What Exactly is Brand Identity?
I know you see me talk alot about brand identity (it’s literally all over my website ), and you are probably wondering….What exactly is it??? You would think, the terms brand, branding and brand identity would kinda have the same definition….. but the truth is they don’t 😱. Confusing? I know . Let’s take a minute to dissect these words.
Let's start with the foundation: BRAND
A brand is more than just a logo. It’s what people think about, and it’s everything a company embodies. Everything you do is projected through your brand. How you communicate with someone is your brand. The cleanliness of a building is your brand. The quality fabric in clothing is your brand. By now, you should get where I’m going with this.
Think of your favorite brand name clothing from the 90’s or the early 2000’s. I’m talking about the clothes we used to wear back when we were in grade school. If you were like me, it was definitely Baby Phat. Guys, I’m going to assume Rocawear lol (at least it was at my school). Why? Even though multiple people wore the brands, they made you feel like you were the fliest person in school. The clothes made you feel good about yourself, and they brought a new level of confidence every time you wore them. At the same time, we have to remember our parents didn’t continue to buy us these brands because we thought we looked fly, and we were keeping up with the latest trend. They more than likely bought the clothes because of their quality. The quality of your work is essential. I know my mom wouldn’t buying me anything that would get ruined after one wash 😂.
A brand is simply the entire package. It’s everything you see and have to offer. This includes your vision, your values, your history, your quality of service, your products….basically it's anything about your company where people feel like they can relate. Look for ways to emotionally connect to your audience. If done correctly, they’ll only speak HIGHLY of you 🤗
On to BRANDING
Think of branding as the mastermind behind the scenes. It is the process of getting yourself out there in order to be noticed. Branding is simply how you make your company memorable. Think of how we recognize a brand by the look or sound of something. Take Goldfish for an example. When we hear that catchy jingle “The snack that smiles back” what do we yell out afterwards? GOLDFISH 🐡🐟🐠 (Apple’s slacking on the goldfish emoji)
Lastly my favorite, BRAND IDENTITY (this is the fun one 😊)
If you can see it or touch it, its brand identity. Plain and simple, something tangible. Digging deeper, it's a collection of elements such as a color pallet, shape, typography, or design to create one big image. This “big image” is then used for product and promotional purposes. That's where I come in as the Designer to create things like logos, business cards, flyers, billboards, posters, websites, instagram pages, etc. You tell me what you want, and I'll make it look BRAND-tastic (I couldn’t pass that up 😌)...but, on a serious note, you won’t be disappointed!
