, the typography, the brand’s colour palette, the icons, the style guide, and the patterns that are aligned with the brand. It’s important to remember that each of these elements should make sense together and reflect the brand’s identity.
If you have been having difficulty figuring out the elements, you can always get in touch with a professional for consultation or conduct a survey on how the target audience and the customers see you. Sasa Spasic, a brand architect, says,
“Clear, simple and memorable design always wins, as the minimal and authentic choice of elements and colors. Please don’t complicate things, make it easy to remember and simplify everything!”
You have figured out the elements, but now what? The next step is to make sure that the elements that form your brand identity are unique.
Sasa says,
“Brand distinctiveness is essential for building a memorable brand. By creating and investing in distinctive brand assets, you can increase your brand’s salience and not only differentiate but also protect it from competitors.”
Be unique
One thing every founder must understand is that you will seldom be the only player in your market. As a result, you need to make sure that your brand identity is unique among other competitors in the market so that your audience and customers remember you for who you are. One way to make sure that your brand identity comes across as unique is to steer clear of clichés and borrowed ideas. Brands most often use storytelling, emotions, and memes to achieve this.
Some of the things you can do, according to Suraj Sharma, Linkedin Top Voice: Brand Development, are:
- Define a unique value proposition.
- Maintain high-quality products or services.
- Focus on exceptional customer experiences.
- Craft compelling brand stories.
- Ensure visual and messaging consistency.
- Stay informed about industry trends.
- Embrace authenticity and transparency.
- Engage with a loyal community.
- Collaborate with influencers when relevant.
- Adapt to changing market dynamics.
Bottomline:
It must be noted that building a brand identity is supposed to be an ongoing process; it’s not something that you only do once and revisit years later. This is why it’s crucial to assess the brand identity’s alignment with your brand’s goals, using feedback, analytics, and research to gauge real-world performance. Adapt and refine as needed, ensuring your brand identity evolves alongside your brand’s growth. Lastly, you must remember that crafting a brand identity for your brand extends beyond aesthetics; it involves maintaining consistency across all platforms.
Align your design with your brand’s strategy, message, and voice. Ensure a uniform application across various touchpoints—website, social media, marketing materials, and packaging. Tools like style guides, brand manuals, or brand kits can document and standardize your brand identity, fostering consistency.
Read more: A Comprehensive Guide under the Companies Act, 2013
