Despite what many people might think, brand identity is much more than just a company name and a logo. Brand identity is the entire story of your brand and telling that story successfully is no simple feat. With lots of other businesses out there, having a strong brand identity has never been more important. Stay with us and read on to find some of the great reasons on why it matters.
What is Brand Identity?
In the same way you have your own personal identity that makes you unique to anyone else in the world, your brand requires the same to allow it to stand out against competitors. The strongest brand identities are those that are instantly recognisable.
Take Coca Cola for instance: from the font and colours of their logo, to the sound of the fizz from the advert to the silhouette of the glass bottle on the shelves, these small yet significant details are entirely responsible for making them one of the most successful corporations in the world.
The elements to your brand identity can stem from almost anywhere; from your tagline or slogan, to the colours and graphic styles you use on your website to the voice and tone of your print content. All of these elements should help conjure up associations in the minds of your audience of positivity, success and happiness.
They should express your long-term goals, your competition position in the market and your values and interests in your target audience, and ultimately, they need to be honest and consistent.
Why is Brand Identity Important?
1. Personality
Brand identity is a visual reputation of your company values and it should be used to create specific feelings within your audience. By using techniques like upbeat language, bright colours and clever word play, you are likely to evoke feelings of happiness and positivity which is then reflected back into the quality of service your brand will provide.
2. Consistency
A consistent brand identity is a strong one. If your website, leaflet, and business card are all mismatched, how is a customer going to recognise your branding? Keep a consistent design across the board using cohesive brand packaging, website design and print design. This will allow customers to easily recognise and remember you.
3. Credibility and Trust
The more a customer is exposed to your brand identity and the more they associate it with feelings of positivity and satisfaction, the more credibility and trust you will gain from them. And a customer that trusts a brand is more likely to recommend them and come back for more.
4. Differentiation
A strong brand identity will immediately help you stand out from competitors. If your brand identity reflects the quality of your services successfully then a customer is much more likely to choose you over a brand that has a poorly designed website or a dull-looking brochure.
5. Experience and Reliability
Once you have succeeded in creating a strong brand identity, customers will immediately see an established business that has been around long enough to become well-known. A business with a history is one with experience and customers are more likely to have trust and faith in your services.
How to Develop Your Brand Identity
Now that you understand the importance of a strong brand identity, you are probably wondering how you can achieve your own. To start, it’s essential you sit down and truly get to know the brand you are representing. You should have a detailed plan that outlines exactly what your brand is, its mission statement, its personality, beliefs, and its values before you even begin deciding on its tagline or logo.
If you already have a brand identity, it is always worth re-examining it to see how it might be crafted or tweaked to align with your future goals.
Since building a brand identity is all about differentiation, it is essential that you research your competitors and find a way to make your brand unique and relevant to the industry. Without doing this, it will be incredibly easy for you to blend in with everyone else.
We also highly recommend braining storming with visuals and take some of that text-based information you have gained and translate it into visual concepts. From there, the ball is likely to start rolling on its own, just remember to remain consistent and stay educated on all the latest recourses and technology.
For further help developing your brand identity, Print Stafford provide a comprehensive selection of printing services with full corporate branding and logo design including brochures, business stationery, advertising, catalogues, folded leaflets and more.