Whether you’re in the midst of laying the foundation for a new business or going through the painstaking process of rebranding, some helpful tips will help. Creating a well-designed brand identity may seem like a daunting process, but if you follow these 5 steps, you’ll succeed.
Lay the groundwork
If you’re aiming to create a brand identity that will be relevant for a long time, start with a solid foundation. Identity doesn’t come out of nowhere. It should be based on your brand strategy. Brand strategy is the path to your business goals. But to achieve those goals, you first need to define them.
To understand your brand and help your customers do so, you need to answer some important questions:
Why does my brand exist? What is its purpose? The answer to these questions is the vision and purpose of your brand. Develop a clear mission statement for your company and summarize your purpose.
What is your value proposition? What can customers get from you?
If your brand were a person, what would he or she look like, how would he or she talk? What character would he or she have?
What short- and long-term goals do you want to focus on?
Research the field and your competitors
Once you’ve identified the essence of your brand, you can move on to scope and competitors. Detailed market and competitor research is a must if you’re serious and want to build a strong brand.
You can do a SWOT analysis (identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) to create a holistic picture of where your company stands in relation to your competitors, industry and goals.
Conduct an audience analysis
Your audience can be a source of useful information in building a recognizable brand identity. You just need to analyze it carefully. Research your target audience or your direct competitors’ audiences if you don’t already have an established customer base.
Who does your audience consist of? What do they want to get from your company? Pay attention to any patterns in the demographics, psychographics, and buying behavior of your audience. Analyzing your audience will help you create an identity that will appeal to them.
Move on to design.
It’s time to translate all of the information you receive into a visual component – design. You should start with the following: describe your brand in three words that best describe your brand. And then try to express them in your design.
For example, if the words describing your brand are “positive, youthful, fresh,” then the most appropriate color is yellow. Look for symbols and fonts that will go well with yellow and will be able to convey the desired spirit. And among the fonts on Font Storage you can find the right one.
You can create a logo that reflects the spirit of your brand with the online designer. Just enter your keywords and select the right one from the variety of designs.
When your logo, color palette and typography are ready, they will be the basis for developing further elements: website user interface, graphic design for social networks, product packaging, emails, branded merchandise, etc.
If you have an established brand and want to rebrand, analyze the effectiveness of each brand element. You’ll likely find several elements that don’t align with your audience or the brand itself.
Analyze the data you’ve already collected and see if you need to refine some elements. You may find that your logo no longer reflects the essence of your company, or that you need to change the tone of your messaging to appeal to a certain segment of your audience.
Brand identity is not something static, which is why even well-known global brands are rebranding. eBay, Instagram, Microsoft, Google, Mastercard and many other brands have changed the visual elements of their brand several times.
Let your brand identity mature
Creating your brand identity is like growing a plant-you can’t just plant a seed and be done with it; it’s just as important to make a consistent effort to maintain and grow it. Lack of consistency in how you present your brand can undermine your credibility.
Develop a brand identity guide that enshrines the core elements of the brand. It’s especially important for large teams, where everyone needs to be on the same page in maintaining brand integrity.
Don’t forget to keep your brand identity relevant: conduct surveys, monitor social media, etc. This will allow you to monitor your brand reputation and prevent any possible misunderstandings.