What is Brand Identity?

Brand identity is the visual elements that make up a brand. So the color palette, the logo(s), the fonts they use, and the overall visual look and feel of the brand.

When we talk about a brand, there are different components that make up the entirety of the brand. The brand identity, the brand or marketing strategy, the company values, and the products or services the company offers all make up the brand.

Most people hear the word branding and automatically think of a logo but that’s only one piece of what identifies the brand in a consumers' mind.

RELATED: Your Brand Identity is More Than Just a Logo

Where to start with brand identity design.

When crafting a brand identity you want to start with the strategy. This is important because say maybe you want to make everything in your brand to be pink because that’s your favorite color. But if you own an apothecary business that is specifically targeting a dark, gothic audience then making everything pink would be a bad idea for the brand and attract the wrong target audience. Attracting the wrong audience could result in very low to no sales at all.

Starting off your business on the wrong foot by not building a solid strategy is going to really affect not only your revenue but also your audience/community. Doing that key marketing research and knowing your target audience, competitor analysis, ideal client avatar, why they want and need your offer, what your goals are, and who your personality is as a business is the first step in crafting a strong foundation for your brand identity.

Think of yourself as the brand, your unique fashion style as your brand identity, and your friends and the people you surround yourself with as your loyal customers/clients. It’s often said that you are a direct reflection of your 5 closest friends/family. I think the same can be said for your brand and your business.

So you want to make sure that all of the necessary strategy and research is solid because you want to attract customers/clients that embody the same values that you do as a business and you also want to stand out as a strong competitor in your industry.

RELATED: The Importance of Branding in Small business

Brand identity is the fun part! 

Now that you figured out your strategy or your personality and values as a business, it’s time for the fun stuff. Or at least for me, it’s the fun part. Crafting your unique visual story behind your business. A.K.A. your logo, color palette, fonts, patterns, and icons (if applicable). All of these elements are what define your brand identity.

RELATED: Beautiful Brand Identity Examples to Inspire You

Why brand identity is important.

But now that I’ve explained what brand identity is, you may be left wondering why brand identity should be important to you. 

So earlier I maade the example of using pink for a gothic apothecary. Well let’s take that example further and say that they went with it. They loved pink and didn’t care about it not really matching the brand, being controversial and anti-design is in right now, right? Maybe not in this case. 

So the apothecary is making sales, they have custoimers off and on that are supporting their business. The customers think the products they sell are unique and occasionally shop their store. Since the business is staying afloat and making sales, they decide to launch a new product. They are so excited to sell, they’ve been posting on social media, marketing to their audience. But come launch day, crickets. No one buys. They look at their insights and analytics and they notice a huge gap in their numbers and conversions. The culprit? Not having an engaged and active audience ready to buy. 

They go back to the drawing board, hire an expert in business and marketing that tells them there is a disconnect in their messaging and visual branding (i.e. brand identity). 

This is why brand identity is so important! Avoid the disconnect and lost revenue by building a solid strategy that is backed by a strong visual brand. 

Curious if there is a disconnect between your messaging and brand identity? 

I have a freebie that is the perfect place to start. It is a 6-page workbook all about your brand strategy and how to do your own audit on your business to find out if there is a disconnect that could be costing you $$$$. And if you need an extra set of eyes after you’ve completed the free workbook, join my waitlist to book a brand audit & strategy session with me!