Whenever you will see “apple”, the first thing that will come to your mind will be Apply Company. Similarly, if you will see the sign of  “Swoosh”, Nike will come to your mind. This is what brand identity is. The recognition of any brand with its visual symbol, that we also called as Logo, is developing brand identity.

In this article, 3 pillars of developing brand identity are explored and discussed in detail with real life examples. Read the article till Final Verdict to understand the entire concept of branding.

What is brand Identity?

Branding is creating a brand’s image through creative techniques. It is about the uniqueness of products and their identification differentiating from others. Branding is creating a uniquely positive perspective of the company through the use of customer needs. Branding is not achieved fortnightly, but this is a series of unlimited action small to significant actions which initiate with the start of the business. The real key to success lies in the consistency of efforts that must be aligned with the targeted audience. There are different elements in branding, including a mission statement, logo, packaging and much more. Branding is one of the tools of marketing communication that speaks before the product is explained and used. Developing Brand Identity is the tool that companies use to win competition and development of strong customer base.

Importance of developing brand identity:

A brand is the voice and reputation of the company, whereas design is the silent ambassador of the brand. Branding is a lifelong process, and it takes years of years to get into the minds of customers, but this reputation is simply destroyed in minutes. This destroying process is even quicker with the use of social media. Brand identity explains what values your business or your products hold. This is how you expect your customers to react when they have experience using this product. As history reveals that brand is the word first used by cattle ranchers to mark their cattle; hence this was the symbol used to identify products. There is a number of brands that have a strong impression in our minds that we associate real-life objects with them. As in we, Pamper is the brand of the diaper, but people replace it with a diaper. So branding is essential in the following ways.

This is the face or identification of your business, which initiates with the logo. The logo explains the mood of your business. Logo in itself is the broader term that depends upon the colour scheme it chooses. The design it holds explains what to expect from the product.

Branding is the source of developing trust. If there is consistency in designs, and designs reflect the values of products, then it is easier to build credibility and trust. Mismatch of designs and colours, as in using some bright colours and funky designs for formal men’s wear, will not endorse the real quality irrespective of the fact how finest the plans will be.

Last but not least, developing brand identity makes it easier to make an impression. It is easier for businesses to develop a lasting impression.

How to develop brand identity?

Now that you are familiar with the importance of creating branding and brand identity, it is important for you to know how to create a brand identity. However, before creating a brand identity, there are some pro tips.

• Consistency is the key to success.
• Strategic planning is essential that requires you to manage branding from day one of business.
• Make a substantial distinction between dos and don’ts.
• Integration of different design and production elements to create a uniform image.

So now, when you are done with mapping out, you are in the proper position to develop the brand identity.

3 Pillars of Developing Brand Identity

Consider your audience

For creating brand identity, the 1st pillar is Audience. It’s not only the pillar but also the backbone of entire business. You should be clear about who your audience is and what their preferences are. Based on this decision, companies can make the brand identification that people will love and that brand will stay in mind for a longer period of time.

The mission statement is the document that is not just a filler but this acts as a roadmap for the business. This roadmap defines the lifelong action of the business that is a strong guideline for the business. It is a mission statement that follows goals and vision. Creating a business personality is important and is not possible without strong identification of a mission and vision statement. However, it is not enough to make a mission statement; the real struggle and success lie in following it.

Design

The 2nd pillar of developing band identity is Design. Designs are another means to communicate about the business. Designs are essential as most of the chocolates are in bar forms with different portions, but Tobler one is the chocolate in a triangular shape. In the same way, people recognize products with their logs without reading the names. It is not only about the logo, but there are colours or colour scheme that defines your business. Interestingly the colours should be aligned with the company. As in greys and blacks are big no for the brand for kids’ clothing. The design is about fonts, cuts, images and elements. Nike is a company that follows the same pattern of colours, fonts and designs.

Consistency and Flexibility

The 4th Pillar of developing Brand Identity consists of Consistency and Flexibility. Consistency is the crucial element of any branding component. There must be consistency in values, ingredients and designs. Similarly, there must be uniform design choices. The flexibility of design is essential that lets businesses adjust different campaigns, events and tag lines. There is a number of times when one has to change the design as per events or situation, so the plans should accompany it. As in we see coca cola, they have a consistent format, yet there is flexibility to accommodate current cricket events.

Final verdict

Branding is Essential for every business regardless of scope and product. Branding is vital in our days in multiple ways as the world is turning towards digital marketing and market places world spread like fire over social media near, so it is essential to develop a brand for every small-scale business. Avoid giving a mix of messages with its branding to show the customer will end in confusion. It is important to remember the pic that branding is the weakness of a product. It should not be matching or similar to a competitor’s product in I need an otherwise, it would be nothing but demolition aspect for the business. Must be I need to scale of business scaling could be upward or downward but scaling should not Sacrifice of quality of content in design, so it is important to maintain consistency.