Let’s start with the basics – what is brand identity? There are many different aspects involved here, including your logo, brand colours, typography and image style. A strong brand identity should be a reflection of your values, your vision, your personality and basically everything you stand for.
Why is it important to build a strong brand identity?
It’s pretty simple really. The stronger your brand identity, the more you’ll be recognised and remembered by your audience. This gives you a greater competitive edge over others within your industry, as potential customers will think of your business first when they are looking to source your products or services.
So, how do you build a strong brand identity?
Below we’ve pulled together a few tips, tricks and pointers that you can implement to make sure you have a brand identity that ‘pops’.
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts
Never is this truer than when pulling together your brand identity!
Each element of your brand’s identity should complement one another. From the colour palette and font choice, to the imagery and logo design, each component works to build a simple yet recognisable image that is memorable for all who see it.
Usually, you wouldn’t want to use a modern, clean typeface, for example, with a more traditional logo mark like a crest or a shield, or a bright red or neon yellow colour if you were going for a more refined and understated brand image.
Take for example, our xHeight logo.
The image below shows the logo in its final form, alongside three alternative options. The look that we wanted to go for in relation to our brand identity was to make it modern, clean and simple – nothing fussy or fancy. If we’d chosen something similar to options 2, 3 or 4 then a completely different image would have been created that wouldn’t represent our brand values and personality at all.
Create a brand identity that has legs
Not literally, but “legs” in terms of its ability to go the distance and be implemented across all areas of your business. Do your research and make sure that a new company name, taglines or colours won’t be offensive to certain cultures. This is particularly important should you be considering trading internationally down the line.
Make it scalable
Scalability is something that should always be at the forefront of your mind when building a strong brand identity. If this factor isn’t taken into account, then it can cause a whole heap of trouble down the line. Ask yourself:
‘Does my brand identity work across both large and small formats?’
‘Will it be easy to integrate across my various marketing channels?’
Too many times we’ve seen logos designed with only the short term in mind. For example, if you are a start-up that is eager to get your website out there into the World, this can sometimes lead to you rushing certain elements of your brand identity.
Put the time in now so you don’t have to start picking your brand identity to pieces further down the line, as this will take up a serious chunk of time (and money!) that you would do best to avoid.
Aim to please
You can’t make everyone happy, however it’s important to focus on making sure that your brand leaves a positive impression. Ideally, you want your target audience to find your brand’s identity appealing, compelling, memorable and in line with the services or products your business offers; there’s no point offering apples when you sell pears!
Longevity and versatility
Your core brand identity elements should have long-lasting appeal and stand the test of time rather than simply following the latest trend. Having said this, you may also need to be willing to make adjustments and changes if necessary. For example, if your business is looking to change direction or introduce sub-brands to the mix.
Your brand identity is an essential component when it comes to the success of your business. By ensuring that your brand’s image tells your unique story, you can capture the imagination of your customers and create loyalty. If you or your business need help in building a strong brand identity, the team at xHeight can use their extensive expertise to help bring your brand to life. To find out more information, please visit our ‘Brand Identity & Logo Design’ page or contact us via email at hello@xHeightdesign.co.uk or call us on 01403 586 002. We look forward to hearing from you!