Consumers are surrounded by new brands. Or are they new?
In the age of social media, there’s a new brand (or rather, a brand new to a consumer) around every corner. Just as quickly as they crop up, they can be forgotten.
Your brand identity, now more than ever, is crucial for keeping your brand relevant on the national and global stage.
The beauty of brand identity is that every touchpoint with your audience is an opportunity. How your brand moves through the world is a chance to connect, shine and reinforce one’s brand identity.
Embracing originality and authenticity is key to this — and the best way for consumers to see you as such, is by being consistent.
The terms ‘brand’ and ‘logo’ are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same.
Developing and maintaining a strong brand identity development goes beyond the initial efforts of simply investing in a well-designed logo, fonts and perhaps some key colours.
Sure, they’re important however your brand is not just a logo; it is your website, social media, photography, your story, marketing collateral and more. It is a living, breathing entity, where the logo is but a step toward developing a strong brand identity.
The “Visual Identity System” explains this deeper. This marketing term refers to all your brand’s visual elements. They all need to be set to the same standard in order for people to connect, recognise and above all, remain loyal, to the brand journey.
Investing in a beautiful logo but cutting corners of your website implementation, imagery or social media efforts, for example, can completely deface and misalign your brand. Above all, it will confuse consumers.
More and more companies are rebranding or starting fresh, post-pandemic. However, as we head into 2024 the battle for brands to showcase authenticity will become even more difficult.
“In 2024, branding should be at the centre of your marketing strategy, as it can increase revenue by 23% alone.”
https://www.creativebloq.com/features/branding-marketing-strategy
So how do you ensure you hit the mark right from the start?
It all starts with thinking strategically.
Designing brands people truly care and connect with means thinking about more than just your logo, colours and fonts and hoping everything just naturally falls into place.
Quick-fire tips
- Understand a brand is a promise and experience that people will feel good, bad or memorable about — no matter the touch point.
- A brand is an entire entity and journey, not just a logo and some nice colours.
- Authenticity builds trust: with your audience but importantly within the broader ecosystem of your brand
- A set of brand guidelines is a great way to control your brand across different touch points, no matter who is working across it
- If you use AI, understand it has pitfalls. Authenticity and building trust has become a challenge in this AI-dominated era. It can dilute your brand through commoditisation, which compromises the authentic human element of your brand.
Brand consistency isn't just a passing fad; it's the secret ingredient for maintaining a strong brand identity that fosters trust, loyalty, memorability, and long term success.
If you’re needing to implement your brand across different platforms, a set of brand guidelines is your way of ensuring standards are being maintained—beautifully, and consistently. It’s especially helpful for when your team inevitably grows, or you engage third parties.
So, what are brand guidelines? It is essentially a document summary of all your branding rules. It outlines the colours, writing styles, audiences and every other detail of what makes your brand yours, including how it can and can’t be used.
It should outline the key messages your marketing content should promote, so anyone working on your brand outside of the initial creators doesn't go off-piste.
No visual identity lives in a vacuum. It’s important to know that visuals appear differently in various mediums and must be constantly represented to the same standard.
A well-designed brand identity doesn’t just support a brand — it truly does elevate it.
Top companies worldwide understand and have mastered the art of brand identity. Be sure you’re well prepared for the branding journey and committed long term wherever your brand identity takes you.
