Many people think of the logo when they hear brand identity, yet the logo is only one part of it. The identity is everything by which your brand is recognised, even when the logo is not in sight. It includes the colours, the typefaces, the style of photos and illustrations, the graphic elements, and the way all of these come together on a poster or a package. The tone of voice belongs to it as well, meaning the way your brand addresses people in its texts.
A good brand identity works because it is a system. If your social posts and your website use the same elements, after a while people will know it is you from a colour or a distinctive shape alone. If you appear differently on every channel, this recognition never builds up, and every piece of communication has to start the work from scratch.
What a brand identity is made of
- The logo and its versions, in horizontal, vertical and icon form
- The colour palette, with codes for print and screen
- The typefaces and the rules for using them
- Imagery, graphic elements and illustrations
- Applications, meaning finished designs of the most important surfaces
The scope of a brand identity fits the company. A start-up often needs only a strong logo and a few basic rules, while for a brand with several products the system has to answer every situation, from packaging to vehicle graphics.
A well-built system also speeds up everyday work, because every new piece can start from the same elements, and nobody has to work out from scratch how each poster or post should look.
The rules of the brand identity are recorded in the brand guidelines, so your team and your outside partners use it correctly. Without them, a brand identity drifts apart within a few years, because everyone shapes it a little to their own taste.
Our brand identity work starts with a brand workshop in which we clarify who your brand is for and how it differs from your competitors. We look at the competitors' appearance together as well, to see what we need to stand apart from. The logo and the whole system are built on this, so behind the visuals there is always a decision about what they need to convey.
