Defining Brand Identity: The Fundamentals

The brand identity is the face of your brand. It is the visual introduction to your product. This visual introduction immediately evokes associations in the mind of your potential customer. And that is where the challenge lies. How do you ensure that these associations align with the characteristics and values of your brand? In this article, we help you determine your brand identity.

The importance of a clear brand identity

Let’s first look at the definition of brand identity:

‘The visual elements of a company through which the distinctive core values are communicated to the market.’

Brand identity is essentially your communication with the market. It is the first and most important asset with which you can convince and persuade customers to use your product or service. A good brand identity is recognizable and consistent. It tells your customer what he or she can expect from your product. In competitive markets with many similar products, this is a challenge for many companies. How do you translate the values, characteristics, and unique selling points of your brand into visual elements?

Before determining your brand identity, it is important that you position your brand well in the market. Knowledge of the market and competition is essential if you want to stand out. If you have no idea what your company stands for or how to position yourself in the market, it makes little sense to design a logo or slogan for your company. On the ‘Positioning’ page, we go into this in detail. Based on your positioning, you then determine your brand identity.

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Determining brand identity

Determining your brand identity stems from the insights of your positioning. Two components are important here: what are the core values of your company and what are the needs of the target audience. A good brand identity is based on these components. What do you stand for as a company? Porsche stands for luxury and speed while Volvo has safety as a core value. The communications of these companies align with this. Determine the core values of your company and how you reflect these in your brand identity.

In addition, the needs of your target audience are important. Porsche’s target audience is sensitive to status and innovation, while the potential Volvo driver is more conservative and values reliability more. This involves some market research. Also look at trends in the market. Markets and consumer needs are constantly changing. Respond to this. Paying attention to customer needs and market developments forces you to think creatively when determining a brand identity. This way, you are ready not only for today but also for the future.

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Describing and documenting brand identity

Once you have mapped out all your characteristics – positive and negative – try to describe in one sentence which associations your new brand identity evokes. Then you give the characteristics a face with which you will conquer the market. The most important elements of a brand identity are:

• Font
• Color
• Logo
• Tone of voice
• Imagery

Together, these elements must represent your distinctive characteristics visually. We will briefly explain per element how you can approach this:

Font
A font can be bold or thin, loose or connected, simple or complex, large or small, serif or sans serif. Psychologically, these font properties influence the customer’s perception. Do you have a tough, masculine brand? Then do not choose a serif font or a thin connected font.

Color
Colors evoke feelings. It is no coincidence that in many markets the established market leader uses a lot of blue. Blue stands for trust, strength, and reliability. Orange is associated with friendliness, cheerfulness, and trust. Red stands for excited, young, and brave. Use the color that fits your distinctive power.

Logo
A logo combines color, font, and shape. The right shape and/or color combination evokes the emotional response that fits the character of a brand.

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Tone of voice
Tone of voice is the way you communicate with your customer. The most well-known example is the use of formal or informal address in your communication. Are you on equal footing or above your customer? The tone of voice gives your content personality and makes it distinctive. Tone can transform the most boring production process into a technological masterpiece. Use the possibilities that language offers. The psychological effect of this is at least as great as that of color and shape.

Imagery
Photography and video are decisive for the association and emotion you have with a brand. It is about the recognizability of a brand based on these visual aspects. Do you use busy or calm images on your website? The real top performers in this field have imagery so recognizable that consumers know which brand it is at a glance.

Want to know more about the elements of brand identity and how you can use them psychologically to strengthen your brand? Then read our brand identity page.