3 Steps to Design Brand Identity

People often confuse brand identity as a logo design. Brand identity is not exactly the logo of a company. Brand identity is more of a style guideline of a brand, which not only includes the logo but also various other visual elements of a brand including typography, color, symbol, illustrations, etc. In other words, brand identity encapsulates the look and feel of a brand.

A brand identity is critical in creating unique customer or user experience. It influences the brand image and positioning in customer minds. Brand identity is just like an individual’s personality. Just like every individual’s personality has some unique characteristics and traits, a brand identity must have some unique elements.

If we look at some popular brand identity, like Nike or Coca-Cola, we can understand that brand identity must have the following characteristics:

• Stands out from the competitors
• Versatile according to the medium
• Easy to remember

To create a brand identity that has all of the above-mentioned characteristics, here is a brief step by step guide on creating a successful brand identity.

Researching the Industry

To create a brand identity that resonates with your target audience, you must know who exactly is your target audience. Create few imaginary personas based on your ideal customers by defining their behavior and demographics. You must know what your target audience really expects from the brand and how the brand can deliver the expectations successfully.

Research your competitors as well. Check their brand style guidelines and how their customers perceive their brand. This will help you in analyzing what really works and how you can differentiate your brand from your competitors.

Ideation Process

Once you have understood the industry, now comes the brainstorming part. Pick up a pencil/pen and a notebook and sketch some rough ideas of your brand’s look and feel. Write down the concept behind your brand in a simple word and try to convert it into a visual design by sketching the concept. Don’t focus on typography, logo, color or other visual elements.

Designing The Idea

Once you have finalized how your brand will look and feel like and what will be the face of your brand, you can start designing. Start with sketching various logo design concepts and finalize one that best represents the idea you have finalized. Design various versions of a finalized logo with various color themes and typography. The color palette and typography you choose for your brand identity will be consistent throughout your branding. This is why it is important to carefully consider your options.