Welcome to my series, Your Brand Identity! In this introduction post, I will give a quick briefing on what exactly is a brand identity, why having a good brand identity is important, and what I will be going over in these next few posts.
Brand Identity, according to Business Dictionary, is: The visible elements of a brand (such as colors, design, logotype, name, symbol) that together identify and distinguish the brand in the consumers’ mind.
Our attention spans are short, and sometimes we only get a few seconds to make a good impression. This is why developing your brand is so important. It’s a way for your clients or customers to learn about your business by simply glancing at your logo.
Whether it’s intentional or not, every brand has an identity. Sometimes it shows that the brand is professional, cohesive and logical. Other times, it’s mixed and matched, and customers can be confused on what exactly the company stands for. My job, and what I want to help you with, is making sure your brand identity is what you want it to be.
There are many facets that go into making a brand, and in this series I want to go over some of those facets in detail. In my opinion, some of the most important elements for a brand identity are: keywords, colors, fonts, images, and design elements.
The Breakdown
- Keywords: Choosing a group of simple keywords is a great place to start for developing a brand. Once you break down what your brand personality is in a few simple words, you will have a clearer direction for the following elements.
- Colors: Studies have shown that color can affect emotions, so it is important to pick the right colors! Learning a little bit about color theory can help make sure you’re making the right decisions.
- Fonts: Some people might find this part boring, but choosing the correct font for your brand, and using the same fonts consistently, is very important. This will ensure your content comes across easily and comfortably.
- Images: There are plenty of sites to get stock images from. And making sure you have a consistent style can make sure your values are coming across through the photos you choose.
- Design elements: Maybe I’m biased, but this is my favorite part. Making sure your design elements are cohesive between your logo, print materials and website can make sure your brand stays beautiful.
In this series, I plan in to go into detail about these five elements. I hope it will not only give business owners a good grasp on what makes a great brand identity, but also will show other designers a little look into my process when helping a client.