How To Create a Brand Identity

For any marketing or advertising company, a lasting impression starts with a powerful visual brand identity.

“Your brand is what other people say about you when you're not in the room.” - Jeff Bezos

A brand identity refers to the way in which a company introduces itself and how it desires to be perceived by the public. It is a unified set of visual elements that work together, this can involve a number of aspects e.g. creative design, colour schemes, a logo etc.

Visuals often speak more than words as this is often the main aspect that not only catches a client's attention but maintains it. A visual identity often holds an in-depth meaning that will also help your company to stand out and differentiate from other companies.

All the visual elements of your company should be designed in such a way that your brand's values and voice is clearly communicated. Companies are more likely to be successful with creative and meaningful visuals - which makes up their brand identity.

• It is essential to fully understand your brand in order to fulfill you clients needs and demands. It is important to understand all aspects of your business so you can communicate clearly with clients and understand exactly what they are looking for. These aspects include the brand's core values, what your brand represents, and how you want it to be remembered. Other aspects to consider would be target audiences, and it is key to make this as specific as possible, so; gender, age, occupation, geographical location, socioeconomic status, etc. The brand's values must be expressed through the design of your brand identity.

• Research into your own company is also important, and this may be carried out through surveys, communicating with your target audience with the aim of receiving valuable feedback. You must also research you target audience i.e. pages they might follow on social media, their likes and dislikes. This is so that it appeals directly to and resonates with your target audience, therefore making profits more likely. With the information collected, a mood board can be made to reflect exact style directions, colour palettes and overall aesthetics in order to establish a strong design foundation with your target audience in mind.

• A design phase after learning your brand's values and determining your target audience will allow your brand identity to begin shaping itself. The aim of this is to ensure that each element of your design complements and visually enhances your brand, but it important not to over-complicate this. It needs to be flexible and be able to work across all aspects of your brand to avoid confusion from potential clients.

So overall, your brand's identity relies almost entirely on its visual aids as this vocalises your brand's core values which is how your consumers will perceive your brand. It is important to strive for consistency in your design as well as ensuring it is appealing to your target audience and easily comprehendible.