Branding and corporate identity

What is Brand Identity Design?

Brand identity design is the outward expression of an organization, product or service which includes its name, logo and overall visual appearance.
It underlines who you are and is the fundamental signpost.  It’s the first thing that your customer identifies with your company and symbolizes the brand’s differentiation from your competitors i.e. communicates your uniqueness quickly and effectively.
In todays world where the word “branding” is colloquially much used and abused it’s often commonly thought that a logo is the brand. This couldn’t be further from the truth. A logo is a very important element of branding but it is not ‘the brand’, only a small piece of the whole entity. It is simply an icon that indicates it’s existence, a system used to lend a clear and consistent voice for your product or service. It doesn’t change who you are, it just amplifies how you are perceived by others.

Your logo or identity in conjunction with your brand help people understand who you are and what you offer. 

A company or product logo identity is the visual bridging the gap between your brand and your customers. It turns your name into a visual marker, forming a connection in the minds of your customers with the values your brand stands for. It is important therefore, that the implementation of that identity throughout your communication strategy does the same. A well designed and crafted identity amounts to nothing if putting it into practice is haphazard and poorly thought out.

A great logo helps identify, create competitive difference and reinforce credibility and trust towards a company. Most companies have logos of some description BUT they don’t all have great logos. 

Brand logo design is developed around one core idea that connects with customers and this idea must be immediate and apparent to be meaningful. If the viewer has to work to “get it” then the brand identity or logo is failing as the symbol for the brand.

Ideally brand logos communicate more effectively and quickly when the message is represented through simple visual language and distillation of the core essentials. Complexity or too many secondary messages can add confusion which becomes a barrier to brand recognition, connection and memorability.

In summary your goal in brand identity design is to create an image or icon that:

• communicates the core brand message quickly and clearly
• is memorable and distinctive
• market appropriate 
• supports emotional connection with your customers and core brand values

If you are struggling to develop a great brand identity, talk to us. Brand identity design is key part of our professional expertise and we love working with clients to develop distinctive brand identities for their companies, products and services.