When you see the Spotify logo, what comes to mind? Playfulness, fun, versatility, and zest for life! What about Coca-Cola? For me, that depicts the power of emotional branding. Many brands worldwide have used branding and visual identity so effectively that they strike consumers’ recognition cords whenever they encounter them, even if their names are nowhere in sight.
Branding is creating a distinct identity for your business or product. On the other hand, visual identity is the visual representation of your brand, from the logo and colour choices to icons that differentiate you. A good visual identity makes you recognisable anywhere. It is the silent ambassador of your brand.
Why is branding important?
The importance of branding is like walking into a coffee shop and instantly recognizing the aroma – before even seeing the logo.
Let me make this personal. Imagine launching a startup – an eco-friendly skincare line without clear branding and identity. Your brand will be just another skincare product.
Now, let’s say you decide to refine this brand, give it some earthy tones, a mission-driven story, and a memorable slogan that makes customers feel the connection.
What do you think would be the result? Your products will move from being just lotions to becoming a lifestyle. Branding isn’t just about looking good – it’s about making people feel something and keeping them coming back.
77% of consumers make purchase decisions based on a brand name. From our experience here at Pandora Agency Limited, business owners from different industries prioritise branding and visual identity, including professional services, e-commerce, and SaaS.
Specifically, when asked what topic they would love to see more from us, most website visitors who downloaded our free brand guidelines template from December 2024 to February indicated branding and visual identity.
We sincerely understand how important this is, so we dedicate this time to breaking it down. You’ll agree that branding and visual identity are hard to crack with so many things locked together. However, we’ve taken a handful of chunks to get you going.
What is Branding from a Business perspective?
Branding can be defined as a business’s unique identity that creates a strong perception of what it does, its products, and its services. What do we mean by the term strong perception?
Perception is how people view your brand, what they think of your business, and what they say about you. Brands like Chanel, Dior and Gucci are associated with luxury, while brands like Apple have built an identity on innovation, simplicity, and premium quality.
When people have a strong perception of your brand, that means your brand has created an indelible identity that is easily recognisable, memorable, and identifiable.
So, what is your business’s unique identity? What do you want to be known for? Classy, elegant, and simple? Authoritative, bold, and daring? Original, traditional, or homegrown?
These are just some examples of what can inspire your unique identity. For a detailed rundown, here are seven key elements for building a strong brand identity.
In that article, we explained that you need to focus on key elements like your brand’s purpose, mission, and values to achieve your business goals and build a loyal customer base. These elements help your target audience understand your story, your purpose, and what you do.
Additionally, your brand voice is crucial for connecting with your audience, while your brand personality defines what you want your brand to be known for.
By emphasising these elements, your brand can become more recognisable, build a strong reputation, attract more customers, and convert them into sales.
Importance of branding
- Branding improves customer loyalty. If I’ve bought your product before and love it but can’t remember your brand, then the possibility of a repeat purchase is undermined.
- It increases the value consumers attach to your business. Your message and brand stories can all contribute to this value. Some brands have built a premium quality and class reputation, and their products are highly rated and priced.
- Strategic branding helps your business establish trust and credibility. It includes storytelling, which connects with consumers personally and shows authenticity, which builds confidence and credibility.
- It sets your brand apart from your competitors. This is obvious! Nike always stands out with its swoosh logo and “just do it” tagline.
What is a visual identity?
A brand’s visual identity is a powerful subset of brand identity. It is a unique combination of colours, shapes, fonts, and other elements that represent a brand.
A survey shows that design is an essential factor for 88% of consumers when surfing a brand’s website. Visual identity helps your brand build credibility and recognition and differentiates it from competitors. An example that we mentioned earlier is Nike. But let’s look beyond these global brands.
In India, Titan, Vistara, The Bombay Canteen, and IndiGo are known for their consistent branding, memorable logos, and design elements that align with their core values and resonate with the audience. You can also check out each of those brands for inspiration. Our Pandora Agency logo in Nigeria gives you that simplistic, modern-day communication agency outlook.
So what’s it going to be for you? Whatever you decide, remember that one of the hidden elements of a strong brand identity is developing a strong and memorable logo, as it serves as the visual representation of your brand and is often the first thing people associate with your company, making it crucial for recognition and recall across various platforms. Below is a rundown of the essential components of visual identity.
Components of visual identity
Colour palette
This is a set of colours that represent your brand personality. Colours can influence people’s perception of your brand. According to research, colour plays a significant role in perception building, with studies showing that up to 90% of a consumer’s initial impression of a product or space can be attributed to colour. What does this mean for a brand? Colour is often the first visual element noticed, influencing how people perceive a building or environment before other details like shape or texture.
Different colours evoke distinct emotions. Warm colours like red and orange are often associated with energy and excitement, while cool colours like blue and green can convey calmness and serenity.
Research has shown that gender can influence colour preferences. Women prefer softer, pastel shades, while men prefer bolder, more saturated colours.
Studies also suggest that up to 60% of people might reject a product or building if they dislike its colour. Therefore, it is important to use colour palettes that allow your brand to convey its personality, values, and message to the audience.
This should be a set of colours used consistently across your brand’s visual communications.
It is essential to choose a primary colour that reflects your brand’s values and personality. Additionally, select secondary colours that complement the primary colour, such as a shade or two lighter or darker.
Logo design
A logo is a symbol, image, or design that identifies a company, product, or brand. It is often the customer’s first impression and the most recognisable aspect of a brand.
Types of logos
- Lettermark: A logo that uses a company’s initials, such as IBM, CNN, or HP
- Abstract: A logo that uses a complex geometric shape to represent a business. A few famous examples of an abstract logo include the BP starburst-y logo, the Pepsi divided circle and the stripy Adidas flower.
- Pictorial: This type of logo uses an image, such as a mascot or a product. Examples include Apple’s iconic logo, Twitter’s bird, Nike’s swoosh, and Starbucks’s twin-tale mermaid.
To choose the right logo, consider your brand identity, industry, target audience, and desired image. Then, select a logo style that best represents those elements. Ultimately, prioritise simplicity, memorability, and versatility.
Imagery
Photos, illustrations, or icons that align with your brand’s aesthetics help leave a good impression on the audience. Imagery plays a crucial role in brand identity by visually representing a brand’s values, personality, and story. This allows it to connect with the target audience emotionally, create recognition, and differentiate itself from competitors through a distinct visual aesthetic across all marketing materials.
How can you use imagery for brand identity?
The foremost imageries used for brand identity are logos and colours, which embody a brand’s identity and should be consistently used across all platforms. However, other means of using imagery to express brand identity are:
Product photography
High-quality images of products are vital for showcasing their features and benefits.
Lifestyle imagery
Pictures depicting people using a product in a specific context can help establish a brand lifestyle.
Typography
Typography plays a crucial role in brand identity by visually communicating a brand’s personality, values, and message through fonts. This can significantly impact how a brand is perceived by its audience, creating a distinct and memorable impression across all communication channels. The font you choose acts as your brand’s ” voice, ” conveying whether it is playful, sophisticated, professional, or something else entirely.
Branding common mistakes and how to avoid them
A strong brand identity is essential for brands to achieve their business goals. However, not every business owner, entrepreneur, or marketer gets it right. Here are some common mistakes you can easily make and ways to avoid them.
1. Inconsistent branding
Inconsistent branding occurs when a brand presents a different visual identity, messaging, or tone of voice across various marketing channels. This can confuse customers and undermine the brand’s overall image.
This sends mixed signals about who you are and what you stand for. Essentially, it means a lack of uniformity in communicating with your audience across different platforms. This is a critical branding mistake to avoid because it makes the audience uneasy, leading them not to trust your brand. Research shows that 60% of companies reported that being consistent in branding added 10% to 20% more of their growth.
Ways to avoid it: be consistent in your brand voice and identity across all platforms, which will strengthen your brand identity and make you stand out.
2. Copying competitors
Copying a competitor is not a good strategy. While it might seem like the easiest way to be successful, it removes originality from your brand. Your brand must be authentic and different to build a strong brand identity, making you stand out in the market. According to research, 86% of customers say authenticity is a key reason they buy from a brand.
Ways to avoid it: Have a clear goal and know your brand’s unique qualities. This will help you focus on your objectives and communicate your brand benefits to the audience. Also, your visual identity should align with your brand mission and values.
3. Ignoring your target audience
Know your target audience. Without this information, you cannot create a branding and visual identity that resonates with them.
Ways to avoid it: The first thing you should do for your brand is conduct thorough research about who you want to target. This will help you understand what kind of content they prefer, what marketing channels they use, and what they value most.
4. Following trends
When creating your brand, avoid current trends that do not align with your identity. Stay true to your brand identity, focusing on authenticity and longevity.
Ways to avoid it: Focus on your brand’s core values and create valuable and relevant content and designs that will benefit your audience. You can also research and strategically choose trends that align with your brand and target audience.
5. Poor visual design
Poor visual design can result from neglecting key principles like visual hierarchy, colour psychology, and user experience.
It can also result from inconsistent branding, too many fonts, improper colour combinations, a lack of white space, or low-quality images. Some brand developers also fail to consider the overall layout and element placement, leading to a confusing and unappealing design for the user.
Ways to avoid it: To prevent poor visual design, focus on maintaining consistency in colour schemes, fonts, and imagery. Also, properly align elements, optimise image quality, and use a clear visual hierarchy. You must also understand your audience, avoid too many fonts, proofread for errors, and always consider mobile responsiveness when designing.
Tools for branding and visual identity design
Branding tools are software applications that help brands shape, manage, and promote their brand identity through graphics, logos, content, etc. These tools include Canva, Adobe Illustrator, Frontify, Google Fonts, and graphic assets.
- Canva: Canva is a free online platform for creating branded designs. It can be used for presentations, to establish brand consistency, and to adjust existing elements.
- Adobe Illustrator is a leading graphic design tool for creating professional logos. It also provides tools for vector art and design.
- Frontify: Frontify is an excellent platform for promoting and managing brands. It connects everything essential to a brand’s growth. It lets companies document their brand guidelines, share updates, and more.
- Google Fonts: Google Fonts is a free service provided by Google that offers a vast collection of web fonts that can be used in online projects to reflect your brand identity and values.
Conclusion
Branding and visual identity are more than logos and colours. Branding creates a strong perception of what you do, why, and how you do it. If that perception is good, then you have a good brand identity. If the reverse is the case, you have a poor brand identity. You can always create an identity that resonates with the target audience through your brand communication, identity, and anything else that represents your brand. These will go a long way in enhancing your brand relevance.
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