How to craft a brand identity: It’s more than just a logo!

When we think about our favourite brands, what do we recognise them for? For those that work in branding, many people will assume you look after the way a brand appears visually. The logo, colours, website, social media and wider marketing. Have you considered the audio identity of your brand? Or how your brand communicates with its consumers or clients? Here we talk about a few ways to craft a brand identity – outside of how it appears visually!

Values & missions

Before a designer can even begin to think about the way a brand appears visually, they need to understand what it stands for and what message they are trying communicate. Can you imagine Just Eat with a black and white logo? It wouldn’t convey half as much fun and freedom as their iconic rainbow colour palette! The visual identity of the brand speaks volumes, but before a logo you need the foundations. Ensuring you have clear brand values is key, this will help give the brand opportunity to grow, and will also encourage people to buy from you. The purpose of your brand or product, what separates you from your competition, your personality and ethics are just a few of the things to consider. Think about brands you buy from – would you buy from a brand that strongly represents the values you believe in? From sustainability to representation. The values and mission statement of your brand can become part of your marketing messaging, and is a very strong way of communicating with your audiences, building relationships and ultimately building repeat business.

Audio

Audio is becoming more and more important when it comes to crafting a brand identity. Podcasts and digital audio continue to grow in popularity all the time. Therefore, brands from all sectors are experimenting with sound in their marketing. Some brands audio identity is so strong, they are instantly recognisable within 5 seconds. A well known fast-food restaurant has a very familiar audio identity… I’m lovin’ it! It’s not just about how your brand sounds, but how your brand integrates audio into the marketing mix. Just because everyone in the world is launching a podcast, it doesn’t mean your brand has to! Experiment with other forms of audio, radio and Spotify or podcasts sponsorship and adverts rather than branded content creation.  

Product

For brands with a physical product, it can be easier to communicate your offering and place in the market, it can do the talking for you! For those without a physical product, make sure to determine what sets you apart from your competition and why people should buy from you, and into you. Whether your brand has a physical product or not, the people that work behind it are as important at the product. Use this to your strengths – can you profile the people that work for you? Why do they enjoy working for your brand and what does it mean to them?

Communication & customer perception

Finally, the most straightforward of all is how you communicate with the people that buy from you. Perception of a brand is so important! From customer service to tone of voice on social. Brand communication it its simplest form is how you speak to the people who open your doors. Ensure tone of voice is consistent and your personality shines through in all forms of marketing and communications with your audience. Try something a little different with email marketing, or give you customer service staff a face on social!

Key take-aways

If you’re in the process of setting up a brand or want to shift the way people see you, the best place to start is the foundations and work from there. Ensuring your brand has a consistent branding strategy will set it apart from competitors. Values, personality and what sets you apart from the competition will help you stand out. Give people multiple reasons to buy from you, not just by judging a book by its logo! Written by Sophie Thirlwell