Building a Unique Brand Identity

Building a unique brand identity is the dream of every organization. People often use “Logo” and “brand” interchangeably but it is very important to note that a logo is just but a step in creating a unique brand identity.

By definition, a logo is a symbol adapted by a company to identify their products whereas a brand is a type of product manufactured by a particular company under a particular name.

What is a Brand Identity?

We have defined what a brand is and as a means of individualization, a brand is given attribution data by its “identity.” The identity makes the brand memorized, appealing and recognizable. A brand identity is therefore whatever makes your company stand out, and it is strengthened by every visual information you associate yourself with, ranging from typography to the color choice.

Why is Brand Identity Important?

According to Purely Branded, a brand “lives and evolves in the minds and hearts” of your consumers and therefore the identity of you brand is very key in preserving the brand and giving it a future.

Below are some reasons why Brand Identity is important:

Differentiation: A brand identity helps you place your brand appropriately, and make enable your clients to be in a position to differentiate it from other brands. This will also make you stand out to potential clients in the market.

Awareness:  A brand identity makes your brand featured in many marketing materials. This makes customers interact more with your brand, hence creating awareness among them and making your brand memorable.

Loyalty: Customers are loyal to the brand they know and trust. Through your brand identity, customers will interact with your brand more often, creating a strong trust and loyalty.

Consistency: Creating a brand identity consistently represents your business across different platforms hence passing a consistent message to clients. As consistent representation of you brand is seen, it creates cohesiveness and makes your brand unique.

Personality: Brand Identity sets the tone of your brand, consequentially evoking certain feelings in your customers. The purpose of eliciting emotional response from the customers is to incite positive actions which are beneficial to the company, and Brand Personality similar to a customer’s personality is more likely to attract them.

How to create a Brand Identity

1. Research your audience, value proposition, and competition.

The most important step in creating a brand identity is to carry out a market research and distinctly understand the following things:

Audience: Customers have different needs and preferences. When creating a brand identity, get to understand your target audience so that your brand can fully meet your clients’ needs.

Value Proposition and Competition: In order to develop a successful brand, you must know the difference between you and your competitors in the market. Understand that you are not the only brand in the market and you need to be different. What is unique about your brand? Give the customers a reason to choose you over the other brands.

Mission: What is your business about? This question should provoke you to come up with a mission statement that clearly describes what your business offers. Let the statement clearly describe your vision and goals.

Personality: I have briefly discussed about personality under the importance of creating brand identity and I’ll only give additional tips. Be presentable when representing your brand through the color and type. In order to enhance the visual representation of your brand, check on your tone of voice. Let it represent who you are, and what you stand for.

SWOT Analysis: In order to understand your brand better and succeed in creating it, complete a SWOT Analysis.

SWOT is an acronym for:

Strengths: The positive distinguishing features of your business which give you an added advantage over your competitor.

Weaknesses: The shortcomings of your business.

Opportunities: Elements within your environment, which you can use to your advantage.

Threats: Elements within your environment which can cause trouble to your business.

Having completed the SWOT Analysis, choose what you want your brand to portray. (The Characteristics)

2. Designing the Logo

A logo alone is not enough but it plays a very pivotal role in in the branding of your business. The logo is like your brand ambassador because it appears almost everywhere, from the online platforms to stationery.

3. Know what to Avoid

Communicate clearly to the customers through your language and visuals without giving them mixed messages.

Do not copy what your competitor is doing because it may make you lose credibility.

Be consistent and stick to what you stand for.